diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index f179769..63dccb6 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -12,4 +12,3 @@ dist
 .env.*
 deploy/docker-compose.yml
 src/cli
-src/mcplocal
diff --git a/scripts/demo-mcp-call.py b/scripts/demo-mcp-call.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..765444e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/demo-mcp-call.py
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Demo: make an MCP request against mcplocal using an McpToken bearer.
+
+This is the standalone counterpart to `mcpctl test mcp` — intended to show
+exactly what a non-Claude client (e.g. a vLLM-driven agent) would do.
+
+Usage:
+    # Default: localhost mcplocal, sre project, token from $MCPCTL_TOKEN
+    export MCPCTL_TOKEN=mcpctl_pat_...
+    python3 scripts/demo-mcp-call.py
+
+    # Custom URL/project/tool
+    python3 scripts/demo-mcp-call.py \\
+        --url https://mcp.ad.itaz.eu \\
+        --project sre \\
+        --token "$MCPCTL_TOKEN" \\
+        --tool begin_session \\
+        --args '{"description":"hello"}'
+
+No third-party deps — pure stdlib. Mirrors the protocol that
+src/shared/src/mcp-http/index.ts implements on the TypeScript side.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.request
+from typing import Any
+
+
+def _parse_sse(body: str) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+    """Parse a text/event-stream body into a list of JSON-RPC messages."""
+    out: list[dict[str, Any]] = []
+    for line in body.splitlines():
+        if line.startswith("data: "):
+            try:
+                out.append(json.loads(line[6:]))
+            except json.JSONDecodeError:
+                pass
+    return out
+
+
+class McpSession:
+    def __init__(self, url: str, bearer: str | None = None, timeout: float = 30.0):
+        self.url = url
+        self.bearer = bearer
+        self.timeout = timeout
+        self.session_id: str | None = None
+        self._next_id = 1
+
+    def _headers(self) -> dict[str, str]:
+        h = {
+            "Content-Type": "application/json",
+            "Accept": "application/json, text/event-stream",
+        }
+        if self.bearer:
+            h["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {self.bearer}"
+        if self.session_id:
+            h["mcp-session-id"] = self.session_id
+        return h
+
+    def send(self, method: str, params: dict[str, Any] | None = None) -> Any:
+        rid = self._next_id
+        self._next_id += 1
+        payload = {"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": rid, "method": method, "params": params or {}}
+        req = urllib.request.Request(
+            self.url,
+            data=json.dumps(payload).encode("utf-8"),
+            headers=self._headers(),
+            method="POST",
+        )
+        try:
+            with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=self.timeout) as resp:
+                body = resp.read().decode("utf-8")
+                content_type = resp.headers.get("content-type", "")
+                # First successful response carries the session id.
+                if self.session_id is None:
+                    sid = resp.headers.get("mcp-session-id")
+                    if sid:
+                        self.session_id = sid
+                messages: list[dict[str, Any]] = (
+                    _parse_sse(body) if "text/event-stream" in content_type else [json.loads(body)]
+                )
+        except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+            err_body = e.read().decode("utf-8", errors="replace")
+            raise SystemExit(f"HTTP {e.code} from {self.url}: {err_body}") from None
+        except urllib.error.URLError as e:
+            raise SystemExit(f"transport error reaching {self.url}: {e.reason}") from None
+
+        # Pick the response matching our id; fall back to first message.
+        matched = next((m for m in messages if m.get("id") == rid), messages[0] if messages else None)
+        if matched is None:
+            raise SystemExit(f"no response for {method}")
+        if "error" in matched:
+            err = matched["error"]
+            raise SystemExit(f"MCP error {err.get('code')}: {err.get('message')}")
+        return matched.get("result")
+
+    def initialize(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        return self.send(
+            "initialize",
+            {
+                "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
+                "capabilities": {},
+                "clientInfo": {"name": "demo-mcp-call.py", "version": "1.0.0"},
+            },
+        )
+
+    def list_tools(self) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+        result = self.send("tools/list")
+        return result.get("tools", []) if isinstance(result, dict) else []
+
+    def call_tool(self, name: str, args: dict[str, Any]) -> Any:
+        return self.send("tools/call", {"name": name, "arguments": args})
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Demo MCP request via McpToken bearer.")
+    ap.add_argument("--url", default=os.environ.get("MCPGW_URL", "http://localhost:3200"),
+                    help="Base URL of mcplocal (default: $MCPGW_URL or http://localhost:3200)")
+    ap.add_argument("--project", default="sre",
+                    help="Project name (default: sre). Must match the token's bound project.")
+    ap.add_argument("--token", default=os.environ.get("MCPCTL_TOKEN"),
+                    help="Raw mcpctl_pat_* bearer (default: $MCPCTL_TOKEN)")
+    ap.add_argument("--tool", help="Optionally call a tool after tools/list")
+    ap.add_argument("--args", default="{}", help="JSON-encoded arguments for --tool")
+    ap.add_argument("--timeout", type=float, default=30.0)
+    opts = ap.parse_args()
+
+    if not opts.token:
+        ap.error("--token or $MCPCTL_TOKEN required")
+
+    endpoint = f"{opts.url.rstrip('/')}/projects/{opts.project}/mcp"
+    print(f"→ POST {endpoint}")
+    print(f"  Bearer: {opts.token[:16]}…")
+    print()
+
+    sess = McpSession(endpoint, bearer=opts.token, timeout=opts.timeout)
+
+    info = sess.initialize()
+    server_info = info.get("serverInfo", {}) if isinstance(info, dict) else {}
+    print(f"initialize:  protocol={info.get('protocolVersion') if isinstance(info, dict) else '?'} "
+          f"server={server_info.get('name', '?')}/{server_info.get('version', '?')} "
+          f"sessionId={sess.session_id}")
+
+    tools = sess.list_tools()
+    print(f"tools/list:  {len(tools)} tool(s)")
+    for t in tools:
+        desc = (t.get("description") or "").splitlines()[0][:80]
+        print(f"  - {t['name']}  {desc}")
+
+    if opts.tool:
+        try:
+            args = json.loads(opts.args)
+        except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
+            raise SystemExit(f"--args must be valid JSON: {e}")
+        print(f"\ntools/call: {opts.tool} {args}")
+        result = sess.call_tool(opts.tool, args)
+        print(json.dumps(result, indent=2)[:2000])
+
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/src/cli/src/api-client.ts b/src/cli/src/api-client.ts
index 6acc36b..d5e6067 100644
--- a/src/cli/src/api-client.ts
+++ b/src/cli/src/api-client.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import http from 'node:http';
+import https from 'node:https';
 
 export interface ApiClientOptions {
   baseUrl: string;
@@ -31,16 +32,18 @@ function request<T>(method: string, url: string, timeout: number, body?: unknown
     if (token) {
       headers['Authorization'] = `Bearer ${token}`;
     }
+    const isHttps = parsed.protocol === 'https:';
     const opts: http.RequestOptions = {
       hostname: parsed.hostname,
-      port: parsed.port,
+      port: parsed.port || (isHttps ? 443 : 80),
       path: parsed.pathname + parsed.search,
       method,
       timeout,
       headers,
     };
 
-    const req = http.request(opts, (res) => {
+    const driver = isHttps ? https : http;
+    const req = driver.request(opts, (res) => {
       const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
       res.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk));
       res.on('end', () => {
diff --git a/src/cli/src/commands/status.ts b/src/cli/src/commands/status.ts
index e6cb9a3..604eac1 100644
--- a/src/cli/src/commands/status.ts
+++ b/src/cli/src/commands/status.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 import { Command } from 'commander';
 import http from 'node:http';
+import https from 'node:https';
+
+/** Pick the http or https driver based on the URL scheme. */
+function httpDriverFor(url: string): typeof http | typeof https {
+  return new URL(url).protocol === 'https:' ? https : http;
+}
 import { loadConfig } from '../config/index.js';
 import type { ConfigLoaderDeps } from '../config/index.js';
 import { loadCredentials } from '../auth/index.js';
@@ -45,10 +51,16 @@ export interface StatusCommandDeps {
 
 function defaultCheckHealth(url: string): Promise<boolean> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const req = http.get(`${url}/health`, { timeout: 3000 }, (res) => {
-      resolve(res.statusCode !== undefined && res.statusCode >= 200 && res.statusCode < 400);
-      res.resume();
-    });
+    let req: http.ClientRequest;
+    try {
+      req = httpDriverFor(url).get(`${url}/health`, { timeout: 3000 }, (res) => {
+        resolve(res.statusCode !== undefined && res.statusCode >= 200 && res.statusCode < 400);
+        res.resume();
+      });
+    } catch {
+      resolve(false);
+      return;
+    }
     req.on('error', () => resolve(false));
     req.on('timeout', () => {
       req.destroy();
@@ -63,26 +75,32 @@ function defaultCheckHealth(url: string): Promise<boolean> {
  */
 function defaultCheckLlm(mcplocalUrl: string): Promise<string> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const req = http.get(`${mcplocalUrl}/llm/health`, { timeout: 45000 }, (res) => {
-      const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
-      res.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk));
-      res.on('end', () => {
-        try {
-          const body = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(chunks).toString('utf-8')) as { status: string; error?: string };
-          if (body.status === 'ok') {
-            resolve('ok');
-          } else if (body.status === 'not configured') {
-            resolve('not configured');
-          } else if (body.error) {
-            resolve(body.error.slice(0, 80));
-          } else {
-            resolve(body.status);
+    let req: http.ClientRequest;
+    try {
+      req = httpDriverFor(mcplocalUrl).get(`${mcplocalUrl}/llm/health`, { timeout: 45000 }, (res) => {
+        const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
+        res.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk));
+        res.on('end', () => {
+          try {
+            const body = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(chunks).toString('utf-8')) as { status: string; error?: string };
+            if (body.status === 'ok') {
+              resolve('ok');
+            } else if (body.status === 'not configured') {
+              resolve('not configured');
+            } else if (body.error) {
+              resolve(body.error.slice(0, 80));
+            } else {
+              resolve(body.status);
+            }
+          } catch {
+            resolve('invalid response');
           }
-        } catch {
-          resolve('invalid response');
-        }
+        });
       });
-    });
+    } catch {
+      resolve('mcplocal unreachable');
+      return;
+    }
     req.on('error', () => resolve('mcplocal unreachable'));
     req.on('timeout', () => { req.destroy(); resolve('timeout'); });
   });
@@ -90,18 +108,24 @@ function defaultCheckLlm(mcplocalUrl: string): Promise<string> {
 
 function defaultFetchModels(mcplocalUrl: string): Promise<string[]> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const req = http.get(`${mcplocalUrl}/llm/models`, { timeout: 5000 }, (res) => {
-      const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
-      res.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk));
-      res.on('end', () => {
-        try {
-          const body = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(chunks).toString('utf-8')) as { models?: string[] };
-          resolve(body.models ?? []);
-        } catch {
-          resolve([]);
-        }
+    let req: http.ClientRequest;
+    try {
+      req = httpDriverFor(mcplocalUrl).get(`${mcplocalUrl}/llm/models`, { timeout: 5000 }, (res) => {
+        const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
+        res.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk));
+        res.on('end', () => {
+          try {
+            const body = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(chunks).toString('utf-8')) as { models?: string[] };
+            resolve(body.models ?? []);
+          } catch {
+            resolve([]);
+          }
+        });
       });
-    });
+    } catch {
+      resolve([]);
+      return;
+    }
     req.on('error', () => resolve([]));
     req.on('timeout', () => { req.destroy(); resolve([]); });
   });
@@ -109,18 +133,24 @@ function defaultFetchModels(mcplocalUrl: string): Promise<string[]> {
 
 function defaultFetchProviders(mcplocalUrl: string): Promise<ProvidersInfo | null> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    const req = http.get(`${mcplocalUrl}/llm/providers`, { timeout: 5000 }, (res) => {
-      const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
-      res.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk));
-      res.on('end', () => {
-        try {
-          const body = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(chunks).toString('utf-8')) as ProvidersInfo;
-          resolve(body);
-        } catch {
-          resolve(null);
-        }
+    let req: http.ClientRequest;
+    try {
+      req = httpDriverFor(mcplocalUrl).get(`${mcplocalUrl}/llm/providers`, { timeout: 5000 }, (res) => {
+        const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
+        res.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk));
+        res.on('end', () => {
+          try {
+            const body = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(chunks).toString('utf-8')) as ProvidersInfo;
+            resolve(body);
+          } catch {
+            resolve(null);
+          }
+        });
       });
-    });
+    } catch {
+      resolve(null);
+      return;
+    }
     req.on('error', () => resolve(null));
     req.on('timeout', () => { req.destroy(); resolve(null); });
   });