Capabilities (app, cli, mcp, chat)
MicroLab has four capabilities, which are what your account lets you use:
| Capability | Surface | Cost |
|---|---|---|
app | The desktop application | Free |
cli | The microlab CLI | Paid |
mcp | The MCP server (for AI agents) | Paid |
chat | The integrated copilot | Paid |
The three paid ones are independent of each other: having one does not enable the others.
How they are enabled
Section titled “How they are enabled”If the project has sign-in configured (auth section), when you sign in to the desktop
app at least once, MicroLab writes a non-secret summary of your capabilities to your
machine (.microlab/.runtime/entitlements.json). The CLI, the daemon and the MCP read it
to enforce access.
Without the corresponding capability:
- The CLI exits with code
5and a message asking you to sign in with an authorized account. - The MCP over stdio exits with
5; over HTTP, the/mcproute responds403.
In projects without sign-in there is no restriction: all surfaces work without gating.