# Zeus Dev Helper (pypi · zeus-dev-helper-mcp)

Coach first Zeus Client app to green (stdio MCP).

- Trust score: 66/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +20
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-09-21

## Components

- pypi · `zeus-dev-helper-mcp`: 66/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper/zeus-dev-helper-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper/zeus-dev-helper-mcp)

## Channel facts

- Registry: `pypi`
- Package: `zeus-dev-helper-mcp`
- Version: `0.7.3`
- Transport: `stdio`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-09-21.

- **Supply Chain Security**: 100/100
  - No malware found by supply-chain analysis.
  - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies.
  - Runs hatchling.build at install time, a recognised native-build step with no shell scripting around it.
  - 1 of 32 dependencies flagged as unhealthy.
- **Provenance & Transparency**: 32/100
  - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL.
  - Provenance check failed: no build-provenance attestation is published.
  - License check failed: the license (BSD License) isn't a recognized OSI-approved license.
  - Actively maintained (last published 3 days ago).
  - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 78/100
  - 100% of prompts and resources have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the item's name).
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Tool/resource definitions use about 1307 tokens (~72/item across 18 items; 12 tools + 6 resources), lean.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 0/100
  - Stability check failed: the tool surface changed between 0.6.0 and 0.7.3: 33 tool removals, 0 breaking changes, 0 additions.
- **Tool Coverage**: 71/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 0% of tool parameters carry a description.
  - Structured output schemas are declared (100% of tools); any adoption earns full credit.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 12 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 14 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a current MCP spec version (2026-07-28).

## Install

### How do I install the Zeus Dev Helper MCP server?

Zeus Dev Helper runs locally as a PyPI package, launched with uvx zeus-dev-helper-mcp. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper -- uvx zeus-dev-helper-mcp
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zeus-dev-helper-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zeus-dev-helper-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```bash
codex mcp add koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper -- uvx zeus-dev-helper-mcp
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "uvx",
        "zeus-dev-helper-mcp"
      ],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper --command uvx --arg zeus-dev-helper-mcp
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper:
    command: "uvx"
    args: ["zeus-dev-helper-mcp"]
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper": {
      "Transport": "stdio",
      "Command": "uvx",
      "Arguments": [
        "zeus-dev-helper-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper -t stdio -c uvx -a zeus-dev-helper-mcp
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "zeus-dev-helper-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-09-19 (score 66, +15)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass

### 2026-09-18 (score 51, −15)

- [security regression] Malware scan: pass → unverified
- [functional] Licence: Proprietary → BSD License
- [functional] Package version: 0.7.1 → 0.7.3

### 2026-09-17 (score 66, +20)

- [security regression] Stability: fail → unverified
- [security regression] Tool safety: pass → unverified
- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass
- [security improvement] Source repository: fail → pass
- [functional regression] Schema quality: 58 → 72
- [functional regression] Security disclosure: unverified → fail
- [functional regression] Capabilities: pass → unverified
- [functional regression] Tool coverage: 100 → unverified
- [functional regression] Schema quality: 100 → unverified
- [functional] Package version: 0.7.0 → 0.7.1

### 2026-09-16 (score 46, −15)

- [security regression] Malware scan: pass → unverified

### 2026-09-15 (score 61, +15)

- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass

### 2026-09-14 (score 46, 0)

- [security regression] Stability: 0.17 → fail
- [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass
- [functional regression] Schema quality: 46 → 58
- [functional improvement] Schema quality: unverified → 100
- [functional] Package version: 0.6.1 → 0.7.0

### 2026-09-12 (score 46, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 10 to 13. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 3 days of observed history at the previous scan, 4 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes.

### 2026-09-10 (score 45, +14)

- [security regression] Malware scan: pass → unverified
- [security improvement] Injection markers: unverified → pass
- [functional improvement] Tool coverage: unverified → 100
- [functional improvement] Stability: unverified → 0.07
- [functional improvement] MCP protocol: unverified → pass

## MCP tools (12)

### `doctor` (~56 tokens)

Health / doctor. detail: health | env | compat | cache | all.

env/compat/cache fold validate_env, compat_check, and semantic_cache_status
(those names stay on the lint toolset).

Input parameters:

- `detail` (string)

### `start_project` (~131 tokens)

Start or reset first-app coaching checklist (single-agent default).

sample:
  \- travel (default) — UI path via demo_travel_sample / use_sample
  \- api — API-only FastAPI scaffold (scaffold_app app_kind=api)
  \- yelp / multi — gated until single-agent smokes green unless force_multi

Multi-agent goals (goal=multi or sample=yelp) are gated until single-agent
smokes are green, unless force_multi=true (ZDH-11).

Input parameters:

- `force_multi` (boolean)
- `goal` (string)
- `sample` (string)

### `next_step` (~21 tokens)

Return the single current checklist blocker + recommended Helper tools (coach).

### `set_prereq` (~128 tokens)

Store non-secret prereqs for readiness (does not store password/token values).

Put real secrets in environment variables (ZEUS_PASSWORD, ZEUS_BEARER_TOKEN, LLM_API_KEY).

Input parameters:

- `auth_mode` (string)
- `bucket` (string)
- `collection` (string)
- `has_bearer`
- `has_llm_key`
- `has_password`
- `has_username`
- `mode` (string)
- `role` (string)
- `scope` (string)
- `zeus_url` (string)

### `readiness_check` (~51 tokens)

Live Zeus platform gates: healthz/readyz/version, auth, bootstrap, chat_request.

Never returns secret values. Emits failure_class + next_action on red paths.

Input parameters:

- `update_checklist` (boolean)

### `scaffold_app` (~92 tokens)

Write a ZeusRuntime middle-man.

app_kind=cli (default) or api (FastAPI POST /turn). coding_language=python only today.
UI demos use use_sample / demo_travel_sample, not this tool.

Input parameters:

- `app_kind` (string)
- `coding_language` (string)
- `force` (boolean)
- `project_name` (string)
- `target_dir` (string, required)

### `use_sample` (~96 tokens)

UI sample: locate or clone public demo_travel_sample; set DEMO_TRAVEL_SAMPLE_DIR.

project_name = clone directory name (default demo_travel_sample).
Extra travel-only phases stay on travel_golden_path (travel toolset).

Input parameters:

- `clone_if_missing` (boolean)
- `parent_dir` (string)
- `project_name` (string)
- `sample` (string)
- `sample_dir` (string)

### `smoke_test_zeus` (~39 tokens)

Smoke Zeus without LLM: readiness + POST /v2/{bucket}/{scope}/describe.

Input parameters:

- `update_checklist` (boolean)

### `smoke_test_agent` (~76 tokens)

One ZeusRuntime run_turn (requires kotenai-zeus-client>=2.3.0 + LLM key).

If the client is missing and demo_travel_sample documents Docker install,
returns guide-only docker compose next_action instead of only pip install.

Input parameters:

- `question` (string)
- `update_checklist` (boolean)

### `diagnose_error` (~131 tokens)

Map error signals to failure_class + errors.md anchor (ZDH-7 / ZDH-19).

Includes Detective URL templates when req_id/chat_id are present (folded
detective_links). Does not scrape Hub.

Input parameters:

- `body` (string)
- `chat_id` (string)
- `error_class` (string)
- `error_code` (string)
- `message` (string)
- `req_id` (string)
- `session_id` (string)
- `status` (string)
- `turn_id` (string)
- `zeus_url` (string)

### `recommend_surface` (~49 tokens)

Pick Direct vs agent surface + Trace-Class (ZDH-18). Does not call Zeus.

Input parameters:

- `intent` (string, required)
- `needs_llm`
- `qps` (number)

### `bind_contract` (~62 tokens)

Extract stamped contract.hash only. Refuse placeholders / compute_local (ZDH-22).

Input parameters:

- `bucket` (string)
- `json_text` (string)
- `mode` (string)
- `path` (string)
- `scope` (string)

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Install scripts, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper/zeus-dev-helper-mcp#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-09-21: 66
- 2026-09-20: 66
- 2026-09-19: 66
- 2026-09-18: 51
- 2026-09-17: 66
- 2026-09-16: 46
- 2026-09-15: 61
- 2026-09-14: 46
- 2026-09-13: 46
- 2026-09-12: 46
- 2026-09-11: 45
- 2026-09-10: 45
- 2026-09-09: 31
- 2026-09-08: 44

## Common questions

### What is the Zeus Dev Helper MCP server?

Zeus Dev Helper is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.koten-ai/zeus-dev-helper. Coach first Zeus Client app to green (stdio MCP). This page covers its PyPI package (zeus-dev-helper-mcp).

### Is the Zeus Dev Helper MCP server safe to use?

Zeus Dev Helper scores 66 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 21 September 2026. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the Zeus Dev Helper MCP server expose?

Zeus Dev Helper exposes 12 tools: doctor, start_project, next_step, set_prereq, readiness_check, and 7 more. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 932 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Is the Zeus Dev Helper MCP server still maintained?

Zeus Dev Helper is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 21 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- PyPI project: https://pypi.org/project/zeus-dev-helper-mcp/
- Socket report: https://socket.dev/pypi/package/zeus-dev-helper-mcp
- Repository: https://github.com/koten-ai/zeus_dev_helper_mcp
- Website: https://docs.koten.ai/zeus-client/dev-helper-mcp
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper/zeus-dev-helper-mcp.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper/zeus-dev-helper-mcp.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/koten-ai-zeus-dev-helper/zeus-dev-helper-mcp