MCP Server Boilerplate

A boilerplate server implementation for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), built with TypeScript and Express.

Table of Contents

• Overview

• Project Structure

• Getting Started

  • Prerequisites

  • Installation

  • Environment Variables

• Running the Server

  • HTTP Server

  • Stdio Mode

• Resources

• Tools

• Prompts

• Extending the Server

  • Adding Resources

  • Adding Tools

  • Adding Prompts

• Testing and Debugging

• License

Related MCP server: TypeScript MCP Server Boilerplate

Overview

This project implements a server that follows the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which allows applications to provide context for LLMs in a standardized way. It includes:

• A fully configured MCP server with HTTP and stdio transport options

• Sample resources, tools, and prompts to demonstrate key functionality

• TypeScript support for type safety and better developer experience

• Express integration for the HTTP transport layer

Project Structure

mcp-server-boilerplate/
├── .env                  # Environment variables
├── .env.example          # Example environment variables
├── .gitignore            # Git ignore file
├── package.json          # Project dependencies and scripts
├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts          # Main HTTP server entry point
│   ├── stdio.ts          # Stdio server entry point
│   ├── resources/        # MCP resources
│   │   ├── index.ts      # Resource registration
│   │   ├── infoResource.ts # Static info resource
│   │   └── greetingResource.ts # Dynamic greeting resource
│   ├── tools/            # MCP tools
│   │   ├── index.ts      # Tool registration
│   │   ├── calculatorTool.ts # Sample calculator tool
│   │   └── timestampTool.ts # Sample timestamp tool
│   └── prompts/          # MCP prompts
│       ├── index.ts      # Prompt registration
│       ├── greetingPrompt.ts # Sample greeting prompt
│       └── analyzeDataPrompt.ts # Sample data analysis prompt
└── dist/                 # Compiled JavaScript output

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later)

• npm or yarn

Installation

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mcp-server-boilerplate.git
cd mcp-server-boilerplate
npm install

Environment Variables

Copy the example environment file and modify as needed:

cp .env.example .env

Available environment variables:

• PORT: The port for the HTTP server (default: 3000)

• NODE_ENV: Environment mode (development, production)

• OAuth settings (if needed)

Running the Server

HTTP Server

Build and start the HTTP server:

npm run build
npm start

For development with auto-restart:

npm run dev

The server will be available at http://localhost:3000/mcp (or the port specified in your .env file).

Stdio Mode

To run the server in stdio mode (for command-line tools):

npm run start:stdio

For development with auto-restart:

npm run dev:stdio

Resources

The boilerplate includes these example resources:

1. Static Info Resource: info://server

   • Provides basic information about the server

2. Dynamic Greeting Resource: greeting://{name}

   • Generates a personalized greeting with the provided name parameter

To access resources:

• Through the MCP protocol

• Using an MCP client library

Tools

The boilerplate includes these example tools:

1. Calculator: Performs basic arithmetic operations

   • Parameters:

     • operation: Operation to perform (add, subtract, multiply, divide)

     • a: First number

     • b: Second number

2. Timestamp: Provides the current time in various formats

   • Parameters:

     • format: Output format (iso, unix, readable)

Prompts

The boilerplate includes these example prompts:

1. Greeting: Creates a personalized greeting prompt

   • Parameters:

     • name: Name to greet

     • formal: Whether to use formal greeting style (optional)

2. Analyze Data: Creates a prompt for data analysis

   • Parameters:

     • data: The data to analyze

     • format: Data format (json, csv, text)

     • instructions: Additional analysis instructions (optional)

Extending the Server

Adding Resources

To add a new resource:

1. Create a new file in src/resources/ (e.g., myResource.ts)

2. Implement your resource handler

3. Register it in src/resources/index.ts

Example:

// myResource.ts
import { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js';

export function myResource(server: McpServer): void {
  server.resource('my-resource', 'my-resource://path', async uri => ({
    contents: [
      {
        uri: uri.href,
        text: 'My resource content',
      },
    ],
  }));
}

// Then add to resources/index.ts
import { myResource } from './myResource.js';

export function registerResources(server: McpServer): void {
  // ...existing resources
  myResource(server);
}

Adding Tools

To add a new tool:

1. Create a new file in src/tools/ (e.g., myTool.ts)

2. Implement your tool handler

3. Register it in src/tools/index.ts

Example:

// myTool.ts
import { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js';
import { z } from 'zod';

export function myTool(server: McpServer): void {
  server.tool('my-tool', { param: z.string() }, async ({ param }) => ({
    content: [
      {
        type: 'text',
        text: `Processed: ${param}`,
      },
    ],
  }));
}

// Then add to tools/index.ts
import { myTool } from './myTool.js';

export function registerTools(server: McpServer): void {
  // ...existing tools
  myTool(server);
}

Adding Prompts

To add a new prompt:

1. Create a new file in src/prompts/ (e.g., myPrompt.ts)

2. Implement your prompt handler

3. Register it in src/prompts/index.ts

Example:

// myPrompt.ts
import { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js';
import { z } from 'zod';

export function myPrompt(server: McpServer): void {
  server.prompt('my-prompt', { topic: z.string() }, ({ topic }) => ({
    messages: [
      {
        role: 'user',
        content: {
          type: 'text',
          text: `Please explain ${topic} in simple terms.`,
        },
      },
    ],
  }));
}

// Then add to prompts/index.ts
import { myPrompt } from './myPrompt.js';

export function registerPrompts(server: McpServer): void {
  // ...existing prompts
  myPrompt(server);
}

Testing and Debugging

To test your MCP server, you can use:

• The MCP Inspector tool

• MCP client libraries

• Direct HTTP requests (for debugging)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.