tandem

The tandem MCP server provides a Go development environment based on a Docker image of Go 1.25.1. When started, it runs an interactive Go toolchain inside a container, giving you access to the standard Go tooling (go, gopl, modules) in a reproducible environment. You can use it to scaffold, build, test, and release Go projects with the recommended toolset (gopls for language server support, gotools for additional tooling, and goreleaser for release automation) as described in the repository template. To interact with the server, start the tandem MCP server via your preferred MCP runner, then execute Go commands through the containerized environment or connect your editor to the Go toolchain provided inside the container.

Prerequisites:

• Docker installed and running on your host machine
• Optional: Nix with flakes and direnv for local development workflow as described in the template

Installation steps:

1. Install Docker (if not already installed):
   • macOS: download Docker Desktop from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop
   • Windows: install Docker Desktop from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop
   • Linux: follow your distro's instructions to install Docker and ensure your user is in the docker group
2. Verify Docker is functional: docker --version docker run --rm hello-world
3. Start the tandem MCP server (using your MCP runner) which will execute the docker image golang:1.25.1 in an interactive mode. The exact command may vary depending on your MCP runner configuration.
4. Inside the container, you will have access to Go 1.25.1, including go, gopls, gotools, and goreleaser as part of the development toolchain.

Optional: If you prefer the Nix-based development environment from the template, ensure Nix is installed with flakes enabled and follow the template's setup instructions to enable nix-shell and direnv integration for local development.

Notes:

• This MCP setup uses a Docker image to provide a reproducible Go toolchain. Ensure your project dependencies are compatible with Go 1.25.1.
• If you rely on editor integration (e.g., Go tools and gopls), connect your editor to the container's Go toolchain or configure your editor to use the Go tools from within the container.
• The template mentions Nix-based development with flakes and direnv; you can combine that workflow with the MCP server by using Nix for local dev while the MCP server provides the containerized Go toolchain for reproducible builds.
• Goreleaser is included in the toolchain for release automation; configure it per your project's release workflow.
• If you encounter permission issues running Docker, verify that your user is in the docker group and that the Docker daemon is running.