mcp-starter

MCP Server Starter provides a minimal, extensible foundation to run local tools using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It includes example configurations that demonstrate stdio (local), and HTTP-based transport workflows, with Cursor and other MCP-compatible clients. The starter ships with a TypeScript-based structure and a ready-made CLI entry point (bin/cli.mjs) that can be extended to integrate with tools, AI assistants, or custom workflows. Use the stdio setup for local development and testing, and the HTTP transport to expose an MCP server over the network for remote clients or tooling integrations.

To use the stdio workflow, configure a server entry that runs the CLI in stdio mode. For example, a local development config uses node ./bin/cli.mjs --stdio, which allows a local client (like Cursor) to communicate over standard input/output. For remote usage, you can run the server in HTTP mode (node ./bin/cli.mjs --http --port 4200) and point your MCP client to http://localhost:4200/mcp. The starter also demonstrates how to publish and consume MCP endpoints with npx or your own package name, enabling a streamlined workflow when distributing your server package.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (and npm/yarn) installed on your development machine
• A compatible MCP client (e.g., Cursor) for testing

1. Clone the repository or install the npm package

• If you’re starting from the repository: git clone <repository-url> cd mcp-starter npm install

2. Install dependencies

• Using npm: npm install
• Using yarn: yarn install

3. Run the server in stdio mode for local testing

• Command: node bin/cli.mjs --stdio

4. Run the server in HTTP mode for remote usage

• Command: node bin/cli.mjs --http --port 4200
• Or use the provided npm script if available in your project: npm run dev-http

5. Verify the MCP endpoint

• For stdio, connect via your MCP client to the local process.
• For HTTP, connect to http://localhost:4200/mcp with your MCP client.

Tips and notes:

• The starter provides examples for both stdio and HTTP transports. Choose the transport that matches your workflow.
• Cursor integration is demonstrated via example configuration and a .cursor/mcp.json setup path in the repository.
• When running HTTP, ensure the port you choose is open and not blocked by a firewall.
• You can customize the server by editing bin/cli.mjs or by adding new mcpServers entries in your local MCP config file.
• If you plan to publish your own MCP server package, you can follow the examples shown in the README for how to reference npm/npx usage in configurations.
• The README mentions that SSE transport is deprecated; prefer stdio or HTTP for new implementations.