***

title: Set up and start your generated MCP server locally
updated: 2025-08-18T00:00:00.000Z
topictype: procedure
max-toc-depth: 2
----------------

For each request you add to your [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) (MCP) server, Postman generates a [tool](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/concepts/tools) for you. Once you set up your server and start it, you can [use Postman to interact with it](/docs/postman-ai/mcp-servers/interact/). The server supports the MCP [standard input and output](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/concepts/transports#standard-input%2Foutput-stdio) (STDIO) and [streamable HTTP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/concepts/transports#streamable-http) transport layers.

## Set up your MCP server

To set up your MCP server, do the following:

1. If you haven't already, [install Node.js 18 or later](https://nodejs.org/en/download) and [generate and download your MCP server](/docs/postman-ai/mcp-servers/generate#generate-and-download-an-mcp-server).

2. Unzip the file you downloaded.

3. (Optional) Rename the unzipped folder and move it to another directory.

4. Open your terminal and change to your MCP server's root directory:

   ```bash
   cd /path/to/your-mcp-server
   ```

5. Install your project's dependencies:

   ```bash
   npm install
   ```

6. List your tools:

   ```bash
   npm run list-tools
   ```

   This command lists your tool's information, including their file names. You may need to edit these files in the next steps. You can find these files in the `tools` directory.

7. For each tool, open its tool file, and verify the `baseUrl` value is correct.

8. If you need to store sensitive data, such as your API keys or tokens, open the `.env` file and save them there.

9. If your tool needs authentication, for each such tool, open its tool file and use `token` to implement authentication. For example, if the original request passes a token in the headers, add `token` to `headers`.

To learn more, see your project's `README.md` file.

## Start your MCP server

To start your MCP server, do the following:

1. Open your terminal and change to your server's root directory:

   ```bash
   cd /path/to/your-mcp-server
   ```

2. Start your server:

   * To start your [standard input and output](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/concepts/transports#standard-input%2Foutput-stdio) server, run the following command:

     ```bash
     node mcpServer.js
     ```

   * To start your [streamable HTTP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/concepts/transports#streamable-http) server, run the following command:

     ```bash
     node mcpServer.js --streamable-http
     ```

3. When you're ready to stop your server, press **Control**+**C** or **Ctrl**+**C**.

You're ready to [use Postman to interact with your MCP server](/docs/postman-ai/mcp-servers/interact/).