Setup

Kaiten MCP connects an MCP client to one Kaiten company over stdio. You need Node.js 24 or newer, a Kaiten API token, and a client that can launch a local MCP server. The token determines which spaces, cards and operations are accessible.

1. Check Node.js

Use Node.js 24 or newer. npm and npx are included with Node.js:

node --version
npm --version

2. Configure your MCP client

For clients that accept an mcpServers JSON configuration, add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kaiten": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["--yes", "@2chevskii/kaiten-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "KAITEN_ORIGIN": "https://company.kaiten.ru",
        "KAITEN_TOKEN": "YOUR_KAITEN_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

npx resolves the package and downloads it into npm's cache when needed. --yes suppresses the installation prompt so the MCP client can start the server unattended. The published package contains the compiled server.

Replace the company address and token. The configuration location and reload procedure depend on your MCP client. Supply the token through the client's environment or secret settings where supported. Ensure the client can find Node.js and npx in its PATH.

Alternative: npm exec

Use the same env settings with this command and argument list:

{
  "command": "npm",
  "args": [
    "exec",
    "--yes",
    "--package=@2chevskii/kaiten-mcp",
    "--",
    "kaiten-mcp"
  ]
}

Both forms run the package's kaiten-mcp executable. For a fixed release, append @<version> to the package name. See the npm exec reference for package resolution and caching behavior.

For a source checkout, follow development.

Environment variables

Variable	Required	Value
KAITEN_ORIGIN	Yes	Company origin, such as https://company.kaiten.ru; no API path, credentials, query or fragment
KAITEN_TOKEN	Yes	Kaiten API token; whitespace around the token is trimmed
KAITEN_TIMEOUT_MS	No	Timeout per tool operation in milliseconds; default 30000, integer from 1 to 2147483647

HTTPS is required for a Kaiten company. The client library accepts loopback HTTP for local fixtures. REST requests use API v1.

To connect to several companies or tokens, create separate server entries with unique names and their own environment variables.

3. Verify the connection

Reload your client's MCP configuration and check that it discovers 44 tools with the kaiten_ prefix. Ask the assistant:

Identify my Kaiten user, then list the spaces I can access.

This uses kaiten_get_current_user and kaiten_list_spaces and verifies a real read through the configured token. A successful MCP connection alone verifies process startup and tool discovery; the first tool call verifies Kaiten access.

If the process exits or the tool fails, see troubleshooting. Starting the server in a terminal may appear idle while it waits for MCP input.

4. Choose a workflow

Start with finding your cards, reading a card's context, or creating a card and checklist. The tool reference lists every tool's arguments and behavior.

Tools execute changes immediately when called. The MCP host decides how to present or approve calls; server annotations describe read and destructive operations. Kaiten enforces the token's permissions.

Search returns compact summaries. Fetch card details, comments and checklist items with their dedicated tools. Lists default to 25 items and accept at most 100; follow the returned continuation field until it is null.

Supported scope

The 44 tools cover navigation, cards, comments, memberships, tags, checklists and existing custom properties. Property definitions, options and directories can be read, and values can be assigned to cards.

Documents, attachments, time tracking, automations, administration, SCIM, webhooks, property-definition editing and directory editing are outside this version. The server exposes tools over stdio; HTTP transport, MCP resources and prompts are outside this version.