# DollhouseMCP

> Open-source AI customization through modular, composable elements. DollhouseMCP lets
> you build personas, skills, templates, agents, memories, and ensembles as portable
> YAML files — then snap them together like Lego blocks. Runs on the Model Context
> Protocol (MCP) standard. AGPL-3.0 licensed.

DollhouseMCP 2.0 is a local-first element system for AI customization. Elements live
in ~/.dollhouse/portfolio/ on your machine, sync optionally to GitHub, and can be
shared through the Dollhouse Collection community library. The server exposes a
structured query layer (MCP-AQL) that reduces tool-definition token overhead by
85–96% compared to discrete tool definitions.

The project is maintained by Dollhouse Research (dollhouseresearch.com) and published
as @dollhousemcp/mcp-server on npm.

## Core Documentation

- [Home](https://dollhousemcp.com/): Overview, quick-start install command, and feature summary
- [Building Blocks](https://dollhousemcp.com/building-blocks.html): The six element types — personas, skills, templates, agents, memories, ensembles
- [Agent Runtime](https://dollhousemcp.com/agent-runtime.html): How agents execute, the Gatekeeper permission system, and autonomy evaluation
- [Dynamic Permissioning](https://dollhousemcp.com/dynamic-permissioning.html): Gatekeeper policies, allow/deny/confirm patterns, and per-operation approval flows
- [MCP-AQL](https://dollhousemcp.com/mcp-aql.html): The structured query layer built on MCP — CRUDE routing, semantic endpoints, runtime discovery
- [Portfolio Workflows](https://dollhousemcp.com/portfolio-workflows.html): Three-tier architecture — local portfolio, GitHub backup, community collection
- [Platform Operations](https://dollhousemcp.com/platform-operations.html): Full platform surface — portfolio management, collection workflows, skill conversion, search, and execution lifecycle control
- [Starter Elements](https://dollhousemcp.com/starter-elements.html): The 38 bundled elements included with installation
- [Licensing](https://dollhousemcp.com/licensing.html): AGPL-3.0 default, free commercial tier (under $1M revenue), enterprise options
- [About](https://dollhousemcp.com/about.html): Project background, mission, and founder information

## Blog

- [A Tour of the DollhouseMCP Console](https://dollhousemcp.com/blog/dollhousemcp-console-tour/): Walkthrough of the local web console — setup, portfolio browser, live logs, metrics, permissions (April 2026)
- [The Story Behind DollhouseMCP](https://dollhousemcp.com/blog/story-behind-dollhousemcp/): How a prompt catalog evolved into a modular element system (September 2025)
- [Meta-Development: Agents Built Their Own Documentation](https://dollhousemcp.com/blog/meta-development-dollhousemcp-agents-build-themselves/): Using DollhouseMCP agents to generate documentation across three repos (September 2025)
- [The 15-Minute Mystery: AI Agents Chase Ghosts in CI/CD](https://dollhousemcp.com/blog/the-15-minute-mystery-ai-agents-chase-ghosts-in-ci/): CI hanging issue turned non-problem — lessons on AI agents and assumptions (August 2025)
- [Mobile Development Workflow with Blink, tmux, and Claude Code](https://dollhousemcp.com/blog/mobile-development-workflow-blink-tmux-claude/): Building an MCP server from an iPhone (August 2025)
- [Fixing the MCP Server Disconnected Error](https://dollhousemcp.com/blog/fixing-mcp-server-disconnected-claude-desktop/): Debugging npx/CLI execution detection for MCP servers (August 2025)

## External Resources

- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/DollhouseMCP/mcp-server): Source code, issues, and contribution guide
- [npm Package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@dollhousemcp/mcp-server): Install via npx @dollhousemcp/mcp-server@latest --web
- [Dollhouse Collection](https://collection.dollhousemcp.com/): Community library of contributed elements
- [MCP-AQL Protocol](https://mcpaql.com/): Specification, adapter patterns, and documentation
- [Dollhouse Research](https://dollhouseresearch.com/): Parent organization — DollhouseMCP, Collection, and MCPAQL projects

## Optional

- [Blog Index](https://dollhousemcp.com/blog/): Full list of all posts
- [Releases](https://github.com/DollhouseMCP/mcp-server/releases): Changelog and version history