MCP IDE Bridge

# Multi-Project MCP IDE Bridge Setup This guide shows how to set up MCP IDE Bridge across multiple projects to enable **IDE-to-IDE communication** for seamless collaboration between different development environments. **Important**: Each project gets ONE `mcp_recipients.json` file with its own unique ID and recipient list. The example filenames below are just for reference - your actual file must be named `mcp_recipients.json` in each project root. ## 🏗️ Multi-Project IDE Communication ``` mybackendapi_cursor ←→ MCP IDE Bridge ←→ myfrontendweb_vscode ↑ ↑ ↑ Cursor IDE Message Relay VS Code IDE Backend Project Frontend Project mcp_recipients.json mcp_recipients.json projectspecs_claudedesktop ←→ MCP IDE Bridge ←→ myragproject_windsurf ↑ ↑ ↑ Claude Desktop Message Relay Windsurf IDE Project Specs RAG Project mcp_recipients.json mcp_recipients.json mydevops_jetbrains ←→ MCP IDE Bridge ←→ All Project IDEs ↑ ↑ JetBrains IDE Message Relay DevOps Project mcp_recipients.json ``` ## 📁 Project Examples **Note**: Each project below gets its own `mcp_recipients.json` file. The filenames shown are just for reference - your actual file must be named `mcp_recipients.json` in each project root. ### Project: mybackendapi_cursor **IDE**: Cursor IDE working on a Node.js/Express backend API ```json { "my_id": "mybackendapi_cursor", "recipients": { "myfrontendweb_vscode": { "name": "Frontend Web App", "description": "React frontend project in VS Code" }, "projectspecs_claudedesktop": { "name": "Project Specifications", "description": "Project docs and specs in Claude Desktop" }, "myragproject_windsurf": { "name": "RAG Project", "description": "RAG implementation project in Windsurf" }, "mydevops_jetbrains": { "name": "DevOps Project", "description": "Infrastructure project in JetBrains" }, "myaiagent_cursor": { "name": "AI Agent Project", "description": "AI agent development in another Cursor instance" } }, "server_info": { "url": "http://localhost:8111/mcp/", "transport": "http_streamable" } } ``` ### Project: myfrontendweb_vscode **IDE**: VS Code working on a React frontend web application ```json { "my_id": "myfrontendweb_vscode", "recipients": { "mybackendapi_cursor": { "name": "Backend API", "description": "Node.js/Express backend in Cursor" }, "projectspecs_claudedesktop": { "name": "Project Specifications", "description": "Project docs and specs in Claude Desktop" }, "myragproject_windsurf": { "name": "RAG Project", "description": "RAG implementation project in Windsurf" }, "mydevops_jetbrains": { "name": "DevOps Project", "description": "Infrastructure project in JetBrains" }, "myaiagent_cursor": { "name": "AI Agent Project", "description": "AI agent development in Cursor" } }, "server_info": { "url": "http://localhost:8111/mcp/", "transport": "http_streamable" } } ``` ### Project: projectspecs_claudedesktop **IDE**: Claude Desktop working on project specifications and documentation ```json { "my_id": "projectspecs_claudedesktop", "recipients": { "mybackendapi_cursor": { "name": "Backend API", "description": "Node.js/Express backend in Cursor" }, "myfrontendweb_vscode": { "name": "Frontend Web App", "description": "React frontend project in VS Code" }, "myragproject_windsurf": { "name": "RAG Project", "description": "RAG implementation project in Windsurf" }, "mydevops_jetbrains": { "name": "DevOps Project", "description": "Infrastructure project in JetBrains" }, "myaiagent_cursor": { "name": "AI Agent Project", "description": "AI agent development in Cursor" } }, "server_info": { "url": "http://localhost:8111/mcp/", "transport": "http_streamable" } } ``` ### Project: myragproject_windsurf **IDE**: Windsurf working on a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) project ```json { "my_id": "myragproject_windsurf", "recipients": { "mybackendapi_cursor": { "name": "Backend API", "description": "Node.js/Express backend in Cursor" }, "myfrontendweb_vscode": { "name": "Frontend Web App", "description": "React frontend project in VS Code" }, "projectspecs_claudedesktop": { "name": "Project Specifications", "description": "Project docs and specs in Claude Desktop" }, "mydevops_jetbrains": { "name": "DevOps Project", "description": "Infrastructure project in JetBrains" }, "myaiagent_cursor": { "name": "AI Agent Project", "description": "AI agent development in Cursor" } }, "server_info": { "url": "http://localhost:8111/mcp/", "transport": "http_streamable" } } ``` ### Project: mydevops_jetbrains **IDE**: JetBrains IDE working on DevOps and infrastructure ```json { "my_id": "mydevops_jetbrains", "recipients": { "mybackendapi_cursor": { "name": "Backend API", "description": "Node.js/Express backend in Cursor" }, "myfrontendweb_vscode": { "name": "Frontend Web App", "description": "React frontend project in VS Code" }, "projectspecs_claudedesktop": { "name": "Project Specifications", "description": "Project docs and specs in Claude Desktop" }, "myragproject_windsurf": { "name": "RAG Project", "description": "RAG implementation project in Windsurf" }, "myaiagent_cursor": { "name": "AI Agent Project", "description": "AI agent development in Cursor" } }, "server_info": { "url": "http://localhost:8111/mcp/", "transport": "http_streamable" } } ``` ## 🎯 IDE Setup Instructions **Each project gets ONE `mcp_recipients.json` file with its own unique ID and recipient list.** ### Cursor IDE Setup 1. **Create mcp_recipients.json** in your project root (see examples above) 2. **Configure .cursor/mcp.json**: ```json { "mcpServers": { "messaging-server": { "url": "http://localhost:8111/mcp/", "type": "streamable-http", "description": "MCP HTTP Streamable messaging server for client-to-client communication" } } } ``` 3. **Connect to Server**: - Open Command Palette (`Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P`) - Search for "MCP: Connect to Server" - Enter: `http://localhost:8111/mcp/` 4. **Start Collaborating**: - Use MCP tools to send/receive messages - Coordinate with other IDEs working on different projects ### VS Code Setup 1. **Install MCP Extension**: - Search for "MCP" in VS Code extensions - Install the official MCP extension 2. **Create mcp_recipients.json** in your project root 3. **Configure MCP Settings**: - Open VS Code settings - Search for "MCP" - Add server configuration 4. **Connect and Collaborate**: - Use MCP commands to interact with other IDEs ### Claude Desktop Setup 1. **Create mcp_recipients.json** in your project root 2. **Configure Claude Desktop MCP**: - Open Claude Desktop settings - Navigate to MCP configuration - Add server URL: `http://localhost:8111/mcp/` 3. **Start Messaging**: - Use Claude's MCP integration to communicate with other IDEs ### Windsurf Setup 1. **Create mcp_recipients.json** in your project root 2. **Configure Windsurf MCP**: - Open Windsurf settings - Navigate to MCP configuration - Add server URL: `http://localhost:8111/mcp/` 3. **Start Messaging**: - Use Windsurf's MCP integration to communicate ### JetBrains IDEs Setup 1. **Install MCP Plugin**: - Go to Settings → Plugins - Search for "MCP" and install 2. **Create mcp_recipients.json** in your project root 3. **Configure MCP Server**: - Open MCP plugin settings - Add server: `http://localhost:8111/mcp/` 4. **Begin Collaboration**: - Use MCP tools from the IDE ## 🤖 AI Agent Generation Your IDE's AI agent can help generate `mcp_recipients.json` files! Simply ask: **In Cursor:** ``` "Generate an mcp_recipients.json file for my backend API project. I need to communicate with frontend, RAG, DevOps, and AI agent projects." ``` **In VS Code:** ``` "Create an mcp_recipients.json configuration for my frontend web app. Include recipients for backend, RAG, DevOps, and AI agent projects." ``` **In Claude Desktop:** ``` "Help me set up mcp_recipients.json for project specifications. I need to coordinate with backend, frontend, RAG, and DevOps projects." ``` **Important**: Place `mcp_recipients.json` in the **project root** for easy discovery by IDE agents and MCP tools. **Each project gets ONE file with its own unique ID and recipient list.** ## 🔄 Cross-Project Communication Examples ### Backend API → Frontend Web App ```bash # Backend developer notifies frontend about API changes send_message_without_waiting("mybackendapi_cursor", ["myfrontendweb_vscode"], ["I've updated the user authentication endpoint. New fields: user_id, email, role"]) ``` ### Frontend Web App → Project Specs ```bash # Frontend developer requests specification clarification send_message_without_waiting("myfrontendweb_vscode", ["projectspecs_claudedesktop"], ["Need clarification on the user dashboard layout requirements"]) ``` ### RAG Project → Backend API ```bash # RAG developer requests API integration send_message_without_waiting("myragproject_windsurf", ["mybackendapi_cursor"], ["Need to integrate RAG search with your API. Can you add a /search endpoint?"]) ``` ### DevOps → All Projects ```bash # DevOps announces deployment send_message_without_waiting("mydevops_jetbrains", ["mybackendapi_cursor", "myfrontendweb_vscode", "myragproject_windsurf"], ["Production deployment scheduled for 2 PM. Please ensure your components are ready."]) ``` ## 🚀 Benefits of Multi-Project IDE Communication - **Cross-Project Coordination**: Communicate between different projects seamlessly - **IDE Flexibility**: Use your preferred IDE for each project - **Real-time Updates**: Instant communication about changes and requirements - **Knowledge Sharing**: Share insights across different project contexts - **Deployment Coordination**: Synchronize releases across multiple projects ## 🔧 Troubleshooting **Common Issues:** - **Connection Failed**: Ensure MCP IDE Bridge server is running on port 8111 - **No Recipients Found**: Check that all IDEs have registered with `checkin_client` - **Messages Not Delivered**: Verify recipient IDs match exactly in all configurations **Debug Commands:** ```bash # Check server status curl -X GET http://localhost:8111/api/sessions # Test connection python test_connection.py --mcp-localhost-port 8111 # List active sessions get_active_sessions() ```