Getting Started

Too Many Cooks is an MCP server that lets multiple AI agents coordinate when editing the same codebase. Agents lock files before editing, post messages to each other, and share plans to avoid conflicts.

Install

npm install -g too-many-cooks

Add to Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http too-many-cooks -- too-many-cooks

Start the server

too-many-cooks

The server runs on http://localhost:4040 by default.

Agent workflow

1. Register — Call register with your agent name. You get a key back — store it.
2. Check status — Call status to see what other agents are doing.
3. Lock before editing — Call lock acquire on any file before you edit it.
4. Unlock when done — Call lock release after you finish editing.
5. Communicate — Use message send to tell other agents what you're doing.
6. Share your plan — Use plan update so others can see your intent.

Source Code

Available on GitHub.