Overseer MCP Server
Version: 1.0.0
A standalone Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that implements Overseer multi-agent behavior for structured project management. Overseer provides planning, execution, and enforcement capabilities for managing software projects through well-defined phases.
Quick Start
See RUNNING.md for detailed installation and deployment instructions.
Problem Statement
Modern software development involves complex workflows with multiple phases: planning, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Without structured oversight, projects can:
Lose track of progress across multiple workstreams
Skip critical steps in development lifecycle
Lack visibility into what's been completed vs. what's pending
Struggle with consistency across team members and projects
Miss documentation and artifact requirements
Overseer exists to solve these problems by:
Enforcing structure through phase-based project management
Tracking progress with clear status indicators and artifacts
Validating completeness before advancing to next phases
Maintaining documentation automatically as projects evolve
Providing tooling that works with any MCP-compatible client
High-Level Capabilities
Planning
Project Planning: Create phase definitions from templates or custom specifications
Phase Inference: Automatically detect phases from existing project structure
Template Management: Use predefined phase templates or create custom ones
Execution
Phase Execution: Run specific phases with validation and artifact tracking
Phase Advancement: Move phases through lifecycle (pending → active → completed)
Status Tracking: Real-time visibility into project and phase status
Enforcement
Compliance Checking: Validate that phases meet completion criteria
Linting: Ensure code and documentation meet standards
Documentation Sync: Keep project docs in sync with actual implementation
Environment & Configuration
Environment Mapping: Track and manage environment variables across phases
CI/CD Generation: Generate CI/CD pipelines from phase definitions
Secrets Management: Create templates for secure credential management
Intended Tech Stack
Runtime: Node.js 18+ (ESM modules)
Language: TypeScript 5.3+
MCP SDK:
@modelcontextprotocol/sdk(v0.5.0+)Configuration: YAML (via
yamlpackage)File System: Native Node.js
fs/promisesTransport: stdio (standard MCP transport)
Architecture Overview
Overseer operates as a pure MCP server with no client-specific dependencies:
Example Use Cases
Use Case 1: Phoenix + Supabase Application
Scenario: Building a full-stack web application with Elixir/Phoenix backend and Supabase frontend.
Workflow:
overseer.plan_projectcreates phase structureoverseer.run_phaseexecutes each phase sequentiallyoverseer.statustracks progress across all phasesoverseer.check_compliancevalidates before deploymentoverseer.generate_cicreates CI/CD pipeline
Use Case 2: WordPress Infrastructure Repository
Scenario: Managing infrastructure-as-code for WordPress hosting.
Workflow:
overseer.plan_projectsets up infrastructure phasesoverseer.infer_phasesdetects existing Terraform/K8s configsoverseer.sync_docskeeps infrastructure docs updatedoverseer.env_maptracks environment variablesoverseer.secrets_templategenerates secrets management structure
Use Case 3: Multi-Phase Feature Development
Scenario: Adding a new feature to an existing project.
Workflow:
overseer.plan_projectadds new phases to existing projectoverseer.run_phaseexecutes feature developmentoverseer.advance_phasemoves through lifecycleoverseer.lint_repoensures code qualityoverseer.statusprovides visibility to team
Installation
See RUNNING.md for detailed installation and setup instructions.
Quick start:
Configuration
The server reads configuration from config/sentinel.yml. See DESIGN.md for detailed configuration schema.
MCP Client Integration
Cursor IDE
Add to your Cursor MCP configuration (typically in Cursor settings or ~/.cursor/mcp.json):
Using Docker:
Claude Desktop
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS):
Usage Example
Once configured, you can use Overseer tools in your MCP client:
Plan a project:
Run a phase:
Advance phase:
See DEMO.md for a complete walkthrough.
Available Tools
See TOOLS.md for complete tool documentation.
Project Structure
Development
See RUNNING.md for detailed instructions.
Quick commands:
Client-Agnostic Design
Overseer is designed to work with any MCP-compatible client:
Cursor: IDE integration via MCP
Claude Desktop: Chat-based interaction
Nova: Code editor integration
Custom clients: Any tool that speaks MCP protocol
All tool interfaces use pure JSON-compatible structures. No client-specific features are required.
License
MIT
hybrid server
The server is able to function both locally and remotely, depending on the configuration or use case.
Tools
Provides structured project management through phase-based workflows, enabling planning, execution tracking, compliance checking, and automated documentation for software development projects.