Alephant
FreeNot checkedAlephant MCP server for AI cost control, BYO-key routing, 50+ providers, and 320+ models.
About
Alephant MCP server for AI cost control, BYO-key routing, 50+ providers, and 320+ models.
README
Model Context Protocol server for Alephant BYO-KEY: FinOps metrics, virtual keys, and workspace analytics from Cursor, Claude Desktop, or any MCP host.
Modes
| Mode | Environment | Tools |
|---|---|---|
| VK | ALEPHANT_VIRTUAL_KEY |
Cockpit-scoped usage + 3 VK tools (8 tools total incl. shared) |
| Manager | ALEPHANT_PAT + ALEPHANT_WORKSPACE_ID |
Workspace-wide management (27 tools total incl. shared) |
PAT takes precedence when ALEPHANT_PAT is non-empty. If neither VK nor PAT is set, the process exits with an error (no mock data).
Required (both modes): ALEPHANT_API_BASE_URL
Optional: ALEPHANT_RATE_LIMIT_RPM (default 60, use 0 to disable client-side throttling)
Windows / npx troubleshooting
From this repo’s root (alephant-mcp/): do not use npx -y @alephantai/mcp to “smoke test” the published package. npm treats the current directory as the local @alephantai/mcp project and does not link the root package’s bin into node_modules/.bin, so Windows then fails with 'alephant-mcp' is not recognized (or the Chinese CMD equivalent).
Use one of these instead while developing in the clone:
npm start
# or
node .\bin\alephant-mcp.js
To verify npx the same way end users do, run it from any other directory (e.g. the parent folder):
cd ..
npx -y @alephantai/mcp
From a normal project folder (after npm install @alephantai/mcp), you can also run:
node .\node_modules\@alephantai\mcp\bin\alephant-mcp.js
If npx -y @alephantai/mcp still fails outside the clone, try:
npx --yes --package=@alephantai/mcp alephant-mcp
Published packages 0.0.2+ include the bin/alephant-mcp.js shim for reliable npm bin resolution when installed from the registry.
MCP client config
Alephant MCP is a local stdio server. Use one server entry per credential scope. For multiple workspaces, create multiple entries with different names and environment variables.
Cursor / Claude Desktop
Virtual Key (read-only / scoped cockpit):
{
"mcpServers": {
"alephant": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@alephantai/mcp"],
"env": {
"ALEPHANT_API_BASE_URL": "https://alephant.io",
"ALEPHANT_VIRTUAL_KEY": "vk-..."
}
}
}
}
Personal Access Token (manager):
{
"mcpServers": {
"alephant-workspace-a": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@alephantai/mcp"],
"env": {
"ALEPHANT_API_BASE_URL": "https://alephant.io",
"ALEPHANT_PAT": "pat_...",
"ALEPHANT_WORKSPACE_ID": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"
}
}
}
}
Use separate mcpServers entries per workspace when you have multiple PATs.
Codex
Add a stdio MCP server in ~/.codex/config.toml:
[mcp_servers.alephant]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@alephantai/mcp"]
env = {
ALEPHANT_API_BASE_URL = "https://alephant.io",
ALEPHANT_VIRTUAL_KEY = "vk-..."
}
startup_timeout_sec = 20
tool_timeout_sec = 120
For Manager mode, replace the VK env with:
env = {
ALEPHANT_API_BASE_URL = "https://alephant.io",
ALEPHANT_PAT = "pat_...",
ALEPHANT_WORKSPACE_ID = "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"
}
Verify with:
codex mcp list
codex mcp get alephant
OpenCode
Add a local MCP server under mcp in your OpenCode config, for example opencode.json:
{
"$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
"mcp": {
"alephant": {
"type": "local",
"command": ["npx", "-y", "@alephantai/mcp"],
"enabled": true,
"environment": {
"ALEPHANT_API_BASE_URL": "https://alephant.io",
"ALEPHANT_VIRTUAL_KEY": "vk-..."
}
}
}
}
For Manager mode, use ALEPHANT_PAT and ALEPHANT_WORKSPACE_ID in environment instead of ALEPHANT_VIRTUAL_KEY.
Claude Code
Use the CLI to add Alephant as a local stdio server:
claude mcp add-json alephant '{"type":"stdio","command":"npx","args":["-y","@alephantai/mcp"],"env":{"ALEPHANT_API_BASE_URL":"https://alephant.io","ALEPHANT_VIRTUAL_KEY":"vk-..."}}' --scope user
claude mcp list
claude mcp get alephant
For a shared project config, create .mcp.json in the project root:
{
"mcpServers": {
"alephant": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@alephantai/mcp"],
"env": {
"ALEPHANT_API_BASE_URL": "https://alephant.io",
"ALEPHANT_VIRTUAL_KEY": "vk-..."
}
}
}
}
For Manager mode, replace the VK env with ALEPHANT_PAT and ALEPHANT_WORKSPACE_ID.
CLI audit
npx --yes --package=@alephantai/mcp alephant-mcp --audit
- VK: prints cockpit
scope+usage-summary(billing cycle). - Manager: prints workspace id +
GET /api/v1/analytics/overview.
Tools (summary)
Shared (both modes): check_alephant_connection, get_usage_summary, get_daily_costs, get_cost_by_model, list_available_models
VK only: get_my_scope, get_my_budget, get_my_recent_requests
Manager only: get_workspace_overview, get_workspace_budget_status, list_virtual_keys, create_virtual_key, update_key_budget, revoke_virtual_key, list_agents, get_agent_analytics, list_members, get_member_analytics, list_departments, get_department_analytics, get_subscription_info, set_budget_policy, get_live_24h, get_usage_timeseries, get_sparklines, diagnose_cost_anomaly, get_executive_dashboard, drill_down_spend, find_idle_resources, compare_entity_periods
get_request_logs is not included (JWT-only backend route).
Prompts & resources
- cost_audit_report — both modes
- cost_optimization — manager only
Documentation
- 中文:在 AI Agent 中如何使用 MCP — 自然语言提问示例、
/alephant-…快捷模板、工具对照表 - Marketplace submission: see docs/marketplace-submission.md for official MCP Registry, Smithery, and Glama submission notes.
Development
npm install
npm test
npm run build
Package
Published as @alephantai/mcp (alephant-mcp binary).
Install Alephant in Claude Desktop, Claude Code & Cursor
unyly install alephant-mcpInstalls into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor & VS Code — handles npx, uvx and build-from-source repos for you.
First time? Get the CLI: curl -fsSL https://unyly.org/install | sh
Or configure manually
Run in your terminal:
claude mcp add alephant-mcp -- npx -y @alephantai/mcpFAQ
Is Alephant MCP free?
Yes, Alephant MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does Alephant need an API key?
No, Alephant runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is Alephant hosted or self-hosted?
A hosted option is available: Unyly runs the server in the cloud, no local setup required.
How do I install Alephant in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open Alephant on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.
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