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Overview

In this tutorial, you’ll build a simple command-line client that uses ATXP to search the web. Starting from an empty directory, you’ll learn how to set up a project, install dependencies, configure authentication, and make your first MCP server call. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a working CLI that can search the web using the Search MCP server.

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js installed (version 18 or higher recommended)
  • An ATXP account with a connection string (learn how to create an account)
  • A terminal or command prompt

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Step 1: Create your project

First, let’s create a new directory for your project and navigate into it: 
mkdir my-atxp-cli
cd my-atxp-cli
Now initialize a new Node.js project: 
npm init -y
This creates a package.json file with default values.

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Step 2: Install dependencies

Install the ATXP client SDK and dotenv for managing environment variables: 
npm install @atxp/client dotenv
The @atxp/client package provides everything you need to connect to MCP servers and make tool calls. The dotenv package helps you securely manage your connection string.

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Step 3: Set up your environment variables

Create a .env file in your project directory to store your ATXP connection string: 
touch .env
Open the .env file in your text editor and add your ATXP connection string:
.env
ATXP_CONNECTION=https://accounts.atxp.ai?connection_token=<your_token_here>
If you don’t have an ATXP connection string yet, follow the account creation guide to get one.
Never commit your .env file to version control. Add it to your .gitignore file:
echo .env >> .gitignore

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Step 4: Write your CLI script

Create a new file called index.js: 
touch index.js
Now let’s build the script step by step. Open index.js in your text editor.

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Step 4a: Load dependencies and create an account

Add the imports and create an ATXP account from your connection string:
index.js
const { atxpClient, ATXPAccount } = require('@atxp/client');
require('dotenv/config');

const account = new ATXPAccount(process.env.ATXP_CONNECTION);

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Step 4b: Connect to the Search MCP server

Create a client that connects to the Search MCP server:
index.js
const client = await atxpClient({
  mcpServer: 'https://search.mcp.atxp.ai',
  account: account,
});

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Step 4c: Call the search tool and display results

Call the search tool and output the results:
index.js
const result = await client.callTool({
  name: 'search_search',
  arguments: { query: 'latest news on artificial intelligence' }
});

const searchResult = JSON.parse(result.content[0].text);
searchResult.results.forEach((item, index) => {
  console.log(`${index + 1}. ${item.title}`);
  console.log(`   ${item.url}\n`);
});

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Complete code

Your full index.js file should look like this:
index.js
const { atxpClient, ATXPAccount } = require('@atxp/client');
require('dotenv/config');

async function main() {
  const account = new ATXPAccount(process.env.ATXP_CONNECTION);

  const client = await atxpClient({
    mcpServer: 'https://search.mcp.atxp.ai',
    account: account,
  });

  const result = await client.callTool({
    name: 'search_search',
    arguments: { query: 'latest news on artificial intelligence' }
  });

  const searchResult = JSON.parse(result.content[0].text);
  searchResult.results.forEach((item, index) => {
    console.log(`${index + 1}. ${item.title}`);
    console.log(`   ${item.url}\n`);
  });
}

main();

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Step 5: Run your CLI

Now you’re ready to run your CLI! Execute the following command: 
node index.js
You should see output similar to this: 
Creating ATXP client...
Client created successfully!
Searching the web...

Found 10 results:

1. AI Breakthrough: New Language Model Achieves...
   URL: https://example.com/ai-news
   Recent developments in artificial intelligence have led to significant breakthroughs in natural language processing...
   Published: 2 days ago

2. Tech Giants Invest Billions in AI Research
   URL: https://example.com/tech-investment
   Major technology companies announced record investments in artificial intelligence research and development...
   Published: 3 days ago

...
Congratulations! You’ve successfully built a working ATXP client that can search the web using MCP servers.

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Understanding the code

Let’s break down what your CLI does:
  1. Import dependencies: You import the ATXP client SDK and load environment variables
  2. Create account: You create an ATXPAccount instance using your connection string
  3. Create client: You use atxpClient() to create a client connected to the Search MCP server
  4. Call tool: You use client.callTool() to invoke the search_search tool with a query
  5. Parse results: You parse the JSON response and display the search results

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Customizing your CLI

Now that you have a working CLI, try customizing it:

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Change the search query

Modify the query argument in the callTool() call: 
arguments: { query: 'your custom search query here' }

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Accept command-line arguments

Make your CLI accept a search query as a command-line argument: 
// Get query from command line or use default
const query = process.argv[2] || 'latest news on artificial intelligence';

const result = await client.callTool({
  name: 'search_search',
  arguments: { query: query }
});
Then run it with: 
node index.js "your search query"

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Try different MCP servers

Explore other MCP servers by changing the mcpServer URL. Check out the MCP Servers documentation to see what’s available.

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Next steps

Explore MCP Servers

Discover other MCP servers you can use in your applications, from image generation to file storage.

Build a paid MCP server

Learn how to build and monetize your own MCP server with ATXP integration.

Client SDK Reference

Dive deeper into the ATXP Client SDK documentation and learn about advanced features.

Join the community

Join the ATXP community on Discord to ask questions, share your projects, and get help.