Quick Start Guide
Get up and running with MCP Proto Server in under 5 minutes.
Prerequisites
Python 3.11 or later
pip package manager
Setup Steps
Step 1: Clone the Repository
Step 2: Install Dependencies
⚠️ Required: You must manually install Python dependencies.
This installs:
mcp
- Model Context Protocol SDKprotobuf
- Proto parsing supportrapidfuzz
- Fast fuzzy searchwatchdog
- File watching (optional)
Step 3: Configure Cursor
Add to your Cursor MCP settings file:
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/mcp.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Cursor\mcp.json
Important:
Use absolute paths (not relative)
Replace
/absolute/path/to/mcp-proto/
with your clone locationReplace
/absolute/path/to/your/proto/files
with your proto directoryOr use the included
examples/
folder to test
Example for macOS:
Step 4: Restart Cursor
Close and reopen Cursor. The server will automatically start!
Note: Cursor automatically starts/stops the server. You don't need to run it manually.
Usage
Once configured, ask Cursor questions about your proto files:
"What services are available?"
"Show me the User message structure"
"How do I authenticate?"
The AI will use three MCP tools to explore your protos:
search_proto
- Fuzzy search across all definitionsget_service_definition
- Get complete service with all RPCsget_message_definition
- Get message with all fields
Troubleshooting
"Module not found" error:
Run:
pip install -r requirements.txt
Check Python version:
python --version
(need 3.11+)
"No proto files found":
Verify the
--root
path in your config points to a directory with.proto
filesTest:
find /path/to/protos -name "*.proto"
Server not appearing in Cursor:
Ensure absolute paths are used in
mcp.json
Check Cursor's MCP logs for errors
Restart Cursor completely
Optional: Testing Before Configuration
Want to verify everything works before configuring Cursor?
Step 3: Test the Installation (Optional)
Run the test suite:
Expected output:
Or test the server manually:
Press Ctrl+C
to stop the server.
What's Next?
USAGE.md - Detailed examples and JSON responses
ARCHITECTURE.md - How the system works
RECURSIVE_RESOLUTION.md - Efficiency features
Ready to explore your proto files with AI!
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.
Enables AI assistants to explore and understand Protocol Buffer (.proto) files through fuzzy search, service definitions, and message structure analysis. Integrates with Cursor IDE to provide natural language queries about protobuf schemas and API definitions.