Math MCP Server

A secure Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for mathematical expression evaluation with strict grammar validation and comprehensive safety features.

Features

Security-First Design

• Grammar Validation: All expressions are validated against a comprehensive BNF grammar before evaluation

• Function Whitelisting: Only mathematical functions are allowed - no arbitrary code execution

• CLI Validation: Command-line arguments are validated to ensure only supported functions are allowed

• Sandboxed Evaluation: Secure execution environment with timeout protection

• Expression Limits: Built-in safeguards against overly complex expressions

Mathematical Capabilities

• Arithmetic Operations: Basic operations (+, -, *, /, %, ^) with proper precedence

• Mathematical Functions: Trigonometric, logarithmic, statistical, and utility functions

• Constants: Built-in mathematical constants (pi, e, tau, phi, etc.)

• Variables: Variable assignment and reuse across expressions

• Advanced Features:

  • Conditional expressions (ternary operator)

  • Logical operations (and, or, not)

  • Comparison operations (==, !=, <, <=, >, >=)

  • Arrays and object notation

  • Range notation (a:b:c)

  • Summation operations (sigma functions)

  • Unit values and member access

  • Factorial and transpose operations

MCP Integration

• 6 Tools for expression evaluation and variable management

• 3 Resources providing grammar specification and function documentation

• Real-time Validation with detailed error reporting

• Session State with persistent variable context

• Configurable Runtime with CLI options for fine-grained control

Related MCP server: math-mcp-learning-server

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18.0.0

• npm or yarn package manager

NPM Installation (Recommended)

The package is available on npm at https://www.npmjs.com/package/math-mcp

# Install globally
npm install -g math-mcp

# Start the server
math-mcp

Development Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Desz01ate/math-mcp
cd math-mcp

# Install dependencies and build
npm install
npm run build

# Start the server
npm start

Installation for LLM Agents

Claude Desktop Integration

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop, first install the package globally:

npm install -g math-mcp

Then add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop settings:

On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "math-mcp": {
      "command": "math-mcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Alternative for development (from source):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "math-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/math-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Other MCP Clients

For other MCP-compatible clients, you can run the server directly:

# If installed globally via npm
math-mcp

# With custom configuration
math-mcp --max-expression-length 2000 --timeout 10000

# Or if running from source
npm start

# With custom configuration from source
npm start -- --max-expression-length 2000 --timeout 10000

The server will start and listen for MCP connections on stdio.

Docker Installation

# Build the Docker image
docker build -t math-mcp .

# Run the container
docker run -it math-mcp

Troubleshooting Installation

Common Issues:

1. "Command not found" error

   • Ensure Node.js >= 18.0.0 is installed: node --version

   • Verify npm is available: npm --version

   • For global installation, ensure npm global bin is in PATH

2. Claude Desktop not detecting the server

   • Verify the path in claude_desktop_config.json is correct

   • Ensure the server builds successfully: npm run build

   • Check Claude Desktop logs for connection errors

   • Restart Claude Desktop after configuration changes

3. Permission errors

   • Use sudo for global npm installations if needed

   • Ensure write permissions in the installation directory

   • On Windows, run terminal as Administrator if needed

4. Build failures

   • Clear npm cache: npm cache clean --force

   • Remove node_modules and reinstall: rm -rf node_modules && npm install

   • Ensure TypeScript dependencies are installed

5. Server startup issues

   • Check if port is already in use

   • Verify all dependencies are installed

   • Run npm run typecheck to check for type errors

Testing Installation:

# Verify the server starts correctly
npm start

# Run the test suite
npm test

# Test with demo examples
node demo/run-all-demos.js

Usage

As MCP Server

Start the server:

npm start
# or
math-mcp

The server runs as an MCP server and can be integrated with Claude Desktop or other MCP clients.

Configuration Options

The server supports various configuration options via command-line flags:

# Basic usage
math-mcp

# With custom configuration
math-mcp --max-expression-length 2000 --timeout 10000 --allowed-functions "sqrt,sin,cos"

# Show help and available options
math-mcp --help

# Show version
math-mcp --version

Available Options:

• --max-expression-length <number> - Maximum expression length (default: 1000)

• --max-recursion-depth <number> - Maximum recursion depth (default: 100)

• --timeout <number> - Evaluation timeout in milliseconds (default: 5000)

• --allowed-functions <functions> - Comma-separated list of allowed functions

• --help - Display help information

• --version - Show version number

Supported Functions: sqrt, cbrt, abs, sign, ceil, floor, round, sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan, atan2, sinh, cosh, tanh, asinh, acosh, atanh, log, log10, log2, exp, expm1, log1p, min, max, mean, median, std, var, sum, factorial, gamma

Development Mode

npm run dev

Running Examples

# Run all demo examples
node demo/run-all-demos.js

# Run specific demos
node demo/basic-operations.js
node demo/mathematical-functions.js
node demo/conditional-logic.js
node demo/test-summation.js
node demo/statistics-probability.js
node demo/calculus-applications.js
node demo/advanced-features.js

MCP Tools

evaluate

Evaluate mathematical expressions with full validation.

{
  "expression": "2 * pi * radius^2",
  "validate_only": false
}

validate_syntax

Validate expression syntax without evaluation.

{
  "expression": "sin(x) + cos(y)"
}

set_variable / get_variable

Manage variables in the math context.

{
  "name": "radius",
  "expression": "5"
}

list_variables / clear_variables

List or clear all defined variables.

MCP Resources

math://grammar

Access the complete BNF grammar specification.

math://functions

Get the list of all supported mathematical functions.

math://constants

Retrieve all predefined mathematical constants.

Expression Examples

Basic Arithmetic

2 + 3 * 4          // 14 (order of operations)
(2 + 3) * 4        // 20 (parentheses)
2^3 + 1            // 9 (exponentiation)
15 % 4             // 3 (modulo)

Mathematical Functions

sin(pi/2)          // 1
log(e)             // 1
sqrt(16)           // 4
abs(-5)            // 5

Variables and Constants

x = 5
y = 2 * x          // 10
area = pi * r^2    // Circle area

Advanced Features

x > 0 ? x : -x     // Absolute value using ternary
sigma(i, 1, 10, i^2)  // Sum of squares 1 to 10
[1, 2, 3, 4]       // Arrays
{x: 1, y: 2}       // Objects

Conditional Logic

x > 0 and y > 0    // Logical AND
not (x == 0)       // Logical NOT
a >= b ? a : b     // Maximum using ternary

Grammar Specification

The server implements a comprehensive BNF grammar supporting:

• Operators: Arithmetic, logical, comparison, with proper precedence

• Data Types: Numbers, strings, arrays, objects

• Functions: Extensive mathematical function library

• Control Flow: Conditional expressions and logical operations

• Advanced Math: Summation, ranges, units, member access

See grammar.txt for the complete specification or access via math://grammar resource.

Development

Available Scripts

npm run build      # Compile TypeScript
npm run dev        # Development mode with tsx
npm start          # Start compiled server
npm test           # Run test suite
npm run test:watch # Watch mode testing
npm run lint       # ESLint checking
npm run typecheck  # Type checking only
npm run setup      # Full setup: install, build, test

Configuration Examples

# Restrict to basic functions only
math-mcp --allowed-functions "sqrt,abs,sin,cos"

# Increase limits for complex expressions
math-mcp --max-expression-length 5000 --timeout 15000

# Minimal configuration for simple calculations
math-mcp --allowed-functions "sqrt,abs" --max-expression-length 500

Project Structure

src/
├── server.ts           # MCP server implementation
├── evaluator.ts        # Secure expression evaluator
├── grammar-parser.ts   # BNF grammar parser
├── tokenizer.ts        # Lexical analyzer
├── tools/              # MCP tool implementations
├── resources/          # MCP resource handlers
└── __tests__/          # Test suite

demo/                   # Example scripts
grammar.txt            # BNF grammar specification

Testing

npm test               # Run all tests
npm run test:watch     # Watch mode

Tests cover:

• Tokenizer functionality

• Grammar parser validation

• Expression evaluation

• Integration scenarios

• Summation operations

• CLI configuration validation

Security Considerations

This server is designed with security as a primary concern:

1. No Code Execution: Only mathematical expressions are evaluated

2. Grammar Validation: All input is validated against a strict grammar

3. Function Whitelisting: Only approved mathematical functions are available

4. CLI Validation: Command-line function arguments are validated against the whitelist

5. Timeout Protection: Expressions are evaluated with time limits

6. Input Sanitization: All input is properly sanitized before processing

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues and feature requests, please use the GitHub issue tracker.

Acknowledgments

• Built with MCP SDK