LightNow Docs

Run MCP safely across AI clients

LightNow is the MCP control plane for AI clients: evaluate servers, manage them in Runtime Profiles, and connect clients through LightNow Proxy wherever they run.

Mental modelOne client-side entry. One managed runtime.

Clients stay simple while LightNow resolves profile, policy, secrets, and upstream connections.

AI clients

Your AI tools

CodexClaudeCursorVS CodeAntigravity

Supported clients connect through a LightNow Proxy running alongside them.

One proxy entry each

LightNow

LightNow Proxy

Resolves the active Runtime Profile on the client host and forwards each MCP request to the selected upstream.

Runtime ProfileContextPolicySecretsEvents

Profile resolved

Profile-backed upstreams

Trusted MCP servers

Filesystem MCPstdioGitHub MCPHTTPInternal toolsprivate

Server config and secrets stay managed outside the client file.

Policy checked

LightNow builds on the official MCP client-host-server architecture, then adds a managed registry, Runtime Profiles, governance, and runtime visibility around the client-to-server connections.

Official MCP sources

Use protocol-owned sources when you need to verify ecosystem or protocol facts:

• The Official MCP Registry lists published Model Context Protocol servers independently of LightNow.
• The Model Context Protocol specification 2025-11-25 defines the authoritative protocol requirements implemented by clients and servers.
• The upstream modelcontextprotocol/inspector repository documents the visual testing and debugging tool used in our MCP Inspector guide.

Start with your job

QuickstartConnect your first client

Install the local tools, protect useful existing config, connect Codex, and verify the result.

MigrationImport an existing setup

Bring direct MCP entries into a Runtime Profile before LightNow replaces them with one proxy entry.

Client guideConnect Codex

See the exact files LightNow writes, the safe migration path, and the checks that prove Codex is managed.

TroubleshootingDebug LightNow Proxy

Separate client config drift, profile problems, and upstream MCP server failures without exposing secrets.

The safe first path

Import useful config before proxy sync

If Codex already contains MCP servers you want to keep, preview and apply an import before running Local Proxy sync. Sync in Local Proxy mode removes direct MCP server entries from the client file.

From existing Codex config to LightNow Proxy

lightnow login
lightnow import-config --client codex --dry-run
lightnow import-config --client codex
lightnow sync --client codex --local-proxy
lightnow config-status --client codex --json
lightnow-proxy --config ~/.lightnow/lightnow-proxy/codex.yaml --health --json

Skip both import commands when the Codex config does not contain MCP servers you need to preserve. The default Runtime Profile is used unless you pass --profile <name>.

What LightNow manages

• Discover Inspect publisher identity, source, transport, capabilities, and trust signals before using a server.
• Profile Keep each server set in a personal or organization Runtime Profile.
• Connect Run LightNow Proxy alongside each supported AI client.
• Govern Apply organization context and managed-client policy wherever they are configured.
• Observe Use proxy health and Runtime Events to investigate failures with optional tool-argument context. Tool results are not stored.