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MCP-Server-IETF

by tizee
README.md
# MCP-Server-IETF

A Model Context Protocol server for fetching IETF documents (RFCs) for Large Language Models.

## Overview

This project implements a [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.github.io/) server that provides access to IETF RFC documents. It enables Large Language Models to access RFC specifications through a standardized interface.

Key features:
- Download and cache RFC index and documents
- Search RFCs by keyword in titles
- Access RFC documents with pagination support
- Extract metadata like page numbers from documents

## Installation

### Requirements
- Python 3.11 or higher
- Dependencies as listed in `pyproject.toml`

### Install from source

```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/tizee/mcp-server-ietf
cd mcp-server-ietf

# Install with pip
pip install -e .
```

## Usage

### Starting the server

```bash
# Start the server
mcp-server-ietf
```

Or use it with the MCP inspector:

```bash
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run mcp-server-ietf
```

### Available Tools

When connected to the server, the following tools are available:

#### `list_docs_number`
Get the total number of RFC documents available in the index.

#### `get_doc`
Get an RFC document by its number with pagination support.

Parameters:
- `number`: The RFC number (e.g., "1234")
- `start_line`: The line number to start from (default: 1)
- `max_lines`: Maximum number of lines to return (default: 200)

#### `search_rfc_by_keyword`
Search for RFC documents by keyword in their titles.

Parameters:
- `keyword`: The search term to look for in RFC titles

## Development

### Setup Development Environment

```bash
# Install development dependencies
uv install -e .[dev]
```

Run inspector with Makefile:

```
make dev
```

### Running Tests

```bash
# Run tests
uv run pytest
```

Or using the Makefile:

```bash
make test
```

### Cache Location

By default, the server caches RFC documents and the index at `~/.cache/ietf-doc-server`.

### Environment Variables

- `LOG_LEVEL`: Set the logging level (default: "DEBUG")

## License

MIT License - See `LICENSE` file for details.

## Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

TDQS

B3.2/5.0

Scored across 3 tools

Disambiguation5/5

Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose with no overlap: get_ietf_doc retrieves specific documents, list_ietf_docs_number provides metadata about document count, and search_ietf_rfc_by_keyword enables keyword-based discovery. The descriptions clearly differentiate between retrieval, counting, and searching functions.

Naming Consistency4/5

The tools follow a mostly consistent verb_noun pattern with get_, list_, and search_ prefixes, though 'list_ietf_docs_number' deviates slightly by including 'number' in the name rather than using a more conventional pattern like 'count_ietf_docs'. The snake_case convention is consistently applied throughout.

Tool Count3/5

With only 3 tools, the server feels somewhat thin for an IETF/RFC document access service. While the tools cover basic retrieval and search, the count is borderline minimal for what could reasonably include operations like filtering by date, accessing drafts, or managing document collections.

Completeness3/5

The toolset covers fundamental document access (get, count, search) but has notable gaps for a complete IETF document service. Missing operations include filtering by date or status, accessing IETF drafts (not just RFCs), and more advanced search capabilities beyond simple keyword matching in titles.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive
ResponsivenessNo issues