Code Research MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that provides tools for searching and accessing programming resources across multiple platforms. This server integrates with popular developer platforms to help LLMs find relevant code examples, documentation, and packages.

Features

Integrated Platforms

Stack Overflow - Programming Q&A
MDN Web Docs - Web development documentation
GitHub - Code and repository search
npm - JavaScript package registry
PyPI - Python package index

Tools

`search_stackoverflow`

Search Stack Overflow for programming questions and answers.

Parameters:
- query (required): Search query string
- limit (optional): Maximum results (1-10, default: 5)
Returns: Formatted list of questions with scores, answer counts, and excerpts
Results are cached for 1 hour

`search_mdn`

Search MDN Web Docs for web development documentation.

Parameters:
- query (required): Search query string
Returns: Top 5 MDN documentation matches with summaries and links
Results are cached for 1 hour

`search_github`

Search GitHub for both repositories and code examples.

Parameters:
- query (required): Search query string
- language (optional): Filter by programming language
- limit (optional): Maximum results per category (1-10, default: 5)
Returns: Two sections:
1. Top repositories sorted by stars
2. Relevant code files with repository context
Results are cached for 1 hour

`search_npm`

Search npm registry for JavaScript packages.

Parameters:
- query (required): Search query string
- limit (optional): Maximum results (1-10, default: 5)
Returns: Package information including version, description, and download stats
Results are cached for 1 hour

`search_pypi`

Search PyPI for Python packages.

Parameters:
- query (required): Search query string
Returns: Detailed package information including version, author, and links
Results are cached for 1 hour

`search_all`

Search all platforms simultaneously for comprehensive results.

Parameters:
- query (required): Search query string
- limit (optional): Maximum results per platform (1-5, default: 3)
Returns: Combined results from all platforms:
1. Stack Overflow questions and answers
2. MDN documentation
3. GitHub repositories and code
4. npm packages
5. PyPI packages
Results are cached for 1 hour
Note: Executes all searches in parallel for faster response

Requirements

Node.js >= 20.11.0
npm >= 10.0.0
Optional: GitHub personal access token for higher API rate limits

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install Code Research Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @nahmanmate/code-research-mcp-server --client claude

Manual Installation

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/nahmanmate/code-research-mcp-server.git
cd code-research-server
npm install

Build the server:

npm run build

Configure MCP Settings:

Add the server configuration to your MCP settings file:

VSCode: ~/.vscode-server/data/User/globalStorage/rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
Claude Desktop:
- MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code-research": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/code-research-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "your_github_token"  // Optional: Prevents rate limiting
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "alwaysAllow": []
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace /absolute/path/to with the actual path where you cloned the repository.

Development

Running in Development Mode

For development with auto-rebuild on changes:

npm run watch

Error Handling

The server implements robust error handling:

API-specific error messages for each platform
Rate limit handling for GitHub API
Graceful fallbacks for service unavailability
Cached responses to reduce API load

Debugging

Since MCP servers communicate over stdio, debugging can be challenging. Use the MCP Inspector for detailed request/response monitoring:

npm run inspector

The Inspector provides:

Real-time request/response monitoring
Tool execution tracing
Error stack traces
Performance metrics

Visit the provided URL in your browser to access the debugging interface.

Caching

Results are cached using node-cache:

Default TTL: 1 hour
Separate cache keys per query/limit combination
Platform-specific caching strategies
Memory-efficient storage

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Commit your changes
Push to the branch
Create a Pull Request

License

AGPLv3