nickytonline

MCP TypeScript Template

Community nickytonline
Updated

TypeScript template for building MCP servers

MCP TypeScript Template

A TypeScript template for building remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers with modern tooling and best practices while leveraging the MCP TypeScript SDK.

Features

This template provides:

  • TypeScript - Full TypeScript support with strict configuration
  • Vite - Fast build system with ES modules output
  • Express - Fast, unopinionated web framework for HTTP server
  • ESLint + Prettier - Code quality and formatting
  • Docker - Containerization support
  • Example Tool - Simple echo tool to demonstrate MCP tool implementation

Getting Started

  1. Clone or use this template

    git clone <your-repo-url>
    cd mcp-typescript-template
    
  2. Install dependencies

    npm install
    
  3. Build the project

    npm run build
    
  4. Start the server

    npm start
    

The server will be available at http://localhost:3000 for MCP connections.

Development

Watch mode for development (with hot reloading)

npm run dev

Build the project

npm run build

Linting

  • Lint the project
npm run lint
  • Fix all auto-fixable lint errors
npm run lint:fix

Formatting

  • Format files in the project
npm run format
  • Check formatting
npm run format:check

Available Tools

The template includes one example tool:

echo

Echoes back the provided message - a simple example to demonstrate MCP tool implementation.

Parameters:

  • message (string) - The message to echo back

Customizing Your MCP Server

  1. Update package.json - Change name, description, and keywords
  2. Modify src/index.ts - Replace the echo tool with your custom tools
  3. Add your logic - Create additional TypeScript files for your business logic
  4. Update README - Document your specific MCP server functionality

Docker

Build and run using Docker:

  • Build the Docker image
docker build -t my-mcp-server .
  • Run the container
docker run -p 3000:3000 my-mcp-server

Docker Compose

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.8"
services:
  mcp-server:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - PORT=3000
docker-compose up --build

Project Structure

mcp-typescript-template/
├── src/
│   └── index.ts          # Main MCP server entry point
├── dist/                 # Built output (generated)
├── .eslintrc.js         # ESLint configuration
├── .prettierrc          # Prettier configuration
├── tsconfig.json        # TypeScript configuration
├── vite.config.ts       # Vite build configuration
├── Dockerfile           # Docker configuration
└── package.json         # Dependencies and scripts

Architecture

This template follows a simple architecture:

  • HTTP Transport - Uses Express with StreamableHTTPServerTransport for remote MCP connections
  • Tool Registration - Tools are registered with JSON schemas for input validation
  • Error Handling - Proper MCP-formatted error responses
  • Session Management - Handles MCP session initialization and management

Example: Adding a New Tool

import { createTextResult } from "./lib/utils.js";

server.registerTool(
  "my_tool",
  {
    title: "My Custom Tool",
    description: "Description of what this tool does",
    inputSchema: {
      param1: z.string().describe("Description of param1"),
      param2: z.number().optional().describe("Optional parameter"),
    },
  },
  async (args) => {
    // Your tool logic here
    const result = await myCustomLogic(args.param1, args.param2);

    return createTextResult(result);
  },
);

Why Express?

This template uses Express for the HTTP server, which provides:

  • MCP SDK Compatibility - Full compatibility with the MCP TypeScript SDK's StreamableHTTPServerTransport
  • Mature & Stable - Battle-tested HTTP server with extensive ecosystem
  • TypeScript Support - Excellent TypeScript support with comprehensive type definitions
  • Middleware Ecosystem - Rich ecosystem of middleware for common tasks
  • Documentation - Comprehensive documentation and community support
  • Reliability - Proven reliability for production applications

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