Cycles MCP Server

MCP server for Cycles — runtime budget authority for autonomous agents

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What is the Cycles MCP server?

MCP server for Cycles — runtime budget authority for autonomous agents. Exposed over MCP by the cycles mcp server, that capability becomes something an assistant can invoke while it works, not something you go and do afterwards.

What it actually does

Autonomous AI agents (Claude, GPT, custom agents) call LLMs, invoke tools, and hit external APIs — but have no built-in way to cap how much they spend. A single agent loop can burn through hundreds of dollars before anyone notices. Multiply that across tenants and teams, and cost control becomes a real problem.

  • Platform teams — building multi-tenant agent systems that need per-customer or per-workspace spend limits
  • Agent developers — who want agents to self-regulate — degrade to cheaper models when budget is low, skip optional tool calls, reduce retries
  • Enterprises — deploying AI agents that need guardrails so a runaway agent can't blow through a budget

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

  • cycles_reserve — POST /v1/reservations
  • cycles_commit — POST /v1/reservations/{id}/commit
  • cycles_release — POST /v1/reservations/{id}/release
  • cycles_extend — POST /v1/reservations/{id}/extend
  • cycles_decide — POST /v1/decide
  • cycles_check_balance — GET /v1/balances
  • cycles_list_reservations — GET /v1/reservations
  • cycles_get_reservation — GET /v1/reservations/{id}
  • cycles_create_event — POST /v1/events

Adding it to your client

Being a remote server, there is no local install. You register the endpoint with your client, authorise it once, and the tools appear.

Configuration

You will need 8 environment variables: CYCLES_BASE_URL, CYCLES_API_KEY, CYCLES_MOCK, CYCLES_ALLOW_MOCK_IN_PRODUCTION, PORT, HOST, MCP_HTTP_AUTH_TOKEN, CYCLES_DEFAULT_TENANT. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

When to reach for it

Plenty of team communication servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Cycles's toolset — cycles_reserve, cycles_commit, cycles_release and 6 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by runcycles; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Caveats

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • With 9 tools registered it takes up a noticeable share of the context window; turn it off in projects that never touch Cycles.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the cycles mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
cycles_reservePOST /v1/reservations
cycles_commitPOST /v1/reservations/{id}/commit
cycles_releasePOST /v1/reservations/{id}/release
cycles_extendPOST /v1/reservations/{id}/extend
cycles_decidePOST /v1/decide
cycles_check_balanceGET /v1/balances
cycles_list_reservationsGET /v1/reservations
cycles_get_reservationGET /v1/reservations/{id}
cycles_create_eventPOST /v1/events

How to install the Cycles MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cycles": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@runcycles/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "CYCLES_BASE_URL": "your-value",
        "CYCLES_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "CYCLES_MOCK": "your-value",
        "CYCLES_ALLOW_MOCK_IN_PRODUCTION": "your-value",
        "PORT": "your-value",
        "HOST": "your-value",
        "MCP_HTTP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "CYCLES_DEFAULT_TENANT": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
CYCLES_BASE_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
CYCLES_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
CYCLES_MOCKConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
CYCLES_ALLOW_MOCK_IN_PRODUCTIONConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
PORTConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
HOSTEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Optional
MCP_HTTP_AUTH_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
CYCLES_DEFAULT_TENANTConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Cycles to cycles reserve.
  • Use Cycles to cycles commit.
  • Use Cycles to cycles release.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Cycles to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 9 tools (cycles_reserve, cycles_commit, cycles_release, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Cycles directly.