Overview of Hide MCP Server

The Hide MCP server bridges the gap between Claude and a headless Integrated Development Environment (IDE) called Hide. In environments where an AI assistant must manipulate source code, run scripts, or explore a project’s file system without a graphical user interface, this server offers a lightweight, command‑line‑only solution. By exposing a set of structured tools over the Model Context Protocol, developers can embed powerful file‑editing and shell execution capabilities directly into their AI workflows.

At its core, the server implements two versatile tools adapted from Anthropic’s computer‑use demo. The Text Editor tool provides read‑only and write access to files, complete with line numbers, directory listings, file creation, exact string replacement, line insertion, and a history of edits. This allows an assistant to inspect codebases, patch bugs, or generate new files on the fly—all while maintaining a clear audit trail. The Bash tool offers a persistent shell that supports common Linux and Python packages, background processes, and automatic output truncation to keep responses concise. Together these tools give Claude the ability to act like a full‑featured developer, executing commands and modifying code as needed.

For developers building AI‑augmented workflows, the Hide MCP server is especially valuable because it removes the need for a graphical IDE or manual file handling. A single MCP client can launch, navigate, and modify any Hide project through declarative prompts. The server’s persistent shell ensures that stateful operations—such as long‑running data processing or interactive debugging—remain available across multiple turns. This continuity is critical for complex tasks that span several assistant exchanges.

Typical use cases include automated code review, continuous integration pipelines, and educational settings where students interact with a virtual IDE through an AI tutor. A DevOps engineer can ask Claude to deploy infrastructure by editing configuration files and running shell commands, while a data scientist can have the assistant preprocess datasets directly within Hide’s file system. Because the server communicates strictly over standard input/output, it integrates seamlessly with any MCP‑compatible client, including Claude Desktop or custom applications.

Unique advantages of Hide MCP stem from its headless design and rich toolset. It eliminates the overhead of GUI rendering, making it ideal for containerized or cloud deployments where resource constraints matter. The Text Editor’s edit history and exact‑match replacement reduce accidental changes, while the Bash tool’s automatic truncation prevents cluttered responses. Combined, these features provide a reliable, reproducible environment for AI assistants to perform sophisticated development tasks without manual intervention.