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MCP Server Boilerplate

by luquitared

MCP Server Boilerplate

A starter template for building MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. This boilerplate provides a clean foundation for creating your own MCP server that can integrate with Claude, Cursor, or other MCP-compatible AI assistants.

Purpose

This boilerplate helps you quickly start building:

  • Custom tools for AI assistants

  • Resource providers for dynamic content

  • Prompt templates for common operations

  • Integration points for external APIs and services

Related MCP server: JSON MCP Boilerplate

Features

  • Simple "hello-world" tool example

  • TypeScript support with proper type definitions

  • Easy installation scripts for different MCP clients

  • Clean project structure ready for customization

How It Works

This MCP server template provides:

  1. A basic server setup using the MCP SDK

  2. Example tool implementation

  3. Build and installation scripts

  4. TypeScript configuration for development

The included example demonstrates how to create a simple tool that takes a name parameter and returns a greeting.

Getting Started

# Clone the boilerplate
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd mcp-server-boilerplate

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build the project
pnpm run build

# Start the server
pnpm start

Installation Scripts

This boilerplate includes convenient installation scripts for different MCP clients:

# For Claude Desktop
pnpm run install-desktop

# For Cursor
pnpm run install-cursor

# For Claude Code
pnpm run install-code

# Generic installation
pnpm run install-server

These scripts will build the project and automatically update the appropriate configuration files.

Usage with Claude Desktop

The installation script will automatically add the configuration, but you can also manually add it to your claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-server-name": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/your/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Then restart Claude Desktop to connect to the server.

Customizing Your Server

Adding Tools

Tools are functions that the AI assistant can call. Here's the basic structure:

server.tool(
  "tool-name",
  "Description of what the tool does",
  {
    // Zod schema for parameters
    param1: z.string().describe("Description of parameter"),
    param2: z.number().optional().describe("Optional parameter"),
  },
  async ({ param1, param2 }) => {
    // Your tool logic here
    return {
      content: [
        {
          type: "text",
          text: "Your response",
        },
      ],
    };
  }
);

Adding Resources

Resources provide dynamic content that the AI can access:

server.resource(
  "resource://example/{id}",
  "Description of the resource",
  async (uri) => {
    // Extract parameters from URI
    const id = uri.path.split("/").pop();

    return {
      contents: [
        {
          uri,
          mimeType: "text/plain",
          text: `Content for ${id}`,
        },
      ],
    };
  }
);

Adding Prompts

Prompts are reusable templates:

server.prompt(
  "prompt-name",
  "Description of the prompt",
  {
    // Parameters for the prompt
    topic: z.string().describe("The topic to discuss"),
  },
  async ({ topic }) => {
    return {
      description: `A prompt about ${topic}`,
      messages: [
        {
          role: "user",
          content: {
            type: "text",
            text: `Please help me with ${topic}`,
          },
        },
      ],
    };
  }
);

Project Structure

├── src/
│   └── index.ts          # Main server implementation
├── scripts/              # Installation and utility scripts
├── dist/                 # Compiled JavaScript (generated)
├── package.json          # Project configuration
├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration
└── README.md            # This file

Development

  1. Make changes to src/index.ts

  2. Run pnpm run build to compile

  3. Test your server with pnpm start

  4. Use the installation scripts to update your MCP client configuration

Next Steps

  1. Update package.json with your project details

  2. Customize the server name and tools in src/index.ts

  3. Add your own tools, resources, and prompts

  4. Integrate with external APIs or databases as needed

License

MIT

Available Tools

2 tools
get-mcp-docsD

Make an MCP server

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
nameYesThe name of the MCP server

TDQS

D1.4/5.0
Behavior1/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

No annotations are provided, so the description carries the full burden of behavioral disclosure. 'Make an MCP server' suggests a creation/write operation, but the description doesn't clarify whether this is a read, write, or configuration operation, nor does it mention any side effects, permissions needed, or response format.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness2/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

While the description is brief (3 words), this is under-specification rather than effective conciseness. The single sentence doesn't earn its place by providing meaningful information beyond the tool name.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness1/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given no annotations, no output schema, and a description that fails to explain what the tool does or how to use it, this is completely inadequate. The description doesn't compensate for the lack of structured information about this tool's behavior and purpose.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100% (the single parameter 'name' has a clear description in the schema), so the baseline is 3. The tool description adds no additional parameter information beyond what's already documented in the input schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose1/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description 'Make an MCP server' is a tautology that essentially restates the tool name 'get-mcp-docs' without clarifying what the tool actually does. It doesn't specify what resource is being accessed or what operation is performed, and it doesn't distinguish this tool from its sibling 'hello-world'.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines1/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides no guidance on when to use this tool versus alternatives. There's no mention of context, prerequisites, or comparison to the sibling tool 'hello-world', leaving the agent with no usage direction.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

hello-worldC

Say hello to the user

ParametersJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
nameYesThe name of the user

TDQS

C2.9/5.0
Behavior2/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

No annotations are provided, so the description carries the full burden of behavioral disclosure. 'Say hello to the user' implies a simple, read-only output operation, but it doesn't specify what the tool returns (e.g., a greeting string), any side effects, or error handling. This is a significant gap for a tool with no structured behavioral hints.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is a single, efficient sentence ('Say hello to the user') that directly states the purpose without any waste. It's appropriately sized for a simple tool and front-loaded with the core action.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness2/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given the tool's simplicity (1 parameter, no annotations, no output schema), the description is incomplete. It doesn't explain what the tool returns (e.g., a formatted greeting), which is critical since there's no output schema. For a basic tool, more context on behavior and output is needed to be fully helpful.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

The description doesn't mention parameters, but the input schema has 100% coverage with a clear description for the single parameter 'name'. Since schema_description_coverage is high (>80%), the baseline is 3. The description doesn't add meaning beyond the schema, but it doesn't need to compensate for low coverage.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description 'Say hello to the user' clearly states the tool's purpose with a specific verb ('say') and target ('hello to the user'). It's not tautological with the name 'hello-world', which is more generic. However, it doesn't explicitly differentiate from the sibling tool 'get-mcp-docs', which appears unrelated, so it doesn't reach the highest score.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines2/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides no guidance on when to use this tool versus alternatives. It doesn't mention any context, prerequisites, or exclusions. With a sibling tool 'get-mcp-docs' that seems unrelated, there's no explicit or implied comparison, leaving the agent without usage direction.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.

  1. 2 tool updates
    • First observedget-mcp-docs
    • First observedhello-world

TDQS

C2.2/5.0
Disambiguation5/5

The two tools have completely distinct purposes: 'get-mcp-docs' is for server creation/development, while 'hello-world' is for user interaction/greeting. There is no overlap or ambiguity in their functions.

Naming Consistency2/5

The naming is inconsistent: 'get-mcp-docs' uses kebab-case with a verb-object structure, while 'hello-world' uses kebab-case but is a noun-phrase without a clear action verb. This mixing of conventions reduces predictability.

Tool Count2/5

With only 2 tools, this server feels too thin for a 'boilerplate' purpose, which typically implies foundational or example functionality. The count is insufficient to demonstrate meaningful coverage or utility.

Completeness2/5

For a boilerplate server, there are significant gaps: no tools for configuration, testing, deployment, or common MCP operations like listing resources. The surface is severely incomplete for development or example use cases.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive
ResponsivenessNo issues

Resources

Unclaimed servers have limited discoverability.

Looking for Admin?

If you are the server author, to access and configure the admin panel.

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