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The-Focus-AI

Buttondown MCP Server

by The-Focus-AI
README.md
# Buttondown API Integration

A comprehensive TypeScript integration for the Buttondown newsletter service, providing both a CLI interface and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing newsletters, drafts, and analytics.

## Features

- **Multiple Interfaces**:

  - Command Line Interface (CLI) for direct interaction
  - Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for AI/LLM integration
  - Programmatic TypeScript API for custom integrations

- **Core Functionality**:

  - Email draft management (create, update, delete)
  - Email scheduling system
  - Analytics retrieval and formatting
  - List management
  - Tag management

- **Security**:

  - 1Password integration for API key management
  - Environment variable support
  - Secure credential handling

- **Developer Experience**:
  - Full TypeScript support
  - Comprehensive type definitions
  - Real API response-based types
  - Built-in testing utilities

## Installation

```bash
# Install using pnpm (recommended)
pnpm install

# Or using npm
npm install

# Or using yarn
yarn install
```

## Configuration

The API key can be provided in two ways:

1. Environment variable:

   ```bash
   export BUTTONDOWN_API_KEY=your_api_key
   ```

2. 1Password CLI (recommended):
   - Store your API key in 1Password at `op://Development/Buttondown API/notesPlain`
   - The integration will automatically fetch it when needed

## Usage

### CLI Interface

```bash
# List all emails
buttondown emails list

# Create a new draft
buttondown draft create <file>

# Schedule an email
buttondown schedule set <draft-id> <relative-time>

# Get analytics
buttondown analytics get <draft-id>
```

### MCP Server

1. Start the server:

   ```bash
   pnpm mcp:start
   ```

2. Start with inspector (for development):
   ```bash
   pnpm mcp:inspect
   ```

Available MCP tools:

- `list_emails`: List all emails with optional status filtering

  ```json
  {
    "status": "draft" // Optional: "draft", "scheduled", "sent"
  }
  ```

- `create_draft`: Create a new email draft

  ```json
  {
    "content": "Email content in markdown",
    "title": "Optional email subject"
  }
  ```

- `get_analytics`: Get analytics for a specific email

  ```json
  {
    "draftId": "email-id-here"
  }
  ```

- `schedule_draft`: Schedule an email for sending
  ```json
  {
    "draftId": "email-id-here",
    "scheduledTime": "2024-03-27T10:00:00Z"
  }
  ```

### Programmatic Usage

```typescript
import { ButtondownAPI } from "api-integrator";

// Initialize the client
const api = new ButtondownAPI(); // Will use 1Password or env var

// List drafts
const drafts = await api.getDrafts();

// Create a draft
const draft = await api.createEmail({
  subject: "My Newsletter",
  body: "Content here",
  status: "draft",
});

// Schedule an email
const scheduled = await api.scheduleEmail(draft.id, "2024-03-27T10:00:00Z");

// Get analytics
const analytics = await api.getEmailStats(draft.id);
```

## Development

```bash
# Build the project
pnpm build

# Run tests
pnpm test

# Start MCP server in development mode
pnpm mcp:inspect

# Build MCP server
pnpm mcp:build
```

## Testing

The project includes several types of tests:

- Unit tests for core functionality
- Integration tests for API interactions
- CLI command tests
- MCP server tests

Run tests with:

```bash
pnpm test
```

## Project Structure

```
.
├── src/
│   ├── api/          # Core API client
│   ├── cli/          # CLI implementation
│   ├── mcp/          # MCP server
│   ├── types/        # TypeScript definitions
│   └── utils/        # Shared utilities
├── tests/            # Test files
├── api-responses/    # Cached API responses
└── memory-bank/      # Project documentation
```

## Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`)
3. Commit your changes (`git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature'`)
4. Push to the branch (`git push origin feature/amazing-feature`)
5. Open a Pull Request

## License

ISC License - See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details

## Acknowledgments

- [Buttondown](https://buttondown.email/) for their excellent newsletter service
- [Model Context Protocol](https://github.com/cursor-ai/model-context-protocol) for the AI integration framework

TDQS

A3.7/5.0

Scored across 4 tools

Disambiguation5/5

Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose targeting specific actions in the email lifecycle: create_draft for creation, list_emails for listing, get_analytics for analytics retrieval, and schedule_draft for scheduling. There is no overlap or ambiguity between these functions.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with snake_case (create_draft, get_analytics, list_emails, schedule_draft). The verbs are appropriate and predictable, making the set easy to understand and use.

Tool Count4/5

With 4 tools, the count is reasonable for an email newsletter server, covering core operations. However, it feels slightly thin as it lacks tools for updating or deleting drafts, which are common in such domains, but the scope is still well-defined.

Completeness4/5

The tool set covers key email lifecycle stages: creation, listing, analytics, and scheduling. Minor gaps exist, such as no update_draft or delete_draft tools, but agents can work around this by creating new drafts or using existing ones, and the core workflow is supported.