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De Selby on the CMD Line

MADE WITH AI


Have you ever been working on a particularly gnarly development problem and found yourself asking "What would Flann O'Brien's fictional philosopher and scientist De Selby do?" If so, then this Model Context Protocol (MCP) server is for you!

Described as an eminent "physicist, ballistician, philosopher and psychologist", De Selby is known for his paradoxically non-scientific beliefs and personality. Use this MCP server to consult De Selby about any problem you're working on and receive helpful suggestions from the man himself.

Be warned though! In his later works, De Selby became interested in using his DMP compound to extract all oxygen from the atmosphere. Integrating his counsel directly onto an AI-enabled Command Line brings the Alignment Problem into sharp focus. This MCP server is not suitable for use in Yolo mode.


Getting Started

This guide assumes you are using Gemini CLI as your MCP client. Setup for other MCP clients may vary.

Prerequisites

  • Gemini CLI is installed on your machine.

Connecting with Gemini CLI

To give the Gemini CLI access to De Selby's works, you need to add the remote server to its configuration file.

1. Edit Your Gemini CLI Settings

Open the Gemini CLI configuration file, which is located in your home directory at:

~/.gemini/settings.json`

If the file or directory doesn't exist, you may need to run the Gemini CLI once to generate it.

2. Add the MCP Server

Add the following mcpServers object to your settings.json file. If the object already exists, just add the "de_selby" entry to it.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "de_selby": {
      "httpUrl": "https://realthreads.io/api/de-selby/mcp"
    }
  }
}

3. Verify the Connection

Save the file and restart your Gemini CLI session. To confirm that the server is connected, run the following command inside the Gemini CLI:

/mcp

You should see de_selby_server in the list of connected servers.

Usage

You can now use the De Selby MCP server in your Gemini CLI. For example, just ask:

  • "What would De Selby do about this problem?"
  • "Ask De Selby to create an architecture diagram for this project."
  • "Ask De Selby to gather some data about this problem."

Troubleshooting

If the server still shows as "Disconnected":

Check the URL: Double-check that the URL in your settings.json file is correct and doesn't have any typos.


Resources used in the MCP server

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