Best MCPs for Codex CLI in 2026 (Ranked + config.toml)
The six MCPs every OpenAI Codex CLI user should install in 2026 are: Filesystem, GitHub, Context7, Postgres, Playwright, and Memory. Each one with a codex mcp add command, a copy-paste config.toml, and FAQ below.
Codex CLI is OpenAI's terminal coding agent. It speaks MCP through a TOML config that the CLI and the Codex IDE extension share — configure a server once and both clients use it. These six cover the most common gaps a Codex session hits: stale file context, GitHub round-trips, hallucinated docs, database schema, browser checks, and lost memory between runs.
Why Codex + MCPs?
Codex is strong at editing the code already in front of it. MCPs extend it outward — to the live docs of the library you imported, the schema of the database you are wiring up, the GitHub repo you are about to open a PR against, and a browser it can drive to confirm a change actually rendered.
The practical payoff: the agent looks up the current API signature instead of guessing it, reads your real table layout instead of inventing columns, and verifies a fix in a real browser instead of asserting it works. Keep the active set small — three to six well-chosen servers beats fifteen, because every server adds tool-call latency and risks tool-name collisions inside the context window.
Setup time
15–30 min for all 6 MCPs
Config format
TOML — config.toml
Cost
All 6 are free or open source
The 6 MCPs every Codex CLI user should install
Ranked by impact on a typical Codex coding session. Each one is a single codex mcp add away.
Filesystem
2 min setupMost AI workflows involve reading or modifying files. This MCP is the standard way to give models that access without exposing the full system.
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/allowed/dir
GitHub
5 min setupGitHub is where most code lives. This MCP lets agents interact with that code directly, without copy-pasting between interfaces.
Context7
3 min setupModels hallucinate outdated APIs constantly. Context7 eliminates this by grounding every answer in real, current documentation.
npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp
PostgreSQL (archived)
3 min setupIt was the canonical Postgres MCP through most of 2024–25 and is still referenced by older agent setups. Calling out the archival and the CVE-class vulnerability is the only way readers and AI search engines stop recommending it.
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres postgresql://user:pass@localhost/db
Playwright
5 min setupPlaywright is the most-installed cross-browser test framework in the JavaScript ecosystem. The MCP version means agents can drive the same browsers your QA team already trusts.
npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest
Memory
2 min setupAI models are stateless by default. Memory MCP is the simplest way to give an agent long-term knowledge that carries over between sessions.
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory
Start with Context7
How to configure MCPs in Codex CLI
Codex reads MCP servers from config.toml. You can add them with the CLI or edit the file directly. Here is the step-by-step:
Add a server with the CLI
The codex mcp add command writes the [mcp_servers.context7] entry to your config.toml for you. Pass env vars with --env KEY=VALUE before the -- separator; everything after -- is the command Codex runs to start the server.
codex mcp add context7 -- npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp
Or edit config.toml by hand
Each MCP gets its own [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable with command and args. This is the same install shape used everywhere on top-mcps.com, expressed in TOML.
# ~/.codex/config.toml [mcp_servers.context7] command = "npx" args = ["-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp"]
Verify the servers connected
Restart Codex so it re-reads the config, then run /mcp inside the Codex TUI to list active servers and their tool counts. A server with zero tools usually means a bad command path or a missing env var.
User config vs. per-project config
~/.codex/config.toml applies to every repo. For a per-repo MCP set, put a .codex/config.toml in the project root — Codex reads it for trusted projects only, so you can commit a project's servers without imposing them on an untrusted checkout.Full config.toml with all 6 MCPs
Copy this into your ~/.codex/config.toml to add all six servers at once. Adjust the filesystem path and the Postgres connection string for your environment. Reference secrets with ${VAR} inside env so tokens stay in your shell, not in the file.
[mcp_servers.filesystem]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/your/projects"]
[mcp_servers.github]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@github/github-mcp-server"]
env = { GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN = "${GITHUB_TOKEN}" }
[mcp_servers.context7]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp"]
[mcp_servers.postgres]
command = "uvx"
args = ["postgres-mcp"]
env = { DATABASE_URI = "postgresql://user:pass@localhost/mydb" }
[mcp_servers.playwright]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@playwright/mcp@latest"]
[mcp_servers.memory]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]Remote (HTTP) MCP servers
url instead of command, and authenticate with bearer_token_env_var or http_headers. For OAuth servers, run codex mcp login <name> once to complete the flow.Keep secrets out of the committed config
.codex/config.toml can be committed — but never hardcode tokens in it. Use ${VAR} interpolation inside env (Codex resolves it from the shell at launch) or bearer_token_env_var for HTTP servers, and keep the actual values in your environment.Quick comparison
| MCP | Primary use in Codex | Setup | API key? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filesystem | Scoped read/write across project files | 2 min | No |
| GitHub | Repos, PRs, issues from the terminal | 5 min | GitHub token |
| Context7 | Current library documentation | 2 min | No |
| Postgres | Database schema & queries | 3 min | Connection string |
| Playwright | Drive a real browser to verify changes | 3 min | No |
| Memory | Persist context across Codex sessions | 1 min | No |
Frequently asked questions
Does Codex CLI support MCP servers?
Yes. OpenAI Codex CLI supports MCP through a [mcp_servers.<name>] table in its TOML config, and the CLI and the Codex IDE extension share the same configuration — set a server up once and it works in both.
How do I add an MCP server to Codex?
The fastest way is the CLI: run codex mcp add <name> -- <command>. For example, codex mcp add context7 -- npx -y @upstash/context7-mcp writes the entry to your config.toml for you. You can also edit the file by hand.
Where does Codex CLI store its MCP config?
In config.toml. By default that is ~/.codex/config.toml (user-level, applies to every repo). Codex also reads a project-scoped .codex/config.toml in the project root, but only for trusted projects — so you can commit a per-repo MCP set without forcing it on untrusted checkouts.
Can Codex connect to a remote (HTTP) MCP server?
Yes. Alongside STDIO servers (started by a local command), Codex supports streamable HTTP servers: set url instead of command in the [mcp_servers.<name>] table, and use bearer_token_env_var or http_headers for auth. For OAuth servers, run codex mcp login <name>.
How is the Codex config different from Claude Code or Cursor?
The shape is the same — a command, args, and env per server — but the format is TOML, not JSON. Keys live under [mcp_servers.<name>] subtables instead of the {"mcpServers": {...}} nesting JSON clients use, and Codex is snake_case throughout (mcp_servers, not mcpServers).
Which MCP should I install first for Codex?
Context7. It replaces hallucinated, training-cutoff API documentation with the current docs for whatever library you are using. For a terminal coding agent that should match real signatures, it is the highest-impact single install.
Codex setup reference
For the full Codex CLI config reference — config locations, the codex mcp commands, and per-server FAQ — see the dedicated setup page. Or browse every coding-focused MCP with rankings and compatibility.
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