MCP Starter

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) standardizes how AI applications connect to data sources and tools through a consistent, extensible interface. This MCP server implementation provides a production-ready TypeScript starter that auto-loads tools, resources, and prompts, supports both local stdio and HTTP transports, and includes testing and development tooling to help you build MCP-enabled integrations quickly.

How to use

You run the MCP server locally in stdio or HTTP mode and connect an MCP client to access tools, resources, and prompts. Start with the required build step, then run the server in your chosen transport. Use the MCP Inspector during development to explore available capabilities and verify everything behaves as expected. Once running, your client can list tools, read resources, and invoke prompts to perform actions or retrieve data.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installation are: your system should have Node.js version 20.11.0 or higher and npm or yarn installed.

# Clone the starter template repository
git clone https://github.com/alexanderop/mcp-server-starter-ts.git
cd mcp-server-starter-ts

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Configuration and usage notes

Configure how you run the server and how clients connect using the provided transport options. By default the server runs in stdio transport, but you can switch to HTTP transport for web deployments.

Environment variables control the server behavior in HTTP mode and during development. The following variables are supported:

Environment variables and server options

The following environment variables are available for HTTP mode and development workflows.

Dev and testing workflow

You can test interactively with the MCP Inspector during development. Build, start, and inspect your server to verify tools, resources, and prompts load correctly.

Security considerations

When deploying, ensure your HTTP endpoint is secured behind appropriate access controls and CORS settings. Use specific origins rather than allowing all origins in production.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, verify that the server is built before starting and that paths in your configuration use absolute references. Common problems include missing modules, transport misconfigurations, and auto-loading failures due to misnamed files or incorrect directories.

Available tools

calculate

Perform basic arithmetic calculations with a defined operation and operands