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Local MCPs are Model Context Protocol servers that run on your computer — either as a small process Notis starts for you (the standard MCP “stdio” setup, like npx @something/mcp), or as a server you’re already running locally on http://localhost:…. Notis routes their traffic through the Notis desktop app so nothing leaves your machine. If the MCP server you want lives on the public internet instead, see MCP for the cloud setup.
Local MCPs stay on your laptop. The command, its arguments, and any tool calls run on your computer, not in the cloud.

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When to use a local MCP

Reach for a local MCP when:
  • You want Notis to use a tool that needs to touch your own computer — your files, a local CLI, or a service running on localhost.
  • A vendor publishes an MCP server you’d like to run on your own machine rather than in the cloud.
  • You’re prototyping your own MCP server and want Notis to call it without deploying anything.

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Before you start

Local MCPs need the Notis desktop app, signed in, with Your Computer turned on. Open the Notis desktop app and enable Your Computer first — otherwise the integration won’t be reachable. See Local Shell for the one-time setup.
There are two ways to add a local MCP, depending on how the server runs.

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Run a local process (stdio)

This is the most common setup — you give Notis a command, and it starts (and stops) the MCP server for you. Follow the steps to add an MCP server, but set Connection to Command instead of entering a Server URL. Then fill in:
  • Command: the program to launch. Examples: npx, uvx, python, or an absolute path like /opt/homebrew/bin/peekaboo.
  • Arguments: one per line. For example, to run Peekaboo you’d enter:
  • Environment: add any secrets or config the server expects (API keys, tokens). Values are masked.
Click Test, then Save. Notis tags the integration Local MCP in the list and discovers its tools through the desktop app.

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Connect to a server running on localhost

If you already run an MCP server on your machine (for example a self-hosted vendor server bound to http://localhost:3333), add an MCP server and paste its local address as the Server URL: http://localhost:…, http://127.0.0.1:…, or http://[::1]:…. Notis works out the right connection type on its own. Click Test, then Save. Notis sees the local address, tags the integration Local MCP, and routes traffic through your desktop app.

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Choose the computer it runs on

In the desktop app, a Runs on setting appears when you add or edit a local MCP:
  • Only this computer: the MCP always runs on this computer, even when your conversation uses another one. Local MCPs you add from the desktop app start with this choice.
  • Any computer: the MCP runs on the computer your conversation uses. Make sure the program or server is set up on each of those computers. Local MCPs added from the web use this choice.
To change it, open the MCP from the desktop app on the computer it should run on. In your list of integrations, an MCP set to one computer shows Only on followed by that computer’s name.

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Troubleshooting

  • Integration shows a warning about the desktop app. Local MCPs only work while the Notis desktop app is running and Your Computer is enabled. Open the app, sign in, and turn Your Computer on — the integration becomes reachable again automatically.
  • “Command not found” when starting a stdio MCP. Notis searches the usual locations (/opt/homebrew/bin, /usr/local/bin, /usr/bin, /bin, /usr/sbin, /sbin) on top of your shell’s PATH. If your command lives somewhere else, use the absolute path in the Command field (e.g. /Users/you/.local/bin/my-mcp).
  • Server expects secrets. Put them in Environment in the form rather than in Arguments: the values are masked and stored securely.