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arjshiv

Local Utilities MCP Server

by arjshiv

check_port

Check if a port is available for use on your local system by verifying it is not already occupied.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
portYesPort number to check (1-65535)

Implementation Reference

  • The core handler function that checks a port. Runs platform-specific commands (netstat on Windows, lsof on macOS/Linux) and parses the output to identify what process is using the port.
    export async function checkPort(port: number): Promise<PortCheckResult> { // Export and use specific type
      let command = '';
      if (process.platform === 'win32') {
        command = `netstat -ano | findstr :${port}`;
      } else if (process.platform === 'darwin') {
        command = `lsof -i :${port} -P -n -sTCP:LISTEN`;
      } else {
        command = `lsof -i :${port} -P -n | grep LISTEN`;
      }
    
      try {
        const { stdout } = await execPromise(command);
        
        if (!stdout.trim()) {
          return { message: `No process found using port ${port}` };
        }
        
        // Parse the output based on the platform
        let result: PortCheckResult;
        if (process.platform === 'win32') {
          const lines = stdout.trim().split('\n');
          result = {
            raw: lines,
            message: `Found ${lines.length} connection(s) on port ${port}`
          };
        } else {
          const lines = stdout.trim().split('\n');
          const processes = lines.map(line => {
            const parts = line.trim().split(/\s+/);
            // Basic parsing, might need adjustment based on actual lsof output variations
            return {
              command: parts[0] || 'N/A',
              pid: parts[1] || 'N/A',
              user: parts[2] || 'N/A',
              fd: parts[3] || 'N/A',
              type: parts[4] || 'N/A',
              device: parts[5] || 'N/A',
              size: parts[6] || 'N/A',
              node: parts[7] || 'N/A',
              name: parts.slice(8).join(' ') || 'N/A' // Handle names with spaces
            };
          });
          
          result = {
            processes,
            message: `Found ${processes.length} process(es) using port ${port}`
          };
        }
        return result;
      } catch (error: any) {
        // If the command fails (e.g., port not used), lsof/netstat often exit with error code.
        // Check the error output or code if necessary, but often it just means no process found.
        // For simplicity, we assume command failure implies no process found.
        console.debug(`Port check command for ${port} failed (likely no process found):`, error.message);
        return { message: `No process found using port ${port}` };
        // Re-throw only if it's an unexpected error (optional)
        // if (!error.message.includes('Command failed')) { throw error; }
      }
    }
  • Registration function that calls server.tool('check_port', ...) to register the tool with the MCP server, using the PortSchema for parameter validation.
    export function registerPortCheckerTool(server: McpServer): void {
      server.tool(
        "check_port",
        { port: PortSchema },
        async (params) => {
          // Let SDK handle errors from checkPort if they are re-thrown
          // and Zod handle parameter validation errors.
          const result = await checkPort(params.port);
            
          return {
            content: [{
              type: "text",
              text: JSON.stringify(result, null, 2)
            }]
          };
        }
      );
    } 
  • Zod schema for the 'port' parameter - accepts a number or string between 1-65535, with custom error messaging.
    const PortSchema = z.union([
      z.number().int().min(1).max(65535),
      z.string().transform((val, ctx) => {
        const parsed = parseInt(val, 10);
        if (isNaN(parsed) || parsed < 1 || parsed > 65535) {
          ctx.addIssue({ 
            code: z.ZodIssueCode.custom, 
            message: "Port must be a number between 1 and 65535" 
          });
          return z.NEVER; // Indicates validation failure
        }
        return parsed;
      })
    ]).describe("Port number to check (1-65535)");
  • src/index.ts:23-25 (registration)
    The top-level entry point where registerPortCheckerTool(server) is called to register the tool.
    registerPortCheckerTool(server);
    registerTimeTool(server);
    registerThinkTool(server);
  • PortCheckResult interface defining the return type of the checkPort function.
    interface PortCheckResult {
      message: string;
      processes?: Array<{ [key: string]: string }>;
      raw?: string[]; // For Windows
    }
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Conciseness1/5

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Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters1/5

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Tool has no description.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

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