Lesson 1

Overview

What a power user understands

  • MCPUP is central-config first
  • `sync` is the real side-effect boundary
  • Different clients have different native formats
  • Secrets belong in env or headers, not in random notes
  • Dry-run is your safety brake

What a power user does not assume

  • Not every arbitrary `--client` name is really supported
  • Not every planned feature is implemented yet
  • Adding or enabling does not push immediately
  • Client configs should not be treated casually

Lesson 2

Golden Rules

The three rules worth memorizing

Rule 1:
Treat ~/.mcpup/config.json as the source of truth.

Rule 2:
Use mp sync --dry-run before real syncs when the change matters.

Rule 3:
Target only the client you mean when you are not sure.

Most common beginner mistake

People think `enable` already changed the client. It did not. It only changed MCPUP's central state. `sync` is separate on purpose.

Lesson 3

Core Workflow

Normal operating path

1. mp add ...
2. mp enable ... --client ...
3. mp list
4. mp sync --dry-run --client ...
5. mp sync --client ...

This is the healthy v0.1 workflow. It is staged, visible, and reversible before the final write step.

Workflow explainer


								

							

						

					

				


				

					

						

							
Lesson 4

							
Command Recipes

						

						
					


					

						

							
Recipe builder

							

								
								
								
								
								
							

						

						

							

							

						

					

				


				

					

						

							
Lesson 5

							
Safety + Secrets

						

						
					


					

						

							
Secret placement

							

								Use `--env KEY=VALUE` for command servers and `--header` for
								remote HTTP servers. Those values become part of config
								state, so treat the file as sensitive.
							

						

						

							
Client safety

							

								Only `sync` touches client files. Use targeted client syncs
								when you are not fully confident.
							

						

						

							
Experiment safety

							

								The code supports overriding the central config path through
								`MCPUP_CONFIG`, which is excellent for isolated experiments.
							

						

					


					

						
What not to do

						
    
							
  • Do not assume `add` or `enable` already updated the client
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  • Do not sync unknown client names and expect success
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  • Do not treat tokens in config files as harmless
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Lesson 6

							
Troubleshooting

						

						
					


					

						

							
Message decoder

							

								
								
								
								
							

						

						

							

							

						

					

				


				

					

						

							
Lesson 7

							
Limits + Smart Habits

						

						
					


					

						

							
Current v0.1 limits

							
    
								
  • No update or modify command yet
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  • No import-from-existing-config flow
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  • No auto-sync
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  • No separate codex-desktop registry key
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  • Some edge behavior is lightly tested at full system level
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Smart habits anyway

							
    
								
  • Use stable, descriptive server names
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  • Prefer targeted client syncs while learning
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  • Use `mp list` as a cheap sanity check
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  • Use dry-run before meaningful syncs
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  • Keep secrets handling intentional
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Power user mindset:

slow is smooth
smooth is safe
safe syncs are better than fast bad writes

					

				


				

					

						

							
Lesson 8

							
Practice + Quiz

						

						
					


					

						

							
Operator scenarios

							

								

									1. You want to test changes without touching your real
									config. What mechanism helps most?
								

								
								
							

							

								

									2. You enabled a server for Cursor but do not want to risk
									editing anything yet. What next?
								

								
								
							

							

								

									3. You typed a client name that is not in the adapter
									registry. What do you expect on sync?
								

								
								
							

						


						

							

								
Quick quiz

								
							

							

							

								Answer the quiz and check your score.
							

						

					

				


				

					

						

							
Sources

							
What This Course Used

						

					


					

						

							
    
								
  • uv run mp --help
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  • uv run mp add --help
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  • uv run mp enable --help
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  • uv run mp disable --help
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  • uv run mp sync --help
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  • src/mcpup/cli/*.py
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  • src/mcpup/config/*.py
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  • src/mcpup/clients/*.py
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  • tests/cli/*.py
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  • tests/clients/*.py
    •