# Domain Search MCP - Multi-Platform Expansion
**Completed:** January 4, 2026
**Version:** 1.9.1
**Production:** https://vmi3000318.contaboserver.net
---
## Executive Summary
Successfully expanded domain-search-mcp from stdio-only to dual-transport (stdio + HTTP/SSE) architecture. All 4 phases completed in a single session. Published v1.9.1 to npm with production VPS deployment.
---
## Phase 1: HTTP Transport Foundation
### New Files Created
1. **`src/transports/index.ts`** - Transport abstraction layer
- `TransportType = 'stdio' | 'http'`
- `TransportConfig` interface with type, port, host, corsOrigins
- `getTransportConfig()` function reads from CLI args or env vars
2. **`src/transports/http.ts`** - Express HTTP/SSE server (302 lines)
- Uses `StreamableHTTPServerTransport` from MCP SDK (2025-06-18 spec)
- Single `/mcp` endpoint handles both POST (messages) and GET (SSE stream)
- Session management with `Mcp-Session-Id` header
- Session cleanup on disconnect via `onclose`/`onerror` handlers
- Rate limiting: 100 req/min per IP via express-rate-limit (v1.9.1)
- Health check at `/health` bypasses rate limiting
- CORS configured for web clients
### Dependencies Added
- express ^5.2.1
- cors ^2.8.5
- express-rate-limit ^8.2.1
- @types/express, @types/cors (dev)
### package.json Scripts
```json
"start:http": "node dist/server.js --http",
"dev:http": "tsx src/server.ts --http"
```
### Environment Variables
| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `MCP_TRANSPORT` | stdio | Transport mode: `stdio` or `http` |
| `MCP_PORT` | 3000 | HTTP server port |
| `MCP_HOST` | 0.0.0.0 | HTTP server bind address |
| `CORS_ORIGINS` | * | Allowed CORS origins (comma-separated) |
---
## Phase 2: OpenAPI Specification
### New Files Created
1. **`src/openapi/generator.ts`** - OpenAPI 3.1 spec generator
- Uses @asteasolutions/zod-to-openapi
- Auto-registers all 10 MCP tools as REST endpoints
- Dynamic baseUrl from request headers (x-forwarded-proto, x-forwarded-host)
- Descriptions truncated to 300 chars (ChatGPT limit)
2. **`src/openapi/schemas.ts`** - Zod schemas with OpenAPI metadata
- Wraps existing tool schemas with `extendZodWithOpenApi`
- Registers each schema in OpenAPIRegistry
3. **`src/api/routes.ts`** - REST API router for ChatGPT Actions
- POST `/api/tools/:toolName` - Execute any tool via REST
- Routes: search_domain, bulk_search, compare_registrars, suggest_domains, suggest_domains_smart, tld_info, check_socials, whois_lookup, dns_lookup, get_premium_info
### Endpoints
- `/openapi.json` - Auto-generated OpenAPI 3.1 specification
- `/api/tools/*` - REST API for each tool (ChatGPT Actions compatible)
---
## Phase 3: ChatGPT Integration
### Testing Process
1. Started HTTP server locally: `npm run start:http`
2. Exposed via ngrok: `ngrok http 3000`
3. Tested MCP connection and REST API endpoints
4. Verified tools work via POST requests
### REST API Format
```bash
curl -X POST https://your-domain/api/tools/search_domain \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"domain_name":"vibecoding"}'
```
---
## Phase 4: Production Deployment
### VPS Details
| Item | Value |
|------|-------|
| Server | Contabo VPS (qwen-inference-server) |
| IP | 95.111.240.197 |
| Hostname | vmi3000318.contaboserver.net |
| User | admin |
| Directory | /var/www/domain-mcp |
### Existing Services on VPS
- `domain-cache.service` on port 3000 (Porkbun pricing backend)
- `llama-server.service` on port 8000 (Qwen 7B inference)
### New Service Created
**`/etc/systemd/system/domain-mcp-http.service`**:
```ini
[Unit]
Description=Domain Search MCP HTTP Server
After=network.target domain-cache.service
[Service]
Type=simple
User=admin
WorkingDirectory=/var/www/domain-mcp
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node dist/server.js --http
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
Environment=NODE_ENV=production
Environment=MCP_PORT=3001
Environment=MCP_HOST=127.0.0.1
Environment=PRICING_API_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:3000
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
```
### Nginx Configuration
**`/etc/nginx/sites-available/domain-mcp`**:
- SSL termination with Let's Encrypt
- Reverse proxy to port 3001
- SSE-specific settings (proxy_buffering off, proxy_cache off)
- WebSocket upgrade headers
### SSL Certificate
- Provider: Let's Encrypt via Certbot
- Domain: vmi3000318.contaboserver.net
- Auto-renewal configured
### Production Endpoints
| Endpoint | URL |
|----------|-----|
| Server Info | https://vmi3000318.contaboserver.net |
| MCP Protocol | https://vmi3000318.contaboserver.net/mcp |
| OpenAPI Spec | https://vmi3000318.contaboserver.net/openapi.json |
| Health Check | https://vmi3000318.contaboserver.net/health |
| REST API | https://vmi3000318.contaboserver.net/api/tools/* |
---
## Version History
### v1.9.0 (January 4, 2026)
- HTTP/SSE transport with StreamableHTTPServerTransport
- OpenAPI 3.1 auto-generation from Zod schemas
- REST API for ChatGPT Actions compatibility
- VPS deployment with nginx reverse proxy
### v1.9.1 (January 4, 2026)
- Added express-rate-limit (100 req/min per IP)
- Health check endpoint bypasses rate limiting
- SSL with Let's Encrypt
---
## Key Architecture Decisions
### 1. StreamableHTTPServerTransport over SSEServerTransport
MCP 2025-06-18 spec recommends single endpoint pattern:
- POST /mcp for messages
- GET /mcp for SSE stream
- Session ID in header, not URL path
### 2. Rate Limiting Strategy
- Global HTTP rate limiting (100/min) protects against abuse
- Per-registrar rate limiting still in place for API quota protection
- Health check excluded from rate limiting
### 3. Port Selection
- Port 3001 for MCP HTTP (not 3000 to avoid conflict with domain-cache)
- Nginx handles SSL and proxies to 127.0.0.1:3001
### 4. Dual Transport Coexistence
- stdio remains default for MCP clients (Claude Desktop, Cursor)
- HTTP enabled via --http flag or MCP_TRANSPORT=http
- Same tool execution code, different transport layer
---
## Platform Compatibility
| Platform | Transport | Status |
|----------|-----------|--------|
| Claude Desktop | stdio | ✅ |
| Claude Code | stdio | ✅ |
| Cursor | stdio | ✅ |
| VS Code | stdio | ✅ |
| Perplexity | stdio | ✅ |
| ChatGPT | HTTP/SSE | ✅ |
| ChatGPT Actions | REST | ✅ |
| LM Studio | HTTP | ✅ |
| Open Interpreter | HTTP | ✅ |
---
## Usage
```bash
# stdio (default - Claude, Cursor, VS Code)
npx -y domain-search-mcp@latest
# HTTP (ChatGPT, LM Studio, web clients)
npx -y domain-search-mcp@latest --http
# With custom port
MCP_PORT=8080 npx -y domain-search-mcp@latest --http
```
---
## Links
- **npm:** https://www.npmjs.com/package/domain-search-mcp
- **GitHub:** https://github.com/dorukardahan/domain-search-mcp
- **Release:** https://github.com/dorukardahan/domain-search-mcp/releases/tag/v1.9.1
