# Install smithery-cli with Homebrew

Install and list Model Context Protocol servers from Smithery. Version 4.11.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-08.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:smithery-cli
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install smithery-cli
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:smithery-cli
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 4.11.1
- **Source summary:** Install and list Model Context Protocol servers from Smithery
- **Homepage:** <https://smithery.ai/>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-08T18:21:24Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- smithery (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 4.11.1
## Project history and usage

Smithery CLI is the command-line interface for Smithery, a platform and registry for connecting AI agents to Model Context Protocol servers, skills, and managed integrations.

### Project history

The official source repository, smithery-ai/cli, was created in December 2024 and describes the project as a TypeScript CLI for installing, managing, and developing MCP servers and skills for agents. Its package metadata publishes the npm package as `smithery`, exposes the `smithery` executable, and requires Node.js 20 or newer.

The 2026 changelog shows a major cleanup around the 1.0 and 1.1 line: the npm package was renamed to `smithery`, the CLI moved toward a unified `mcp` noun, auth and deploy UX were simplified, and release automation was consolidated through Release Please and npm publishing workflows.

### Adoption history

Smithery documents the CLI as the primary terminal workflow for searching, connecting, and managing MCP servers and skills. The official docs recommend `npm install -g smithery@latest`, while this input record shows distribution through Homebrew as `smithery-cli`.

As of the official GitHub API response checked for this run, the repository had hundreds of stars and forks, indicating visible adoption in the MCP tooling ecosystem rather than only a private internal tool.

### How it is used

Typical usage is `smithery mcp search`, `smithery mcp add`, `smithery mcp list`, and `smithery mcp remove` for MCP server connections; `smithery tool list/find/get/call` for connected tools; `smithery skill search/add` for skills; and `smithery auth login/logout/whoami/token` for authentication.

The CLI can write MCP server entries into supported AI client configs, mint service tokens, publish MCP servers or MCPB bundles, and cache Smithery settings in a platform-specific `settings.json` unless `SMITHERY_CONFIG_PATH` overrides the settings directory.

### Why package nerds care

For package-manager users, Smithery CLI is notable because it sits at the boundary between npm-style global CLIs, Homebrew formula installation, and the newer MCP/agent tooling stack. It is a small command surface that configures other developer tools rather than being only a standalone utility.

The source shows a pragmatic split between file-backed user settings and OS keychain-backed per-server configuration, which matters for package nerds auditing where CLIs persist state, credentials, and generated client configuration.

### Timeline

- 2024-12-22: Official GitHub repository created.
- 2026-05-01: v1.0.0 released.
- 2026-05-22: v1.1.0 release line records breaking CLI/package changes, including the package rename to `smithery` and a unified `mcp` command noun.
- 2026-05-31: v1.2.0 published with support for internal source-backed connections.

### Related projects

- Smithery itself is the hosted platform and registry behind the CLI.
- Model Context Protocol is the integration standard the CLI is built around.
- The Smithery Skills Registry is the official registry surface used by the CLI's skill commands.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/smithery-ai/cli>
- <https://api.github.com/repos/smithery-ai/cli/releases>
- <https://github.com/smithery-ai/cli>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smithery-ai/cli/main/CHANGELOG.md>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smithery-ai/cli/main/package.json>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smithery-ai/cli/main/src/lib/keychain.ts>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smithery-ai/cli/main/src/utils/smithery-settings.ts>
- <https://smithery.ai/docs>
- <https://smithery.ai/docs/concepts/cli>
- source_facts.package-manager.brew


## Security Notes

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for smithery-cli. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.



## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Configuration files

- Linux: $SMITHERY_CONFIG_PATH/settings.json, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/smithery/settings.json, ~/.config/smithery/settings.json
- macOS: $SMITHERY_CONFIG_PATH/settings.json, ~/Library/Application Support/smithery/settings.json
- Windows: %SMITHERY_CONFIG_PATH%\settings.json, %APPDATA%\smithery\settings.json

## Credential files

- Linux: $SMITHERY_CONFIG_PATH/settings.json, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/smithery/settings.json, ~/.config/smithery/settings.json
- macOS: $SMITHERY_CONFIG_PATH/settings.json, ~/Library/Application Support/smithery/settings.json
- Windows: %SMITHERY_CONFIG_PATH%\settings.json, %APPDATA%\smithery\settings.json

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/smithery-cli.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/smithery-cli.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph