Ani MCP - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Ani MCP

before you install - you'll need

ANILIST_USERNAME is optional or environment-specific per the README.

Claude Code

claude mcp add gavmason-ani-mcp -- npx -y ani-mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gavmason-ani-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "ani-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license MIT - declared in the repository

npm package ani-mcp - unscoped; check the name against the project README before installing

registry namespace io.github.GavMason is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Ani MCP can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can search anime/manga by title with genre, year, and format filters, browse a season's anime lineup, browse top titles in a genre with optional filters, and list all valid genres and content tags.

The 40 tools it gives your agent

Extracted from the project's README - what ani-mcp lets an agent do.

anilist_search: - Search anime/manga by title with genre, year, and format filters
anilist_details: - Full details, relations, and recommendations for a title
anilist_seasonal: - Browse a season's anime lineup
anilist_trending: - What's trending on AniList right now
anilist_genres: - Browse top titles in a genre with optional filters
anilist_genre_list: - List all valid genres and content tags
anilist_recommendations: - Community recommendations for a specific title
anilist_list: - A user's anime/manga list, filtered by status
anilist_lookup: - Check if a specific title is on a user's list
anilist_stats: - Watching/reading statistics, top genres, score distribution
anilist_taste: - Generate a taste profile from your completed list
anilist_pick: - Personalized "what to watch next" from your backlog, seasonal lineup, or discovery pool

show all 40 tools

anilist_compare: - Compare taste compatibility between two users
anilist_wrapped: - Year-in-review summary
anilist_explain: - "Why would I like this?" - score a title against your taste profile
anilist_similar: - Find titles similar to a given anime or manga
anilist_sequels: - Sequels airing this season for titles you've completed
anilist_watch_order: - Viewing order for a franchise
anilist_session: - Plan a viewing session within a time budget
anilist_mal_import: - Import a MyAnimeList user's list and generate recommendations
anilist_kitsu_import: - Import a Kitsu user's list and generate recommendations
anilist_taste_card: - Generate a shareable taste profile card as a PNG image
anilist_compat_card: - Generate a compatibility card comparing two users as a PNG image
anilist_staff: - Staff credits and voice actors for a title
anilist_staff_search: - Search for a person by name and see all their works
anilist_studio_search: - Search for a studio and see their productions
anilist_schedule: - Airing schedule and next episode countdown
anilist_airing: - Upcoming episodes for titles you're currently watching
anilist_characters: - Search characters by name with appearances and VAs
anilist_whoami: - Check authentication status and score format
anilist_profile: - View a user's profile, bio, favourites, and stats
anilist_feed: - Recent activity from a user's feed
anilist_reviews: - Community reviews for a title
anilist_favourite: - Toggle favourite on anime, manga, character, staff, or studio
anilist_activity: - Post a text activity to your feed
anilist_group_pick: - Find anime/manga for a group to watch together
anilist_shared_planning: - Find overlap between two users' planning lists
anilist_follow_suggestions: - Rank followed users by taste compatibility
anilist_react: - Like or reply to an activity
anilist_calibration: - Per-genre scoring bias vs community consensus

Latest releases

v0.15.7 · 2026-06-17

v0.15.6 · 2026-06-02

v0.15.4 · 2026-04-15

Bump msw from 2.12.11 to 2.12.14 · Bump eslint from 10.0.3 to 10.1.0 · Bump lru-cache from 11.2.6 to 11.2.7

04 · Who maintains Ani MCP

ani-mcp is maintained by gavmason. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Mar 2026.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/gavmason/ani-mcp
category: data & analytics - ranked #30 of 75 actively-maintained data & analytics servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence: 2 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-06-17)
registry: io.github.GavMason/ani-mcp (active, first published 2026-03-01)
packages: npm:ani-mcp

06 · Ani MCP FAQ

Is Ani MCP still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-08-06 and it shipped 2 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Ani MCP do?

With this server connected, an agent can search anime/manga by title with genre, year, and format filters, browse a season's anime lineup, browse top titles in a genre with optional filters, and list all valid genres and content tags.

How do I install Ani MCP?

Run `npx -y ani-mcp`. The README documents one environment variable (ANILIST_USERNAME) to set first. ANILIST_USERNAME is optional or environment-specific per the README. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Ani MCP run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Ani MCP

Alternatives to Ani MCP

Maintained data & analytics servers if Ani MCP isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Ani MCP doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

More data & analytics MCP servers · Seline · Orion · Ihalent · Data Profiler MCP · Horizun PBI MCP

More TypeScript MCP servers · Gctrl · Inbed · Google Jules MCP Server · Aegis · Cacheoverflow · see all