Getting Started

Install

Homebrew (macOS / Linux)

brew install babmcp/tap/bab

Install script (macOS / Linux)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/babmcp/bab/main/install.sh | bash

Binary download

Grab the latest from the releases page, then chmod +x and move to a directory on your PATH.

From source

Requires Bun 1.3.9 or newer.

git clone https://github.com/babmcp/bab.git && cd bab
bun install
bun run build:binary   # compiled binary at dist/bab

Self-update

bab selfupdate

Configuration

Bab creates and uses ~/.config/bab/:

• ~/.config/bab/env
• ~/.config/bab/plugins/
• ~/.config/bab/prompts/

Supported provider environment variables:

• GOOGLE_API_KEY
• OPENAI_API_KEY
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
• OPENROUTER_API_KEY
• CUSTOM_API_KEY
• CUSTOM_API_URL

Common Commands

Start the MCP server:

bab serve

Install the first-party external plugins:

bab add git@github.com:babmcp/plugins.git

Security note: Plugin adapters run as trusted code with full access to your filesystem and network. Bab will always prompt for confirmation before installing. Only install plugins from sources you trust.

List bundled and installed plugins:

bab list

Validate a plugin directory:

bab test-plugin ~/.config/bab/plugins/my-plugin

Build the distributable bundle:

bun run build

Optional single-binary build:

bun run build:binary