MCP server · Developer tools · official

Conan MCP server

by conan-io · official

Lets your AI set up C/C++ projects, install their dependencies, check licenses and scan for known security problems.

Developer tools For it and development Developer Tools

This is a helper that connects your AI assistant to Conan, a tool that C and C++ programmers use to manage the outside code their projects depend on. Once it is connected, you can ask your AI in plain words to create a project, pull in libraries, and check whether those libraries are safe to use and allowed in commercial software. It is handy for developers who work with C or C++ and want to skip a lot of typing and manual checking.

What is an MCP server? The 30-second version

On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to another tool. This one connects your AI to Conan, the package manager for C and C++ projects. So when you ask your AI to set up a project or check a library, it can actually do that work through Conan instead of just describing it.

What this MCP server does

You ask your AI something like create a project with these libraries. Your AI passes that request to this helper. The helper talks to Conan on your computer, which creates the project files, downloads or finds the libraries, and reads their details. Then your AI tells you back what happened, in normal sentences in the chat.

Flow diagram: you ask your AI “Create a C++ project called mylib with fmt and openssl”, on your own computer the Conan MCP server works with conan on your computer, and you get back A plain answer in your chat.

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What you can do with it

Create a new C or C++ project from a template, with the libraries you want
Install the dependencies a project needs
List available versions of a library in your cache or in remote sources
Show your Conan profiles, which describe your build settings
Collect the license of every library your project depends on
Scan your dependencies for known security vulnerabilities

Try asking your AI

“Create a CMake library project called mylib with fmt and openssl as dependencies”
“Install the dependencies in this project using conancenter”
“Collect license information for the dependencies in this project”
“Scan the dependencies in this project for known vulnerabilities”

What it gives back to you

You get answers in the chat: lists of library versions, a summary of the licenses your dependencies use, and a report of any known security issues found. When it creates or installs something, it tells you what it did and where the files are. For profiles, it shows you the settings Conan is using.

Before you start

What you need

Python 3.10 or newer
Conan installed on your computer
uv installed (or you can use pip instead)

Good to know

It can create and overwrite files in a folder you point it at, so be careful about which folder you give it and whether you allow overwriting.

Install it with your AI

Add Conan MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed

You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.

Sign in to get the install prompt

Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check Conan MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,066 MCP servers here for you.