# agent-harnesses

An MCP server that tells your agent which harness fits your model and task. Useful when you are choosing a runtime for an agentic system instead of guessing from star counts.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 1349
- Author: RyanAlberts
- License: CC-BY-SA-4.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/RyanAlberts/best-of-Agent-Harnesses
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/agent-harnesses

## What it does

The server hands your agent a curated catalog of agent harnesses, orchestration frameworks and harness techniques. Two tools do the work: `recommend` and `pick_harness`. Your agent calls them and gets a harness matched to the model and the job at hand, rather than inheriting whatever someone else benchmarked. The catalog also carries decision guides, setup templates and skills that audit your own agent setup.

It runs as a stdio server through `uvx`, so `uvx` has to be present on the machine. Claude takes a single command; Cursor and GitHub Copilot need the JSON block pasted into their config. No API key is involved.

The catalog's argument is blunt: harness quality moves results further than a model swap, and rankings barely carry over between models. So the harness is a pairing with your model, and it has to be re-asked whenever the model changes. If your stack is settled and the model is not going anywhere, this server adds little.

## Requirements
- Needs: Python and uv (commands run via uvx)

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI**
```bash
claude mcp add agent-harnesses -- uvx agent-harnesses-mcp
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from agent-harnesses-mcp <command>

### Codex

**Platform CLI**
```bash
codex mcp add agent-harnesses -- uvx agent-harnesses-mcp
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from agent-harnesses-mcp <command>

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "agent-harnesses": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "agent-harnesses-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from agent-harnesses-mcp <command>

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "agent-harnesses": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "agent-harnesses-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from agent-harnesses-mcp <command>

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini mcp add agent-harnesses uvx agent-harnesses-mcp
```
uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from agent-harnesses-mcp <command>

## When to use it
- match a harness to a specific model and task
- compare orchestration frameworks by autonomy and recovery
- find a setup template for an agent runtime
- audit what your agent can reach and what it spends
- track newly added harnesses and weekly star gains

## Example prompts
- Pick a harness for Opus on a large-repo refactor
- Call `pick_harness` and explain why that one beats the alternatives
- Audit my current agent setup: what it can reach and what it spends

## Similar
- [REA](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/rea.md) — MCP server · ★ 386989
- [GitHub](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/github.md) — MCP server · ★ 33918
- [Netdata](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/netdata.md) — MCP server · ★ 81115
- [browser-use](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/browser-use.md) — MCP server · ★ 119160
- [Codebase Memory](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/codebase-memory.md) — MCP server · ★ 47392
- [mcp-server](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/mcp-server.md) — MCP server · ★ 43872

---
NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md