MCP Channel

The MCP (Model Context Protocol) channel turns any Claude Code session or VS Code window into a fleet worker. It exposes ModelReins tools directly in your editor — dispatch jobs, check status, and recruit machines without leaving your workflow.

What it does

The MCP channel provides tools to any connected MCP client:

Tool	Description
complete	Send a prompt and get a completion back synchronously. Routes to the best available worker.
dispatch	Queue a job for async processing. Returns a job ID immediately.
status	Check a job’s status or get an overview of all workers.
recruit	Register the current machine as a new worker in the fleet.

Install for Claude Code

Add to your .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "modelreins": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@mediagato/modelreins-channel"],
      "env": {
        "MODELREINS_API_URL": "https://app.modelreins.com",
        "MODELREINS_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get your API key from the dashboard at app.modelreins.com under Settings.

Install for VS Code

Open settings (Ctrl+Shift+P → “Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)”) and add:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "modelreins": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@mediagato/modelreins-channel"],
        "env": {
          "MODELREINS_API_URL": "https://app.modelreins.com",
          "MODELREINS_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload the window. The ModelReins tools appear in VS Code’s MCP-aware tools.

The Saddle (alternative)

For a richer VSCode experience, install the Saddle extension instead. The Saddle provides a full panel with dispatch, conversation threading, effort dial, and fleet status — no MCP configuration needed.

Configuration

Variable	Default	Description
MODELREINS_API_URL	—	Your ModelReins dashboard URL (e.g. https://app.modelreins.com)
MODELREINS_API_KEY	—	API key from your dashboard settings
MODELREINS_RECEIVE_JOBS	true	Set false for outbound-only: this session can still dispatch to the fleet, but the fleet can never dispatch to it — no polling, no <channel> tag ever arrives, nothing here executes unattended.

Outbound-only mode

By default, installing the MCP channel makes this session bidirectional: it can dispatch to the fleet, and the fleet can dispatch to it. That’s not always what you want — a machine you’re actively driving interactively (a second Claude Code seat, say) may need to hand work out without ever becoming a target itself, since a dispatched job executes with full local access the moment it arrives.

Set MODELREINS_RECEIVE_JOBS=false in the same env block as your other MCP config. dispatch, status, recruit, complete, and result stay available; job polling never starts.

When to use MCP vs the Saddle

Use the MCP channel when you want AI tools to programmatically dispatch to your fleet — automated workflows, CI pipelines, or Claude Code sessions that act as workers.

Use the Saddle when you want a visual dispatch interface in your editor — the effort dial, conversation threading, and fleet status panel.

Both connect to the same fleet. Both respect the Director’s routing. Both show up on the Wall.