A
securityA
licenseA
qualityA dynamic service that creates and manages Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, allowing users to spawn, customize, and control multiple MCP servers as child processes.
Last updated -
5
3
95
MIT License
MCP Launch Assistant
⚠️ DEPRECATED: This service has been replaced by
mcp-services-assistantwhich provides better separation of concerns and improved LaunchAgent management. Please migrate to the new service.
Service lifecycle management for the MCP ecosystem.
Overview
The Launch Assistant manages the lifecycle of all MCP services in the ecosystem with integrated health monitoring and auto-restart capabilities.
Features
Service Management: Start, stop, restart, and monitor services
Health Monitoring: Automatic health checks every 30 seconds for services with ports
Auto-Restart: Automatically restart failed services (up to 3 attempts by default)
Process Tracking: Track PIDs, uptime, restart counts, and exit codes
Log Capture: Capture stdout/stderr and keep last 100 lines in memory
Graceful Shutdown: 10-second grace period before force-killing
Service Discovery: Auto-discover services from registry
LaunchAgent Support: macOS system integration for auto-start
Installation
npm install
Usage
As MCP Server (Claude Desktop)
Configure in Claude Desktop settings:
{
"mcpServers": {
"launch": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/mcp-launch-assistant/index.js"]
}
}
}
As HTTP Service
npm start
The service will be available at http://localhost:9102
Available Tools
list_services
List all registered services and their status.
await client.callTool({
name: 'list_services',
arguments: {
category: 'platform' // optional: filter by category
}
});
start_service
Start a specific service.
await client.callTool({
name: 'start_service',
arguments: {
service: 'mcp-gateway-assistant',
mode: 'dual' // 'mcp', 'http', or 'dual'
}
});
stop_service
Stop a running service.
await client.callTool({
name: 'stop_service',
arguments: {
service: 'mcp-gateway-assistant'
}
});
restart_service
Restart a service.
await client.callTool({
name: 'restart_service',
arguments: {
service: 'mcp-gateway-assistant'
}
});
service_status
Get detailed status of a service including health and logs.
await client.callTool({
name: 'service_status',
arguments: {
service: 'mcp-gateway-assistant'
}
});
// Returns:
{
service: 'mcp-gateway-assistant',
status: 'running',
pid: 12345,
startedAt: '2025-01-13T10:00:00Z',
uptime: 3600000,
restarts: 0,
health: {
status: 'healthy',
responseTime: '45ms'
},
recentLogs: [...]
}
setup_launchagent
Create a LaunchAgent for automatic startup (macOS only).
await client.callTool({
name: 'setup_launchagent',
arguments: {
service: 'mcp-gateway-assistant'
}
});
Configuration
Constructor Options
const launcher = new McpLaunchAssistant({
healthCheckInterval: 30000, // Check health every 30 seconds
autoRestart: true, // Auto-restart failed services
maxRestarts: 3, // Max restart attempts
restartDelay: 5000, // Wait 5 seconds before restart
gracefulShutdownTimeout: 10000 // 10 seconds for graceful shutdown
});
Environment Variables
SERVICE_PORT=9103 # Launch assistant port
SERVICE_MODE=dual # Default service mode
LOG_LEVEL=info # Logging level
NODE_ENV=production # Environment
Data Storage
Service metadata:
~/Documents/mcp-assistant/data/launch-assistant/services.jsonProcess info:
~/Documents/mcp-assistant/data/launch-assistant/processes.jsonLogs:
~/Documents/mcp-assistant/logs/launch-assistant.log
Development
# Run tests
npm test
# Development mode
npm run dev
Events
The launcher emits these events:
serviceStarted- Service successfully startedserviceStopped- Service stoppedserviceRestarted- Service restarted after failureserviceUnhealthy- Health check failedserviceExited- Process exitedserviceLog- New log entryserviceError- Error log entry
Troubleshooting
Service won't start
Check if port is already in use
Verify service directory exists
Check NODE_PATH environment variable
Review service logs with service_status
Health checks failing
Ensure service implements /health endpoint
Check if service is actually listening on configured port
Increase health check timeout if service is slow
Auto-restart not working
Check if max restarts exceeded
Verify autoRestart option is enabled
Check logs for crash reasons
LaunchAgent not working
Ensure proper permissions
Check ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
Review system logs with
log show --predicate 'subsystem == "com.mcpassistant"'
This server cannot be installed
local-only server
The server can only run on the client's local machine because it depends on local resources.
Manages the lifecycle of MCP services with health monitoring, auto-restart capabilities, and process tracking. Enables users to start, stop, restart, and monitor MCP services through natural language commands.
Related MCP Servers
- -securityAlicense-qualityAn enhanced Python-based MCP server that enables complete VM lifecycle management and monitoring of Proxmox virtualization platforms through natural language, with 11 REST API endpoints for seamless integration.Last updated -12MIT License
- AsecurityAlicenseAqualityAn MCP server that allows users to list and kill operating system processes through natural language queries, making process management more intuitive across Windows, macOS, and Linux.Last updated -28PythonGPL 3.0
- -securityAlicense-qualityAn MCP server that lets agents and humans monitor and control long-running processes, reducing copy-pasting between AI tools and enabling multiple agents to interact with the same process outputs.Last updated -5MIT License