[zen_web.webm](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/851e3911-7f06-47c0-a4ab-a2601236697c)
zen_web.webm. The zen mcp server wraps that behind the Model Context Protocol, so an assistant can use it through 9 defined tools rather than through you.
🤖 Claude OR Gemini CLI + [Gemini / OpenAI / Grok / OpenRouter / DIAL / Ollama / Any Model] = Your Ultimate AI Development Team
Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:
OpenRouter — Visit OpenRouter for access to multiple models through one API. Setup GuideGemini — Visit Google AI Studio and generate an API key. For best results with Gemini 2.5 Pro, use a paid API keyOpenAI — Visit OpenAI Platform to get an API key for O3 model accessX.AI — Visit X.AI Console to get an API key for GROK model accessDIAL — Visit DIAL Platform to get an API key for accessing multiple models through their unified API. DIAL is an open-source AIOllama — Run models like Llama 3.2 locally for free inferencevLLM — Self-hosted inference server for high-throughput inferencePre — commit validation?** → precommit (validate git changes before committing)Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this serverYou will need 7 environment variables: OPENAI_API_KEY, GEMINI_API_KEY, OPENROUTER_API_KEY, DIAL_API_KEY, DIAL_API_HOST, CUSTOM_API_URL, CUSTOM_API_KEY. 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.
Being a remote server, there is no local install. You register the endpoint with your client, authorise it once, and the tools appear.
Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Zen's toolset — OpenRouter, Gemini, OpenAI and 6 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by jray2123; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.
This entry was verified against Zen's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| OpenRouter | Visit [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai/) for access to multiple models through one API. [Setup Guide](docs/custom_models.md) |
| Gemini | Visit [Google AI Studio](https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey) and generate an API key. For best results with Gemini 2.5 Pro, use a paid API key as the free tier has limited access to the latest models. |
| OpenAI | Visit [OpenAI Platform](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys) to get an API key for O3 model access. |
| X.AI | Visit [X.AI Console](https://console.x.ai/) to get an API key for GROK model access. |
| DIAL | Visit [DIAL Platform](https://dialx.ai/) to get an API key for accessing multiple models through their unified API. DIAL is an open-source AI orchestration platform that provides vendor-agnostic access to models from maj |
| Ollama | Run models like Llama 3.2 locally for free inference |
| vLLM | Self-hosted inference server for high-throughput inference |
| Pre | commit validation?** → precommit (validate git changes before committing) |
| Prerequisites | The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server. |
{
"mcpServers": {
"zen": {
"command": "sh",
"args": [
"-c",
"exec $(which uvx || echo uvx) --from git+https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/zen-mcp-server.git zen-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"PATH": "/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin:~/.local/bin",
"OPENAI_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.
| Variable | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| OPENAI_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| GEMINI_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| OPENROUTER_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| DIAL_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
| DIAL_API_HOST | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Optional |
| CUSTOM_API_URL | Endpoint or connection string the server talks to. | Yes |
| CUSTOM_API_KEY | Credential the server authenticates with. | Yes |
Kill hallucinated APIs — version-accurate, up-to-date library documentation injected straight into context.
Microsoft's official browser automation server — drive a real browser through the accessibility tree, no screenshots needed.
GitHub's official server — repos, issues, pull requests, Actions and code security, straight from your assistant.
Issue tracking at the speed of conversation — Linear's official hosted server with OAuth and zero install.
Local repository surgery — status, diffs, commits, branches and history for any repo on disk.
Timezone sanity for AI — current time anywhere and correct conversions, without the model doing date math.