UXC
Universal X-Protocol CLI
UXC is a universal X-protocol CLI that lets you discover and invoke OpenAPI, gRPC, GraphQL, MCP, and JSON-RPC interfaces directly from a URL.
It turns remote schema-exposed interfaces into executable command-line operations without SDKs, code generation, or endpoint pre-registration.
What Is UXC
Modern services increasingly expose machine-readable interface metadata. UXC treats those schemas as runtime execution contracts:
- Discover operations from a host
- Inspect operation inputs/outputs
- Execute operations with structured input
- Return deterministic JSON envelopes by default
If a target can describe itself, UXC can usually call it.
Why It Exists
Teams and agents often need to interact with many protocol styles: OpenAPI, GraphQL, gRPC, MCP, and JSON-RPC.
Traditional workflows create repeated overhead:
- language-specific SDK setup
- generated clients that drift from server reality
- one-off wrappers for each endpoint
- large embedded tool schemas in agent prompts
UXC provides one URL-first CLI contract across protocols.
Why UXC Works Well With Skills
UXC is a practical fit for skill-based agents:
- On-demand discovery and invocation, without preloading large MCP tool definitions into prompt context
- Portable by endpoint URL and auth binding, not tied to per-user local MCP server names
- Reusable as one shared calling interface across many skills
Core Capabilities
- URL-first usage: call endpoints directly, no server alias required
- Multi-protocol detection and adapter routing
- Schema-driven operation discovery (
<host> -h,<host> <operation_id> -h) - Structured invocation (positional JSON, key-value args)
- Deterministic JSON envelopes for automation and agents
- Auth model with reusable credentials and endpoint bindings
- Host shortcut commands via
uxc link
Supported protocols:
- OpenAPI / Swagger
- gRPC (server reflection)
- GraphQL (introspection)
- MCP (HTTP and stdio)
- JSON-RPC (OpenRPC-based discovery)
Architecture Snapshot
UXC keeps protocol diversity behind one execution contract:
User / Skill / Agent
↓
UXC CLI
↓
Protocol Detector
↓
Adapter Layer
(OpenAPI/gRPC/GraphQL/MCP/JSON-RPC)
↓
Remote Endpoint
This design keeps invocation UX stable while allowing protocol-specific internals.
Target Use Cases
- AI agents and skills that need deterministic remote tool execution
- CI/CD and automation jobs that need schema-driven calls without SDK setup
- Cross-protocol integration testing with one command contract
- Controlled runtime environments where JSON envelopes and predictable errors matter
Non-Goals
UXC is not:
- a code generator
- an SDK framework
- an API gateway or reverse proxy
UXC is an execution interface for schema-exposed remote capabilities.
Install
Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
brew tap holon-run/homebrew-tap
brew install uxc
Install Script (macOS/Linux)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/holon-run/uxc/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
Review before running:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/holon-run/uxc/main/scripts/install.sh -o install-uxc.sh
less install-uxc.sh
bash install-uxc.sh
Install a specific version:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/holon-run/uxc/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- -v v0.4.2
Cargo
cargo install uxc
From Source
git clone https://github.com/holon-run/uxc.git
cd uxc
cargo install --path .
Quickstart (3 Minutes)
Most HTTP examples omit the scheme for brevity.
For public hosts, UXC infers https:// when omitted.
- Discover operations:
uxc petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3 -h
- Inspect operation schema:
uxc petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3 get:/pet/{petId} -h
- Execute with structured input:
uxc petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3 get:/pet/{petId} petId=1
Use only these endpoint forms:
uxc <host> -huxc <host> <operation_id> -huxc <host> <operation_id> key=valueoruxc <host> <operation_id> '{...}'
Protocol Examples (One Each)
Operation ID conventions:
- OpenAPI:
method:/path(example:get:/users/{id}) - gRPC:
Service/Method - GraphQL:
query/viewer,mutation/createUser - MCP: tool name (example:
ask_question) - JSON-RPC: method name (example:
eth_getBalance)
OpenAPI
uxc petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3 -h
uxc petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3 get:/pet/{petId} petId=1
For schema-separated services, you can override schema source:
uxc api.github.com -h \
--schema-url https://raw.githubusercontent.com/github/rest-api-description/main/descriptions/api.github.com/api.github.com.json
gRPC
uxc grpcb.in:9000 -h
uxc grpcb.in:9000 addsvc.Add/Sum a=1 b=2
Note: gRPC unary runtime invocation requires grpcurl on PATH.
GraphQL
uxc countries.trevorblades.com -h
uxc countries.trevorblades.com query/country code=US
MCP
uxc mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp -h
uxc mcp.deepwiki.com/mcp ask_question repoName=holon-run/uxc question='What does this project do?'
JSON-RPC
uxc fullnode.mainnet.sui.io -h
uxc fullnode.mainnet.sui.io sui_getLatestCheckpointSequenceNumber
Skills
UXC provides one canonical skill plus scenario-specific official wrappers.
Use uxc skill as the shared execution layer, and add wrappers when they fit your workflow.
| Skill | Purpose | Path |
|---|---|---|
uxc | Canonical schema discovery and multi-protocol execution layer | skills/uxc/SKILL.md |
deepwiki | Query repository documentation and ask codebase questions | skills/deepwiki/SKILL.md |
context7 | Query up-to-date library documentation/examples over MCP | skills/context7/SKILL.md |
notion-mcp-skill | Operate Notion MCP workflows with OAuth-aware guidance | skills/notion-mcp-skill/SKILL.md |
See docs/skills.md for install methods and maintenance rules.
Output and Help Conventions
UXC is JSON-first by default.
Use --text (or --format text) when you want human-readable CLI output.
Examples:
uxc
uxc help
uxc <host> -h
uxc <host> <operation_id> -h
uxc --text help
Note: In endpoint routing, help is treated as a literal operation name, not a help alias.
Success envelope shape:
{
"ok": true,
"kind": "call_result",
"protocol": "openapi",
"endpoint": "https://petstore3.swagger.io/api/v3",
"operation": "get:/pet/{petId}",
"data": {},
"meta": {
"version": "v1",
"duration_ms": 128
}
}
Failure envelope shape:
{
"ok": false,
"error": {
"code": "INVALID_ARGUMENT",
"message": "Field 'id' must be an integer"
},
"meta": {
"version": "v1"
}
}
Auth (Credentials + Bindings)
UXC authentication has two resources:
- Credentials: secret material and auth type
- Bindings: endpoint matching rules that select a credential
Example:
uxc auth credential set deepwiki --auth-type bearer --secret-env DEEPWIKI_TOKEN
uxc auth credential set deepwiki --secret-op op://Engineering/deepwiki/token
uxc auth binding add --id deepwiki-mcp --host mcp.deepwiki.com --path-prefix /mcp --scheme https --credential deepwiki --priority 100
OAuth for MCP HTTP is supported (device code, client credentials, authorization code + PKCE).
See docs/oauth-mcp-http.md for full workflows.
Docs Map
- Extended quickstart and protocol walkthroughs:
docs/quickstart.md - Public no-key endpoints for protocol checks:
docs/public-endpoints.md - Logging and troubleshooting with
RUST_LOG:docs/logging.md - Auth credential secret sources (
literal/env/op):docs/auth-secret-sources.md - OpenAPI schema mapping and
--schema-url:docs/schema-mapping.md - Skills overview and install/maintenance guidance:
docs/skills.md - Release process:
docs/release.md
Contributing
Contributions are welcome.
- Development workflow and quality bar:
CONTRIBUTING.md - CI and release flows: GitHub Actions
License
MIT License - see LICENSE.