Local AI Client · Jan · Open Source

Extend Jan.ai Local Models with Browser MCP Tools

Jan.ai is a fully offline, open-source AI client for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Its MCP extension system lets you add external tools. Connect Agent MCP Studio via the relay bridge to supercharge Jan.ai's local models with Python, SQL, and API tools built in your browser.

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Prerequisites

Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Get your relay URL

    Open the studio → SettingsMCP Relay Bridge → copy URL → click Connect.

  2. Download bridge.js

    curl -O https://agentmcp.studio/bridge.js && npm install ws
  3. Add MCP server in Jan.ai

    In Jan.ai: SettingsExtensionsMCPAdd Server:

    {
      "name": "agent-mcp-studio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/bridge.js", "wss://agentmcp.studio/api/relay/YOUR-UUID"]
    }

    Enable the server toggle. Jan.ai will list available tools from Agent MCP Studio.

  4. Enable tools for your model

    In Jan.ai's chat settings, toggle Tools on. Start a conversation — your local model can now call your browser-built tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — Jan.ai supports MCP as external tool providers. In Jan's Settings → Extensions → Tools, add your MCP server configuration. Jan's AI assistant can then call your Agent MCP Studio tools during chat.

Jan is a fully open-source, offline-first AI chat application. It runs LLMs locally on your hardware (CPU and GPU) with no cloud dependencies. Jan supports multiple models and has a growing extension ecosystem including MCP tools.

Jan itself runs offline, but the Agent MCP Studio relay bridge requires an internet connection to reach wss://agentmcp.studio/api/relay/.... However, once connected, your browser tools run entirely locally in Pyodide WASM.

Tool calling works with instruction-tuned models that support function calling — typically 7B+ models like Llama 3 Instruct, Mistral Instruct, Phi-3, and Qwen Instruct variants. Check the Jan model hub for tool calling support notes.

Both run models locally but differ in interface and ecosystem. Jan is fully open-source with a plugin system; LM Studio has a more polished GUI. Both support MCP tools via bridge.js the same way — the setup steps are nearly identical.

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