MCP Simple Server

A simple Model Context Protocol (MCP) server with three basic tools: echo, add numbers, and get timestamp.

Supports both stdio and HTTP/WebSocket transport modes for flexible deployment options.

Features

• echo: Echoes back any message you provide

• add: Adds two numbers together

• get_timestamp: Returns the current timestamp in ISO 8601 format

• Dual Mode Support: Run in stdio mode (local) or HTTP/WebSocket mode (remote)

• HTTP REST API: Health checks and server info endpoints

• WebSocket Support: Real-time MCP protocol communication

Related MCP server: basic-mcp

Installation

npm install

Building

npm run build

Running the Server

stdio Mode (Default - Local Development)

npm start
# or
MCP_MODE=stdio node dist/index.js

HTTP/WebSocket Mode (Remote Access)

MCP_MODE=http PORT=3000 node dist/index.js

Once running in HTTP mode, access:

• Health check: http://localhost:3000/health

• Server info: http://localhost:3000/

• WebSocket: ws://localhost:3000/

Tools

echo

Echoes back the provided message.

Arguments:

• message (string, required): The message to echo back

Example:

{
  "message": "Hello, World!"
}

add

Adds two numbers together.

Arguments:

• a (number, required): The first number

• b (number, required): The second number

Example:

{
  "a": 5,
  "b": 3
}

get_timestamp

Returns the current timestamp in ISO 8601 format.

Arguments: None

Deployment

AWS EC2 Deployment

Deploy to AWS EC2 with automated setup using AWS CloudShell. See AWS_DEPLOYMENT.md for detailed instructions.

Quick Start:

# From AWS CloudShell
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/joeleesuh/mcp-simple-server/main/scripts/deploy-to-ec2.sh
chmod +x deploy-to-ec2.sh
./deploy-to-ec2.sh

Includes:

• Automated EC2 instance provisioning (t3.micro - Free Tier eligible)

• Auto-install Node.js and dependencies

• Runs in HTTP mode on port 3000 with WebSocket support

• Security group configured for port 3000 access

• Systemd service setup with environment variables

• AWS Session Manager access (no SSH keys required)

After deployment, access the server at:

• http://<PUBLIC_IP>:3000/health - Health check

• http://<PUBLIC_IP>:3000/ - Server info

• ws://<PUBLIC_IP>:3000/ - WebSocket endpoint

Deployment to smithery.ai

This project is configured for deployment on Smithery.ai with:

• Dockerfile - Multi-stage Docker build for optimized container image

• smithery.yaml - Smithery configuration for stdio-based MCP server

• .dockerignore - Excludes unnecessary files from Docker build

Prerequisites

1. Create a GitHub repository for this project

2. Push your code to GitHub (including Dockerfile and smithery.yaml)

3. Create an account on smithery.ai

4. (Optional) Test Docker build locally: docker build -t mcp-simple-server .

Steps to Deploy

1. Push to GitHub (if not already done):

   git add .
   git commit -m "Add Smithery deployment configuration"
   git push

2. Deploy on smithery.ai:

   • Go to smithery.ai

   • Sign in with your GitHub account

   • Click "New Server" or "Deploy Server"

   • Connect your GitHub repository

   • Select the mcp-simple-server repository

   • Smithery will automatically detect Dockerfile and smithery.yaml

   • Click "Deploy"

3. Use Your Server:

   • Once deployed, Smithery will provide installation instructions

   • You can install it with: npx @smithery/cli install <your-server-name>

   • Or use it directly in Claude Desktop or other MCP clients

Example Claude Desktop Configuration

After deployment, add this to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simple-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@smithery/mcp-simple-server"]
    }
  }
}

Or if testing locally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simple-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/Users/User/mcp-simple-server/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Development

Project Structure

mcp-simple-server/
├── src/
│   └── index.ts              # Main server implementation
├── scripts/
│   ├── deploy-to-ec2.sh      # AWS CloudShell deployment script
│   └── user-data.sh          # EC2 instance initialization script
├── dist/                     # Compiled JavaScript (generated)
├── Dockerfile                # Docker container configuration
├── smithery.yaml             # Smithery deployment configuration
├── .dockerignore             # Docker build exclusions
├── package.json              # Dependencies and scripts
├── tsconfig.json             # TypeScript configuration
├── README.md                # This file
└── AWS_DEPLOYMENT.md        # AWS EC2 deployment guide

Adding New Tools

To add new tools, modify src/index.ts:

1. Add the tool definition to the TOOLS array

2. Add a new case in the CallToolRequestSchema handler switch statement

3. Rebuild the project: npm run build

License

MIT