MCP Server Builder

A minimalist MCP server that scaffolds basic MCP server projects for VS Code and Cursor.

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For Users

Installation

git clone https://github.com/joe-watkins/MCP-Builder.git
cd MCP-Builder
npm install
npm run build

MCP Configuration

Add this to your editor's MCP settings configuration files:

VS Code:

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "mcp-server-builder": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/MCP-Builder/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor:

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "mcp-server-builder": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/MCP-Builder/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace /absolute/path/to/MCP-Builder with the actual absolute path where you cloned this repository.

Usage

Once configured, use the create_mcp_server tool to generate new MCP server projects:

• name (required): Project name (kebab-case recommended)
• description (optional): Project description
• author (optional): Author name
• outputPath (optional): Target directory (defaults to current working directory)
• includeResources (optional): Force include resources capability (default: false)
• analyzeFiles (optional): File paths to analyze for auto-determining capabilities
• createSubdirectory (optional): Create project in new subdirectory (default: false)

Intelligent File Analysis

The builder can analyze your files to automatically determine what capabilities to include:

{
  "name": "my-smart-server",
  "analyzeFiles": ["./data.json", "./config.yaml", "./docs/"]
}

Auto-detects Resources for:

• Data files: .json, .yaml, .xml, .csv, .txt, .md
• Config files: .config, .env, files named "config"
• Directories containing data files
• Files with structured content (JSON/YAML patterns)

Directory Behavior

Default (Current Directory):

{
  "name": "my-server"
}

→ Creates files directly in current directory

Subdirectory Mode:

{
  "name": "my-server",
  "createSubdirectory": true
}

→ Creates ./my-server/ subdirectory with files

Tutorial: Your First MCP Server with Example Data

This project includes a fun example JSON dataset to help you create your first MCP server: Ferengi Rules of Acquisition from Star Trek! This is perfect for learning how to build an MCP server that serves data.

Once you get the MCP Server Builder set up, you can use the create_mcp_server tool to generate a server that provides access to this dataset - or just use a prompt. The builder will analyze the JSON file and automatically include the Resources capability, making it easy to serve the data to your AI assistant.

What's Included

The docs/ferengi-rules-of-acquisition.json file contains 200+ Rules of Acquisition—the sacred commercial guidelines of the Ferengi species. Each rule includes:

• Rule number
• The rule text
• Source (episode, novel, or game)

Create Your First Server

Step 1: Copy the example data to a new folder

mkdir ferengi-rules-server
cp docs/ferengi-rules-of-acquisition.json ferengi-rules-server/

Step 2: Ask your AI assistant to build the server

In VS Code/Cursor, simply tell your AI assistant:

"Create an MCP server in the ferengi-rules-server folder that provides access to Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. Analyze the ferengi-rules-of-acquisition.json file in that directory."

That's it! Your AI assistant will use the create_mcp_server tool to:

• Detect the JSON data file
• Automatically include the Resources capability
• Generate a complete MCP server project with all the scaffolding
• Set up TypeScript, build tools, and development workflow

Ideas for Your Server

Once you have the basic server running, you could add:

• Tools:

  • get_rule_by_number - Fetch a specific rule
  • search_rules - Search by keyword
  • random_rule - Get a random rule for inspiration
  • rules_by_source - Filter by episode or book

• Resources:

  • ferengi://rules/all - All rules as a resource
  • ferengi://rules/{number} - Individual rule by number
  • ferengi://rules/random - Random rule

• Prompts:

  • Help users apply Ferengi wisdom to their business decisions
  • Generate "Ferengi-style" advice for scenarios

Example prompts to add these features:

"Add a tool called get_rule_by_number to the Ferengi server that takes a rule number and returns that specific rule from the JSON file."

"Add a search_rules tool that searches through all the rules and returns any that contain the search keyword in the rule text."

"Create a random_rule tool that returns a random Ferengi Rule of Acquisition for inspiration."

This example demonstrates how any JSON data source can become an MCP server that AI assistants can query and use!

Generated Project Features

• TypeScript with strict configuration
• MCP SDK integration with best practices
• Example tool implementation
• Optional resources capability (auto-detected or manual)
• Development workflow with hot reload
• Comprehensive build setup

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For Developers

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/joe-watkins/MCP-Builder.git
cd MCP-Builder
npm install
npm run dev

Scripts

• npm run build - Compile TypeScript
• npm run dev - Development mode with hot reload
• npm start - Run compiled server

Project Structure

src/
  ├── index.ts           # Entry point
  ├── server.ts          # Main server implementation
  └── tools/
      └── create-mcp-server.ts  # Server generation tool

Contributing

The generated projects include everything needed to start building MCP servers immediately. When making changes to the builder:

1. Test with npm run dev for hot reload
2. Build with npm run build
3. Test the generated servers to ensure they work correctly