# Phase 3 Context - Production Readiness
**Status**: ✅ **COMPLETED** (2026-01-03)
**Release**: v0.4.0 - Published to PyPI
**Last Updated**: 2026-01-03 03:30 UTC
---
## 🎉 Phase 3 Complete - v0.4.0 Released!
Phase 3 (Production Readiness) has been **successfully completed** and v0.4.0 has been **released and published to PyPI**.
### Release Summary
**GitHub Release**: https://github.com/jjones-wps/pyodbc-mcp-server/releases/tag/v0.4.0
**PyPI Package**: https://pypi.org/project/pyodbc-mcp-server/0.4.0/
**Test PyPI**: https://test.pypi.org/project/pyodbc-mcp-server/0.4.0/
**Installation**: `pip install pyodbc-mcp-server`
---
## What Was Accomplished This Session
### 1. Phase 3 Completion (Started Previous Session)
All four sub-phases of Phase 3 were completed:
#### 3.1 Testing Infrastructure ✅
- 193 total tests (up from 59)
- 83.36% code coverage (target was 80%)
- Integration tests, resource tests, async tests
- Mock fixtures for pyodbc connection
#### 3.2 Configuration Improvements ✅
- CLI arguments support (`--server`, `--database`, `--config`, etc.)
- TOML config file support
- Environment variable fallback
- Configuration priority system
- Health checks and validation
#### 3.3 Error Handling ✅
- 5 typed exception classes
- `@handle_tool_errors` decorator on all tools
- Retry logic with exponential backoff
- Configurable timeouts
#### 3.4 Documentation ✅
- 5 comprehensive guides (4,893 lines total):
- docs/API.md (1,029 lines)
- docs/CONFIGURATION.md (778 lines)
- docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md (1,188 lines)
- docs/EXAMPLES.md (952 lines)
- docs/DEVELOPMENT.md (946 lines)
### 2. Release Process (This Session)
**Pre-Release Work**:
1. Fixed pre-commit hook issues:
- server.py:153 - Config unpacking error (7 values not 4)
- server.py:217 - PEP 257 docstring (imperative mood)
- server.py:232 - mypy type annotation (explicit str cast)
- test_errors.py:195 - PEP 257 docstring (imperative mood)
2. Committed Phase 3 work:
- Commit: b7b4141
- Updated ROADMAP.md (commit 59bec6a)
- Pushed to GitHub
**Version and Release**:
3. Version bump:
- Updated pyproject.toml to 0.4.0 (commit 75a5fba)
4. CHANGELOG update:
- Added comprehensive v0.4.0 entry (commit 1233845)
- Documented all Phase 3 achievements
5. GitHub Release:
- Created git tag v0.4.0
- Published release with comprehensive notes
- Attached build artifacts (wheel + source distribution)
**PyPI Publishing**:
6. Build and publish workflow:
- Updated .github/workflows/release.yml (commit 9a629a7)
- Enabled GitHub trusted publishing (no API tokens needed)
- Published to Test PyPI ✅
- Published to Production PyPI ✅
7. Installation verification:
- Created test virtual environment
- Installed from PyPI: `pip install pyodbc-mcp-server`
- Verified CLI works: `pyodbc-mcp-server --help`
- Verified Python import works
8. Documentation updates:
- Enhanced README.md with PyPI installation (commit 9092348)
- Added PyPI badges
- Created "What's New in v0.4.0" section
- Simplified configuration examples
---
## Key Technical Decisions Made
### 1. GitHub Trusted Publishing Over API Tokens
**Decision**: Use GitHub's OIDC-based trusted publishing instead of API tokens
**Rationale**:
- More secure (no long-lived tokens to manage or rotate)
- Automatic authentication via GitHub Actions
- Per-repository, per-workflow permissions
- No secrets to store in GitHub Secrets
- Easier to audit and revoke
**Implementation**: Configured in .github/workflows/release.yml with `id-token: write` permission
### 2. Test PyPI First, Then Production
**Decision**: Publish to Test PyPI before Production PyPI in workflow
**Rationale**:
- Validates publishing workflow without production consequences
- Allows installation testing before production release
- Can catch dependency issues early
- Production publish only runs if Test PyPI succeeds
**Implementation**: `publish-pypi` job has `needs: [build, publish-test-pypi]`
### 3. Pre-commit Hook Integration
**Decision**: Fix all pre-commit hook issues before committing Phase 3
**Rationale**:
- Maintains code quality standards (PEP 257, mypy, ruff)
- Prevents bad commits from entering history
- Enforces consistent style across project
- Catches type errors early
**Fixes Required**:
- Config unpacking (7 values not 4)
- Imperative mood docstrings (PEP 257)
- Explicit type annotations (mypy strict)
### 4. Comprehensive Release Notes
**Decision**: Create detailed GitHub release notes covering all Phase 3 work
**Rationale**:
- Users need to understand what changed in v0.4.0
- Highlight production-ready status
- Show comprehensive testing and documentation
- Provide upgrade path from pre-release versions
**Sections Included**: Achievements, Features, Configuration, Metrics, Installation, Tools, Security, Documentation, Changelog
---
## Files Modified This Session
### Pre-commit Fixes
- `src/mssql_mcp_server/server.py` (3 fixes)
- `tests/test_errors.py` (1 fix)
### Release Files
- `pyproject.toml` - Version bump to 0.4.0
- `CHANGELOG.md` - Added v0.4.0 entry
- `.github/workflows/release.yml` - Enabled PyPI publishing
- `RELEASE_STATUS.md` - Created (documents release process)
- `README.md` - Enhanced with PyPI installation
- `dev/SESSION_HANDOFF.md` - Updated (complete session documentation)
- `ROADMAP.md` - Updated to reflect Phase 3 completion
### Build Artifacts
- `dist/pyodbc_mcp_server-0.4.0-py3-none-any.whl`
- `dist/pyodbc_mcp_server-0.4.0.tar.gz`
---
## Problems Solved
### Problem 1: Pre-commit Hook Failures
**Issue**: Four failures when attempting to commit Phase 3 work
**Root Cause**:
- Config tuple unpacking expected 4 values, get_config() returns 7
- Docstrings not in imperative mood (PEP 257 violation)
- Missing explicit type cast in error handler (mypy strict)
**Solution**:
1. Updated line 153: `server_name, database, _, _, _, _, _ = get_config()`
2. Changed docstrings to imperative mood ("Handle..." not "Decorator to handle...")
3. Added explicit cast: `return str(result)`
**Outcome**: All pre-commit hooks passed, commit successful
### Problem 2: GitHub Release Already Exists
**Issue**: Tried to create release, got "Release.tag_name already exists" error
**Root Cause**: GitHub auto-created release when tag was pushed
**Solution**:
1. Deleted auto-created release: `gh release delete v0.4.0 --yes`
2. Recreated with comprehensive notes: `gh release create v0.4.0 --notes-file`
**Outcome**: Release created successfully with full release notes
### Problem 3: No PyPI API Tokens
**Issue**: Manual upload to PyPI failed with credential prompt
**Root Cause**: No PyPI API tokens configured locally
**Solution**: Switched to GitHub trusted publishing instead of API tokens:
1. Updated workflow to enable PyPI publishing jobs
2. Documented trusted publishing setup in RELEASE_STATUS.md
3. User configured trusted publishing on PyPI website
4. Workflow automatically published to both Test PyPI and Production PyPI
**Outcome**: Fully automated, secure publishing without managing tokens
### Problem 4: Workflow Used Old Configuration
**Issue**: First workflow run didn't publish to PyPI despite code changes
**Root Cause**: Workflow ran with old release.yml before PyPI jobs were added
**Solution**:
1. Deleted remote tag: `git push origin :refs/tags/v0.4.0`
2. Deleted local tag: `git tag -d v0.4.0`
3. Recreated tag after workflow update: `git tag -a v0.4.0 -m "Release v0.4.0"`
4. Pushed tag again: `git push origin v0.4.0`
**Outcome**: Workflow ran with updated configuration, published successfully
---
## Testing & Verification
### Build Verification
```bash
python -m build
# Created: dist/pyodbc_mcp_server-0.4.0-py3-none-any.whl
# Created: dist/pyodbc_mcp_server-0.4.0.tar.gz
```
### PyPI Verification
```bash
# Test PyPI
pip install --index-url https://test.pypi.org/simple/ --extra-index-url https://pypi.org/simple/ pyodbc-mcp-server
# Production PyPI
pip install pyodbc-mcp-server
```
### Installation Testing
```bash
# Created fresh virtual environment
python -m venv test_env
source test_env/bin/activate
# Installed from PyPI
pip install pyodbc-mcp-server
# Verified CLI
pyodbc-mcp-server --help # ✅ Worked
# Verified Python import
python -c "from mssql_mcp_server import server; print('Import OK')" # ✅ Worked
# Verified package metadata
pip show pyodbc-mcp-server
# Name: pyodbc-mcp-server
# Version: 0.4.0
# Summary: MCP server for read-only SQL Server access via Windows Authentication
```
### Workflow Verification
**Final Workflow Run**: https://github.com/jjones-wps/pyodbc-mcp-server/actions/runs/20670562025
Jobs:
- Build: ✅ Success (12s)
- GitHub Release: ✅ Success (6s)
- Test PyPI: ✅ Success (14s)
- Production PyPI: ✅ Success (17s)
---
## Performance Metrics
### Coverage Progression
- **Start of Phase 3**: 13.80%
- **After Phase 3.1**: 77.07%
- **After Phase 3.2**: 79.83%
- **After Phase 3.3**: 83.36%
- **Final**: 83.36% ✅ (exceeded 80% target)
### Test Count Progression
- **Start of Phase 3**: 88 tests
- **After Phase 3.1**: 130 tests
- **After Phase 3.2**: 173 tests
- **After Phase 3.3**: 193 tests
- **Final**: 193 tests ✅
### Documentation Lines
- docs/API.md: 1,029 lines
- docs/CONFIGURATION.md: 778 lines
- docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md: 1,188 lines
- docs/EXAMPLES.md: 952 lines
- docs/DEVELOPMENT.md: 946 lines
- **Total**: 4,893 lines of documentation ✅
---
## Integration Points Discovered
### 1. FastMCP Lifespan API
The server uses FastMCP's `@mcp.context_manager` for connection pooling:
```python
@mcp.context_manager
async def database_context(ctx: ServerContext):
pool = await create_pool()
yield {"pool": pool}
await pool.close()
```
### 2. Error Decorator Pattern
All tools use `@handle_tool_errors` decorator for consistent error handling:
```python
@mcp.tool()
@handle_tool_errors
async def ListTables(schema_filter: str | None = None) -> str:
# Tool implementation
```
### 3. Retry with Exponential Backoff
Transient errors (connection failures, timeouts, deadlocks) are automatically retried:
```python
result = await retry_with_backoff(
lambda: execute_query(query),
max_retries=config.max_retries,
base_delay=config.retry_delay
)
```
### 4. GitHub Actions Trusted Publishing
The workflow uses OIDC tokens for secure PyPI authentication:
```yaml
permissions:
id-token: write # Required for trusted publishing
steps:
- name: Publish to PyPI
uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
```
---
## Architectural Patterns Used
### 1. Typed Exceptions Hierarchy
```
ToolError (base)
├── ConnectionError (transient)
├── QueryError (transient)
├── TimeoutError (transient)
├── SecurityError (non-transient)
└── ValidationError (non-transient)
```
### 2. Configuration Priority
CLI args > TOML config > Env vars > Defaults
### 3. Decorator Composition
Tools use multiple decorators for cross-cutting concerns:
```python
@mcp.tool() # MCP registration
@handle_tool_errors # Error handling
async def ToolName(...) -> str:
```
### 4. Resource URI Pattern
Resources use consistent URI scheme:
- `mssql://tables`
- `mssql://table/{table_name}/preview`
- `mssql://schema/{schema_name}`
- `mssql://views`
- `mssql://info`
---
## Unfinished Work
**None** - Phase 3 is complete and v0.4.0 is released.
---
## Blockers Discovered
**None** - All Phase 3 work completed successfully.
---
## Next Immediate Steps
**Phase 4: Advanced Features** (for v1.0.0)
When ready to begin Phase 4, the next steps would be:
1. **Multi-Database Support**:
- Implement `SwitchDatabase(database_name)` tool
- Implement `ListDatabases()` tool
- Add per-request database context
2. **Performance Features**:
- Query result caching with TTL
- Prepared statement caching
- Query complexity analysis
3. **Observability**:
- Metrics endpoint (query count, latency, errors)
- Resource change notifications
- Audit logging for queries
4. **Extended Query Support**:
- Stored procedure execution (read-only)
- Table-valued function calls
- Parameterized query templates
**See ROADMAP.md for complete Phase 4 details.**
---
## Memory & Patterns to Remember
### 1. Pre-commit Hook Workflow
**Pattern**: Always check pre-commit status before committing:
```bash
git add .
# Pre-commit runs automatically on commit
# If failures, fix and try again
```
**Common Fixes**:
- PEP 257: Docstrings must use imperative mood
- mypy: Add explicit type casts where needed
- ruff: Ensure correct unpacking and imports
### 2. GitHub Release Workflow
**Pattern**: Tag → CHANGELOG → Build → Release → Publish
**Commands**:
```bash
# 1. Update version in pyproject.toml
# 2. Update CHANGELOG.md
git add pyproject.toml CHANGELOG.md
git commit -m "chore: bump version to X.Y.Z"
# 3. Create and push tag
git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
git push origin vX.Y.Z
# GitHub Actions automatically:
# - Builds package
# - Creates release
# - Publishes to Test PyPI
# - Publishes to Production PyPI
```
### 3. Package Testing Pattern
**Pattern**: Test PyPI → Verify Install → Production PyPI
**Commands**:
```bash
# Test from Test PyPI
pip install --index-url https://test.pypi.org/simple/ --extra-index-url https://pypi.org/simple/ PACKAGE
# Test from Production PyPI
pip install PACKAGE
# Verify
PACKAGE --help
python -c "import PACKAGE; print('OK')"
```
### 4. Configuration Priority System
**Pattern**: CLI > TOML > ENV > Defaults
**Example**:
```bash
# Priority 1: CLI args override everything
pyodbc-mcp-server --database=MyDB
# Priority 2: TOML config file
pyodbc-mcp-server --config=config.toml
# Priority 3: Environment variables
export MSSQL_DATABASE=MyDB
pyodbc-mcp-server
# Priority 4: Built-in defaults
pyodbc-mcp-server # Uses localhost, master
```
---
## Session Statistics
**Duration**: ~4 hours (spanning two sessions)
**Commits**: 12 total
**Files Changed**: 16 files (7,118 insertions)
**Tests Written**: 105 new tests (88 → 193)
**Coverage Improvement**: 69.56% increase (13.80% → 83.36%)
**Documentation Written**: 4,893 lines across 5 files
---
**Phase 3 Status**: ✅ **COMPLETE**
**Release Status**: ✅ **v0.4.0 Published to PyPI**
**Next Phase**: Phase 4 - Advanced Features (v1.0.0)
