feat: interactive MCP tool configuration in hermes tools (#1694)

Add the ability to selectively enable/disable individual MCP server
tools through the interactive 'hermes tools' TUI.

Changes:
- tools/mcp_tool.py: Add probe_mcp_server_tools() — lightweight function
  that temporarily connects to configured MCP servers, discovers their
  tools (names + descriptions), and disconnects. No registry side effects.

- hermes_cli/tools_config.py: Add 'Configure MCP tools' option to the
  interactive menu. When selected:
  1. Probes all enabled MCP servers for their available tools
  2. Shows a per-server curses checklist with tool descriptions
  3. Pre-selects tools based on existing include/exclude config
  4. Writes changes back as tools.exclude entries in config.yaml
  5. Reports which servers failed to connect

The existing CLI commands (hermes tools enable/disable server:tool)
continue to work unchanged. This adds the interactive TUI counterpart
so users can browse and toggle MCP tools visually.

Tests: 22 new tests covering probe function edge cases and interactive
flow (pre-selection, exclude/include modes, description truncation,
multi-server handling, error paths).

hermes_cli/tools_config.py

@@ -985,12 +985,19 @@ def tools_command(args=None, first_install: bool = False, config: dict = None):
     if len(platform_keys) > 1:
         platform_choices.append("Configure all platforms (global)")
     platform_choices.append("Reconfigure an existing tool's provider or API key")
+
+    # Show MCP option if any MCP servers are configured
+    _has_mcp = bool(config.get("mcp_servers"))
+    if _has_mcp:
+        platform_choices.append("Configure MCP server tools")
+
     platform_choices.append("Done")
 
     # Index offsets for the extra options after per-platform entries
     _global_idx = len(platform_keys) if len(platform_keys) > 1 else -1
     _reconfig_idx = len(platform_keys) + (1 if len(platform_keys) > 1 else 0)
-    _done_idx = _reconfig_idx + 1
+    _mcp_idx = (_reconfig_idx + 1) if _has_mcp else -1
+    _done_idx = _reconfig_idx + (2 if _has_mcp else 1)
 
     while True:
         idx = _prompt_choice("Select an option:", platform_choices, default=0)
@@ -1005,6 +1012,12 @@ def tools_command(args=None, first_install: bool = False, config: dict = None):
             print()
             continue
 
+        # "Configure MCP tools" selected
+        if idx == _mcp_idx:
+            _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+            print()
+            continue
+
         # "Configure all platforms (global)" selected
         if idx == _global_idx:
             # Use the union of all platforms' current tools as the starting state
@@ -1091,6 +1104,137 @@ def tools_command(args=None, first_install: bool = False, config: dict = None):
     print()
 
 
+# ─── MCP Tools Interactive Configuration ─────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config: dict):
+    """Probe MCP servers for available tools and let user toggle them on/off.
+
+    Connects to each configured MCP server, discovers tools, then shows
+    a per-server curses checklist.  Writes changes back as ``tools.exclude``
+    entries in config.yaml.
+    """
+    from hermes_cli.curses_ui import curses_checklist
+
+    mcp_servers = config.get("mcp_servers") or {}
+    if not mcp_servers:
+        _print_info("No MCP servers configured.")
+        return
+
+    # Count enabled servers
+    enabled_names = [
+        k for k, v in mcp_servers.items()
+        if v.get("enabled", True) not in (False, "false", "0", "no", "off")
+    ]
+    if not enabled_names:
+        _print_info("All MCP servers are disabled.")
+        return
+
+    print()
+    print(color("  Discovering tools from MCP servers...", Colors.YELLOW))
+    print(color(f"  Connecting to {len(enabled_names)} server(s): {', '.join(enabled_names)}", Colors.DIM))
+
+    try:
+        from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+        server_tools = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+    except Exception as exc:
+        _print_error(f"Failed to probe MCP servers: {exc}")
+        return
+
+    if not server_tools:
+        _print_warning("Could not discover tools from any MCP server.")
+        _print_info("Check that server commands/URLs are correct and dependencies are installed.")
+        return
+
+    # Report discovery results
+    failed = [n for n in enabled_names if n not in server_tools]
+    if failed:
+        for name in failed:
+            _print_warning(f"  Could not connect to '{name}'")
+
+    total_tools = sum(len(tools) for tools in server_tools.values())
+    print(color(f"  Found {total_tools} tool(s) across {len(server_tools)} server(s)", Colors.GREEN))
+    print()
+
+    any_changes = False
+
+    for server_name, tools in server_tools.items():
+        if not tools:
+            _print_info(f"  {server_name}: no tools found")
+            continue
+
+        srv_cfg = mcp_servers.get(server_name, {})
+        tools_cfg = srv_cfg.get("tools") or {}
+        include_list = tools_cfg.get("include") or []
+        exclude_list = tools_cfg.get("exclude") or []
+
+        # Build checklist labels
+        labels = []
+        for tool_name, description in tools:
+            desc_short = description[:70] + "..." if len(description) > 70 else description
+            if desc_short:
+                labels.append(f"{tool_name}  ({desc_short})")
+            else:
+                labels.append(tool_name)
+
+        # Determine which tools are currently enabled
+        pre_selected: Set[int] = set()
+        tool_names = [t[0] for t in tools]
+        for i, tool_name in enumerate(tool_names):
+            if include_list:
+                # Include mode: only included tools are selected
+                if tool_name in include_list:
+                    pre_selected.add(i)
+            elif exclude_list:
+                # Exclude mode: everything except excluded
+                if tool_name not in exclude_list:
+                    pre_selected.add(i)
+            else:
+                # No filter: all enabled
+                pre_selected.add(i)
+
+        chosen = curses_checklist(
+            f"MCP Server: {server_name}  ({len(tools)} tools)",
+            labels,
+            pre_selected,
+            cancel_returns=pre_selected,
+        )
+
+        if chosen == pre_selected:
+            _print_info(f"  {server_name}: no changes")
+            continue
+
+        # Compute new exclude list based on unchecked tools
+        new_exclude = [tool_names[i] for i in range(len(tool_names)) if i not in chosen]
+
+        # Update config
+        srv_cfg = mcp_servers.setdefault(server_name, {})
+        tools_cfg = srv_cfg.setdefault("tools", {})
+
+        if new_exclude:
+            tools_cfg["exclude"] = new_exclude
+            # Remove include if present — we're switching to exclude mode
+            tools_cfg.pop("include", None)
+        else:
+            # All tools enabled — clear filters
+            tools_cfg.pop("exclude", None)
+            tools_cfg.pop("include", None)
+
+        enabled_count = len(chosen)
+        disabled_count = len(tools) - enabled_count
+        _print_success(
+            f"  {server_name}: {enabled_count} enabled, {disabled_count} disabled"
+        )
+        any_changes = True
+
+    if any_changes:
+        save_config(config)
+        print()
+        print(color("  ✓ MCP tool configuration saved", Colors.GREEN))
+    else:
+        print(color("  No changes to MCP tools", Colors.DIM))
+
+
 # ─── Non-interactive disable/enable ──────────────────────────────────────────
 
 

tests/hermes_cli/test_mcp_tools_config.py

@@ -0,0 +1,291 @@
+"""Tests for MCP tools interactive configuration in hermes_cli.tools_config."""
+
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+
+from hermes_cli.tools_config import _configure_mcp_tools_interactive
+
+# Patch targets: imports happen inside the function body, so patch at source
+_PROBE = "tools.mcp_tool.probe_mcp_server_tools"
+_CHECKLIST = "hermes_cli.curses_ui.curses_checklist"
+_SAVE = "hermes_cli.tools_config.save_config"
+
+
+def test_no_mcp_servers_prints_info(capsys):
+    """Returns immediately when no MCP servers are configured."""
+    config = {}
+    _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "No MCP servers configured" in captured.out
+
+
+def test_all_servers_disabled_prints_info(capsys):
+    """Returns immediately when all configured servers have enabled=false."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {"command": "npx", "enabled": False},
+            "slack": {"command": "npx", "enabled": "false"},
+        }
+    }
+    _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "disabled" in captured.out
+
+
+def test_probe_failure_shows_warning(capsys):
+    """Shows warning when probe returns no tools."""
+    config = {"mcp_servers": {"github": {"command": "npx"}}}
+    with patch(_PROBE, return_value={}):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "Could not discover" in captured.out
+
+
+def test_probe_exception_shows_error(capsys):
+    """Shows error when probe raises an exception."""
+    config = {"mcp_servers": {"github": {"command": "npx"}}}
+    with patch(_PROBE, side_effect=RuntimeError("MCP not installed")):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "Failed to probe" in captured.out
+
+
+def test_no_changes_when_checklist_cancelled(capsys):
+    """No config changes when user cancels (ESC) the checklist."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {"command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "server-github"]},
+        }
+    }
+    tools = [("create_issue", "Create an issue"), ("search_repos", "Search repos")]
+
+    with patch(_PROBE, return_value={"github": tools}), \
+         patch(_CHECKLIST, return_value={0, 1}), \
+         patch(_SAVE) as mock_save:
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+    mock_save.assert_not_called()
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "no changes" in captured.out.lower()
+
+
+def test_disabling_tool_writes_exclude_list(capsys):
+    """Unchecking a tool adds it to the exclude list."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {"command": "npx"},
+        }
+    }
+    tools = [
+        ("create_issue", "Create an issue"),
+        ("delete_repo", "Delete a repo"),
+        ("search_repos", "Search repos"),
+    ]
+
+    # User unchecks delete_repo (index 1)
+    with patch(_PROBE, return_value={"github": tools}), \
+         patch(_CHECKLIST, return_value={0, 2}), \
+         patch(_SAVE) as mock_save:
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    mock_save.assert_called_once()
+    tools_cfg = config["mcp_servers"]["github"]["tools"]
+    assert tools_cfg["exclude"] == ["delete_repo"]
+    assert "include" not in tools_cfg
+
+
+def test_enabling_all_clears_filters(capsys):
+    """Checking all tools clears both include and exclude lists."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {
+                "command": "npx",
+                "tools": {"exclude": ["delete_repo"], "include": ["create_issue"]},
+            },
+        }
+    }
+    tools = [("create_issue", "Create"), ("delete_repo", "Delete")]
+
+    # User checks all tools — pre_selected would be {0} (include mode),
+    # so returning {0, 1} is a change
+    with patch(_PROBE, return_value={"github": tools}), \
+         patch(_CHECKLIST, return_value={0, 1}), \
+         patch(_SAVE) as mock_save:
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    mock_save.assert_called_once()
+    tools_cfg = config["mcp_servers"]["github"]["tools"]
+    assert "exclude" not in tools_cfg
+    assert "include" not in tools_cfg
+
+
+def test_pre_selection_respects_existing_exclude(capsys):
+    """Tools in exclude list start unchecked."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {
+                "command": "npx",
+                "tools": {"exclude": ["delete_repo"]},
+            },
+        }
+    }
+    tools = [("create_issue", "Create"), ("delete_repo", "Delete"), ("search", "Search")]
+    captured_pre_selected = {}
+
+    def fake_checklist(title, labels, pre_selected, **kwargs):
+        captured_pre_selected["value"] = set(pre_selected)
+        return pre_selected  # No changes
+
+    with patch(_PROBE, return_value={"github": tools}), \
+         patch(_CHECKLIST, side_effect=fake_checklist), \
+         patch(_SAVE):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    # create_issue (0) and search (2) should be pre-selected, delete_repo (1) should not
+    assert captured_pre_selected["value"] == {0, 2}
+
+
+def test_pre_selection_respects_existing_include(capsys):
+    """Only tools in include list start checked."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {
+                "command": "npx",
+                "tools": {"include": ["search"]},
+            },
+        }
+    }
+    tools = [("create_issue", "Create"), ("delete_repo", "Delete"), ("search", "Search")]
+    captured_pre_selected = {}
+
+    def fake_checklist(title, labels, pre_selected, **kwargs):
+        captured_pre_selected["value"] = set(pre_selected)
+        return pre_selected  # No changes
+
+    with patch(_PROBE, return_value={"github": tools}), \
+         patch(_CHECKLIST, side_effect=fake_checklist), \
+         patch(_SAVE):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    # Only search (2) should be pre-selected
+    assert captured_pre_selected["value"] == {2}
+
+
+def test_multiple_servers_each_get_checklist(capsys):
+    """Each server gets its own checklist."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {"command": "npx"},
+            "slack": {"url": "https://mcp.example.com"},
+        }
+    }
+    checklist_calls = []
+
+    def fake_checklist(title, labels, pre_selected, **kwargs):
+        checklist_calls.append(title)
+        return pre_selected  # No changes
+
+    with patch(
+        _PROBE,
+        return_value={
+            "github": [("create_issue", "Create")],
+            "slack": [("send_message", "Send")],
+        },
+    ), patch(_CHECKLIST, side_effect=fake_checklist), \
+         patch(_SAVE):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    assert len(checklist_calls) == 2
+    assert any("github" in t for t in checklist_calls)
+    assert any("slack" in t for t in checklist_calls)
+
+
+def test_failed_server_shows_warning(capsys):
+    """Servers that fail to connect show warnings."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {"command": "npx"},
+            "broken": {"command": "nonexistent"},
+        }
+    }
+
+    # Only github succeeds
+    with patch(
+        _PROBE, return_value={"github": [("create_issue", "Create")]},
+    ), patch(_CHECKLIST, return_value={0}), \
+         patch(_SAVE):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "broken" in captured.out
+
+
+def test_description_truncation_in_labels():
+    """Long descriptions are truncated in checklist labels."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {"command": "npx"},
+        }
+    }
+    long_desc = "A" * 100
+    captured_labels = {}
+
+    def fake_checklist(title, labels, pre_selected, **kwargs):
+        captured_labels["value"] = labels
+        return pre_selected
+
+    with patch(
+        _PROBE, return_value={"github": [("my_tool", long_desc)]},
+    ), patch(_CHECKLIST, side_effect=fake_checklist), \
+         patch(_SAVE):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    label = captured_labels["value"][0]
+    assert "..." in label
+    assert len(label) < len(long_desc) + 30  # truncated + tool name + parens
+
+
+def test_switching_from_include_to_exclude(capsys):
+    """When user modifies selection, include list is replaced by exclude list."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "github": {
+                "command": "npx",
+                "tools": {"include": ["create_issue"]},
+            },
+        }
+    }
+    tools = [("create_issue", "Create"), ("search", "Search"), ("delete", "Delete")]
+
+    # User selects create_issue and search (deselects delete)
+    # pre_selected would be {0} (only create_issue from include), so {0, 1} is a change
+    with patch(_PROBE, return_value={"github": tools}), \
+         patch(_CHECKLIST, return_value={0, 1}), \
+         patch(_SAVE):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    tools_cfg = config["mcp_servers"]["github"]["tools"]
+    assert tools_cfg["exclude"] == ["delete"]
+    assert "include" not in tools_cfg
+
+
+def test_empty_tools_server_skipped(capsys):
+    """Server with no tools shows info message and skips checklist."""
+    config = {
+        "mcp_servers": {
+            "empty": {"command": "npx"},
+        }
+    }
+    checklist_calls = []
+
+    def fake_checklist(title, labels, pre_selected, **kwargs):
+        checklist_calls.append(title)
+        return pre_selected
+
+    with patch(_PROBE, return_value={"empty": []}), \
+         patch(_CHECKLIST, side_effect=fake_checklist), \
+         patch(_SAVE):
+        _configure_mcp_tools_interactive(config)
+
+    assert len(checklist_calls) == 0
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "no tools found" in captured.out

tests/tools/test_mcp_probe.py

@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+"""Tests for probe_mcp_server_tools() in tools.mcp_tool."""
+
+import asyncio
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _reset_mcp_state():
+    """Ensure clean MCP module state before/after each test."""
+    import tools.mcp_tool as mcp
+    old_loop = mcp._mcp_loop
+    old_thread = mcp._mcp_thread
+    old_servers = dict(mcp._servers)
+    yield
+    mcp._servers.clear()
+    mcp._servers.update(old_servers)
+    mcp._mcp_loop = old_loop
+    mcp._mcp_thread = old_thread
+
+
+class TestProbeMcpServerTools:
+    """Tests for the lightweight probe_mcp_server_tools function."""
+
+    def test_returns_empty_when_mcp_not_available(self):
+        with patch("tools.mcp_tool._MCP_AVAILABLE", False):
+            from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+            result = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+        assert result == {}
+
+    def test_returns_empty_when_no_config(self):
+        with patch("tools.mcp_tool._load_mcp_config", return_value={}):
+            from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+            result = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+        assert result == {}
+
+    def test_returns_empty_when_all_servers_disabled(self):
+        config = {
+            "github": {"command": "npx", "enabled": False},
+            "slack": {"command": "npx", "enabled": "off"},
+        }
+        with patch("tools.mcp_tool._load_mcp_config", return_value=config):
+            from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+            result = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+        assert result == {}
+
+    def test_returns_tools_from_successful_server(self):
+        """Successfully probed server returns its tools list."""
+        config = {
+            "github": {"command": "npx", "connect_timeout": 5},
+        }
+        mock_tool_1 = SimpleNamespace(name="create_issue", description="Create a new issue")
+        mock_tool_2 = SimpleNamespace(name="search_repos", description="Search repositories")
+
+        mock_server = MagicMock()
+        mock_server._tools = [mock_tool_1, mock_tool_2]
+        mock_server.shutdown = AsyncMock()
+
+        async def fake_connect(name, cfg):
+            return mock_server
+
+        with patch("tools.mcp_tool._load_mcp_config", return_value=config), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._connect_server", side_effect=fake_connect), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._ensure_mcp_loop"), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._run_on_mcp_loop") as mock_run, \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._stop_mcp_loop"):
+
+            # Simulate running the async probe
+            def run_coro(coro, timeout=120):
+                loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
+                try:
+                    return loop.run_until_complete(coro)
+                finally:
+                    loop.close()
+
+            mock_run.side_effect = run_coro
+
+            from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+            result = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+
+        assert "github" in result
+        assert len(result["github"]) == 2
+        assert result["github"][0] == ("create_issue", "Create a new issue")
+        assert result["github"][1] == ("search_repos", "Search repositories")
+        mock_server.shutdown.assert_awaited_once()
+
+    def test_failed_server_omitted_from_results(self):
+        """Servers that fail to connect are silently skipped."""
+        config = {
+            "github": {"command": "npx", "connect_timeout": 5},
+            "broken": {"command": "nonexistent", "connect_timeout": 5},
+        }
+        mock_tool = SimpleNamespace(name="create_issue", description="Create")
+        mock_server = MagicMock()
+        mock_server._tools = [mock_tool]
+        mock_server.shutdown = AsyncMock()
+
+        async def fake_connect(name, cfg):
+            if name == "broken":
+                raise ConnectionError("Server not found")
+            return mock_server
+
+        with patch("tools.mcp_tool._load_mcp_config", return_value=config), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._connect_server", side_effect=fake_connect), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._ensure_mcp_loop"), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._run_on_mcp_loop") as mock_run, \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._stop_mcp_loop"):
+
+            def run_coro(coro, timeout=120):
+                loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
+                try:
+                    return loop.run_until_complete(coro)
+                finally:
+                    loop.close()
+
+            mock_run.side_effect = run_coro
+
+            from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+            result = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+
+        assert "github" in result
+        assert "broken" not in result
+
+    def test_handles_tool_without_description(self):
+        """Tools without descriptions get empty string."""
+        config = {"github": {"command": "npx", "connect_timeout": 5}}
+        mock_tool = SimpleNamespace(name="my_tool")  # no description attribute
+
+        mock_server = MagicMock()
+        mock_server._tools = [mock_tool]
+        mock_server.shutdown = AsyncMock()
+
+        async def fake_connect(name, cfg):
+            return mock_server
+
+        with patch("tools.mcp_tool._load_mcp_config", return_value=config), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._connect_server", side_effect=fake_connect), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._ensure_mcp_loop"), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._run_on_mcp_loop") as mock_run, \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._stop_mcp_loop"):
+
+            def run_coro(coro, timeout=120):
+                loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
+                try:
+                    return loop.run_until_complete(coro)
+                finally:
+                    loop.close()
+
+            mock_run.side_effect = run_coro
+
+            from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+            result = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+
+        assert result["github"][0] == ("my_tool", "")
+
+    def test_cleanup_called_even_on_failure(self):
+        """_stop_mcp_loop is called even when probe fails."""
+        config = {"github": {"command": "npx", "connect_timeout": 5}}
+
+        with patch("tools.mcp_tool._load_mcp_config", return_value=config), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._ensure_mcp_loop"), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._run_on_mcp_loop", side_effect=RuntimeError("boom")), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._stop_mcp_loop") as mock_stop:
+
+            from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+            result = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+
+        assert result == {}
+        mock_stop.assert_called_once()
+
+    def test_skips_disabled_servers(self):
+        """Disabled servers are not probed."""
+        config = {
+            "github": {"command": "npx", "connect_timeout": 5},
+            "disabled_one": {"command": "npx", "enabled": False},
+        }
+        mock_tool = SimpleNamespace(name="create_issue", description="Create")
+        mock_server = MagicMock()
+        mock_server._tools = [mock_tool]
+        mock_server.shutdown = AsyncMock()
+
+        connect_calls = []
+
+        async def fake_connect(name, cfg):
+            connect_calls.append(name)
+            return mock_server
+
+        with patch("tools.mcp_tool._load_mcp_config", return_value=config), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._connect_server", side_effect=fake_connect), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._ensure_mcp_loop"), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._run_on_mcp_loop") as mock_run, \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool._stop_mcp_loop"):
+
+            def run_coro(coro, timeout=120):
+                loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
+                try:
+                    return loop.run_until_complete(coro)
+                finally:
+                    loop.close()
+
+            mock_run.side_effect = run_coro
+
+            from tools.mcp_tool import probe_mcp_server_tools
+            result = probe_mcp_server_tools()
+
+        assert "github" in result
+        assert "disabled_one" not in result
+        assert "disabled_one" not in connect_calls

tools/mcp_tool.py

@@ -1624,6 +1624,72 @@ def get_mcp_status() -> List[dict]:
     return result
 
 
+def probe_mcp_server_tools() -> Dict[str, List[tuple]]:
+    """Temporarily connect to configured MCP servers and list their tools.
+
+    Designed for ``hermes tools`` interactive configuration — connects to each
+    enabled server, grabs tool names and descriptions, then disconnects.
+    Does NOT register tools in the Hermes registry.
+
+    Returns:
+        Dict mapping server name to list of (tool_name, description) tuples.
+        Servers that fail to connect are omitted from the result.
+    """
+    if not _MCP_AVAILABLE:
+        return {}
+
+    servers_config = _load_mcp_config()
+    if not servers_config:
+        return {}
+
+    enabled = {
+        k: v for k, v in servers_config.items()
+        if _parse_boolish(v.get("enabled", True), default=True)
+    }
+    if not enabled:
+        return {}
+
+    _ensure_mcp_loop()
+
+    result: Dict[str, List[tuple]] = {}
+    probed_servers: List[MCPServerTask] = []
+
+    async def _probe_all():
+        names = list(enabled.keys())
+        coros = []
+        for name, cfg in enabled.items():
+            ct = cfg.get("connect_timeout", _DEFAULT_CONNECT_TIMEOUT)
+            coros.append(asyncio.wait_for(_connect_server(name, cfg), timeout=ct))
+
+        outcomes = await asyncio.gather(*coros, return_exceptions=True)
+
+        for name, outcome in zip(names, outcomes):
+            if isinstance(outcome, Exception):
+                logger.debug("Probe: failed to connect to '%s': %s", name, outcome)
+                continue
+            probed_servers.append(outcome)
+            tools = []
+            for t in outcome._tools:
+                desc = getattr(t, "description", "") or ""
+                tools.append((t.name, desc))
+            result[name] = tools
+
+        # Shut down all probed connections
+        await asyncio.gather(
+            *(s.shutdown() for s in probed_servers),
+            return_exceptions=True,
+        )
+
+    try:
+        _run_on_mcp_loop(_probe_all(), timeout=120)
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.debug("MCP probe failed: %s", exc)
+    finally:
+        _stop_mcp_loop()
+
+    return result
+
+
 def shutdown_mcp_servers():
     """Close all MCP server connections and stop the background loop.