MCP Server Template

A starter template for creating Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers that integrate with Claude Desktop and other MCP-compatible clients.

For details, check Anthroic mcp documentation https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/mcp

Features

• Stdio transport implementation, including Claude Desktop integration

• Configurable tool system with built-in and custom tools

• JSON-based configuration with environment variable overrides

• Docker support for containerized deployment

• Comprehensive logging and error handling

• TypeScript-ready structure

• Example tools for common operations

Related MCP server: mcp-framework-starter

Quick Start

Installation

# Clone the template
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mcp-server-template.git
cd mcp-server-template

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

Configuration

Create a config.json file in the project root:

{
  "serverName": "my-mcp-server",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "debug": true,
  "dataDir": "./data",
  "outputDir": "./output",
  "tools": {
    "enabled": true,
    "customToolsDir": "./custom-tools"
  }
}

Claude Desktop Integration

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/mcp-server-template/src/server/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Project Structure

mcp-server-template/
├── src/
│   ├── server/          # Core server implementation
│   │   └── index.js     # Main server entry point
│   ├── config/          # Configuration management
│   │   └── config-loader.js
│   ├── tools/           # Tool system
│   │   └── tool-registry.js
│   └── generator/       # Template generator (optional)
├── examples/            # Example implementations
│   ├── custom-tool.js   # Example custom tool
│   └── docker/          # Docker configuration
├── tests/               # Test suite
├── docs/                # Documentation
├── config.json          # Default configuration
└── package.json

Creating Custom Tools

Create a new tool in the custom-tools directory:

// custom-tools/my-tool.js
export default {
  name: 'my_custom_tool',
  description: 'Description of what this tool does',
  inputSchema: {
    type: 'object',
    properties: {
      param1: {
        type: 'string',
        description: 'First parameter'
      },
      param2: {
        type: 'number',
        description: 'Second parameter'
      }
    },
    required: ['param1']
  },
  handler: async (args) => {
    // Tool implementation
    const result = await doSomething(args.param1, args.param2);
    return {
      success: true,
      result: result
    };
  }
};

Built-in Tools

The template includes several built-in tools:

• list_items - List all items with optional filtering

• add_item - Add a new item to the system

• remove_item - Remove an item by ID

• search_items - Search items with advanced queries

• get_status - Get system status and statistics

Environment Variables

Override configuration using environment variables:

• MCP_SERVER_NAME - Server name

• MCP_VERSION - Server version

• MCP_DEBUG - Enable debug logging

• MCP_DATA_DIR - Data directory path

• MCP_OUTPUT_DIR - Output directory path

• MCP_CONFIG_PATH - Custom config file path

Docker Deployment

Build and run with Docker:

# Build image
docker build -t my-mcp-server .

# Run container
docker run -d \
  -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data \
  -v $(pwd)/output:/app/output \
  --name my-mcp-server \
  my-mcp-server

Development

Running Tests

npm test

Linting

npm run lint

Building for Production

npm run build

API Reference

Tool Schema

All tools follow this schema:

{
  name: string,           // Unique tool identifier
  description: string,    // Human-readable description
  inputSchema: {         // JSON Schema for parameters
    type: 'object',
    properties: {},
    required: []
  },
  handler: async function // Tool implementation
}

Configuration Schema

{
  serverName: string,     // Server identifier
  version: string,        // Server version
  debug: boolean,         // Enable debug logging
  dataDir: string,        // Data storage directory
  outputDir: string,      // Output directory
  maxFileSize: number,    // Maximum file size in bytes
  timeout: number,        // Request timeout in ms
  tools: {
    enabled: boolean,     // Enable tool system
    customToolsDir: string // Custom tools directory
  }
}

Extending the Template

Adding New Features

1. Create feature modules in src/features/

2. Register with the server in src/server/index.js

3. Add configuration options to config-loader.js

4. Document in README and API reference

Creating Domain-Specific Servers

1. Fork this template

2. Replace example tools with domain-specific tools

3. Customize configuration schema

4. Update documentation

5. Deploy as standalone MCP server

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Server not starting:

• Check Node.js version (>=16.0.0)

• Verify configuration file syntax

• Check file permissions

Tools not loading:

• Verify tool file exports default object

• Check tool schema validity

• Review debug logs for errors

Claude Desktop integration:

• Ensure correct path in configuration

• Check server process is running

• Review Claude Desktop logs

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Add tests for new features

4. Update documentation

5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

• GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features

• Documentation: Full documentation

• Examples: See the examples/ directory

Acknowledgments

Built for the Model Context Protocol ecosystem, enabling AI assistants to interact with external systems through a standardized interface.