scaffold-mcp-server
About
This Claude skill generates a complete, runnable MCP server project from tool specifications using the official TypeScript or Python SDK. It creates proper project structure with transport configuration, tool handlers, and test harness for immediate use. Use it when starting new MCP servers, migrating existing integrations to MCP, or prototyping tool surfaces for testing with Claude Code.
Quick Install
Claude Code
Recommendednpx skills add pjt222/agent-almanac -a claude-code/plugin add https://github.com/pjt222/agent-almanacgit clone https://github.com/pjt222/agent-almanac.git ~/.claude/skills/scaffold-mcp-serverCopy and paste this command in Claude Code to install this skill
Documentation
Scaffold MCP Server
Generate a complete, runnable MCP server project from a tool specification document, using the official MCP SDK for TypeScript or Python.
适用场景
- You have a tool specification (from
analyze-codebase-for-mcpor written manually) and need a working server - Starting a new MCP server project and want correct structure from the start
- Migrating an existing tool integration to the MCP protocol
- Prototyping a tool surface to test with Claude Code before full implementation
- Need both the server scaffold and a test harness for CI
输入
- 必需: Tool specification document (YAML or JSON with tool names, parameters, return types)
- 必需: Target language (
typescriptorpython) - 必需: Transport type (
stdioorsse) - 可选: Output directory (default: current directory)
- 可选: Package name and version
- 可选: Authentication method (
none,bearer-token,api-key) - 可选: Docker packaging (
trueorfalse, default:false)
步骤
第 1 步:Select SDK Language and Transport
1.1. Choose the implementation language based on project context:
- TypeScript: Best for Node.js ecosystems, web-adjacent tools, JSON-heavy workloads
- Python: Best for data science, ML, and scientific computing tool surfaces
1.2. Choose the transport mechanism:
- stdio: Default for local tool execution. Claude Code launches the server as a subprocess.
- SSE (Server-Sent Events): For remote/shared servers. Requires HTTP hosting.
1.3. Determine authentication requirements:
- none: Local stdio servers (process-level trust)
- bearer-token: Remote SSE servers with static tokens
- api-key: Remote servers with per-client keys
预期结果: Clear language, transport, and auth choices documented.
失败处理: If requirements are ambiguous, default to TypeScript + stdio + no auth for fastest time-to-working-server.
第 2 步:Initialize Project Structure
2.1. Create the project directory and initialize:
TypeScript:
mkdir -p $PROJECT_NAME && cd $PROJECT_NAME
npm init -y
npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk zod
npm install -D typescript @types/node tsx
npx tsc --init --target ES2022 --module nodenext --moduleResolution nodenext --outDir dist
Python:
mkdir -p $PROJECT_NAME && cd $PROJECT_NAME
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install mcp pydantic
2.2. Create the standard directory structure:
$PROJECT_NAME/
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts|main.py # Server entry point
│ ├── tools/ # One file per tool category
│ │ ├── index.ts|__init__.py
│ │ └── [category].ts|.py
│ └── utils/ # Shared utilities
│ └── validation.ts|.py
├── test/
│ ├── harness.ts|.py # MCP test harness
│ └── tools/
│ └── [category].test.ts|.py
├── package.json|pyproject.toml
├── tsconfig.json # TypeScript only
├── Dockerfile # If Docker requested
└── README.md
2.3. Add a bin entry for npm (TypeScript) or entry point for Python:
TypeScript package.json:
{
"name": "$PACKAGE_NAME",
"version": "1.0.0",
"type": "module",
"bin": { "$PACKAGE_NAME": "./dist/index.js" },
"scripts": {
"build": "tsc",
"start": "node dist/index.js",
"dev": "tsx src/index.ts",
"test": "tsx test/harness.ts"
}
}
预期结果: A buildable project skeleton with all dependencies installed.
失败处理: If npm/pip install fails, check network connectivity and registry access. For TypeScript, ensure Node.js >= 18. For Python, ensure Python >= 3.10.
第 3 步:Implement Tool Handlers from Spec
3.1. Parse the tool specification document and for each tool, generate a handler:
TypeScript handler template:
import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import { z } from "zod";
export function registerTools(server: McpServer): void {
server.tool(
"tool_name",
"Tool description from spec",
{
param1: z.string().describe("Parameter description"),
param2: z.number().optional().default(10).describe("Optional param"),
},
async ({ param1, param2 }) => {
try {
// TODO: Implement tool logic
const result = await performAction(param1, param2);
return {
content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(result, null, 2) }],
};
} catch (error) {
return {
content: [{ type: "text", text: `Error: ${(error as Error).message}` }],
isError: true,
};
}
}
);
}
Python handler template:
from mcp.server import Server
from mcp.types import Tool, TextContent
from pydantic import BaseModel
class ToolNameParams(BaseModel):
param1: str
param2: int = 10
async def handle_tool_name(params: ToolNameParams) -> list[TextContent]:
try:
result = await perform_action(params.param1, params.param2)
return [TextContent(type="text", text=json.dumps(result, indent=2))]
except Exception as e:
return [TextContent(type="text", text=f"Error: {e}")]
3.2. Generate one handler file per tool category from the specification.
3.3. Add input validation beyond type checking:
- String length limits
- Numeric range bounds
- Enum value constraints
- Required field enforcement
3.4. Add structured error responses for all anticipated failure modes.
预期结果: A handler file per category with typed parameters and error handling.
失败处理: If the spec contains ambiguous types, default to string and add a TODO comment for manual refinement.
第 4 步:Configure Transport
4.1. Create the server entry point with the chosen transport:
stdio (TypeScript):
import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import { StdioServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js";
import { registerTools } from "./tools/index.js";
const server = new McpServer({
name: "$PACKAGE_NAME",
version: "1.0.0",
});
registerTools(server);
const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
await server.connect(transport);
SSE (TypeScript):
import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import { SSEServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/sse.js";
import { registerTools } from "./tools/index.js";
const server = new McpServer({
name: "$PACKAGE_NAME",
version: "1.0.0",
});
registerTools(server);
const transport = new SSEServerTransport("/messages", response);
await server.connect(transport);
4.2. If authentication is required, add middleware:
- Bearer token: validate
Authorizationheader - API key: validate
X-API-Keyheader
4.3. Add a shebang line for stdio servers to enable direct execution:
#!/usr/bin/env node
预期结果: A working entry point that starts the MCP server on the configured transport.
失败处理: If the SDK version does not match the import paths, check the @modelcontextprotocol/sdk version and adjust imports. The SDK restructured paths between versions.
第 5 步:Create Test Harness
5.1. Build a test harness that validates every tool:
import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import { InMemoryTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/inMemory.js";
import { Client } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/index.js";
async function runTests(): Promise<void> {
const server = createServer();
const [clientTransport, serverTransport] = InMemoryTransport.createLinkedPair();
await server.connect(serverTransport);
const client = new Client({ name: "test-client", version: "1.0.0" });
await client.connect(clientTransport);
// Test: tools/list returns all expected tools
const tools = await client.listTools();
console.assert(tools.tools.length === EXPECTED_TOOL_COUNT);
// Test: each tool with valid input
for (const tool of tools.tools) {
const result = await client.callTool({
name: tool.name,
arguments: getTestInput(tool.name),
});
console.assert(!result.isError, `${tool.name} failed`);
}
// Test: each tool with invalid input returns isError
for (const tool of tools.tools) {
const result = await client.callTool({
name: tool.name,
arguments: getInvalidInput(tool.name),
});
console.assert(result.isError, `${tool.name} should reject invalid input`);
}
console.log("All tests passed");
}
5.2. Create test fixtures for each tool: valid inputs, invalid inputs, and edge cases.
5.3. Add a test script to package.json or pyproject.toml.
预期结果: A test harness that exercises every tool with both valid and invalid inputs.
失败处理: If InMemoryTransport is not available in the SDK version, fall back to spawning the server as a subprocess and communicating via stdio pipes.
第 6 步:Generate Documentation and Configuration
6.1. Generate a README.md with:
- Project description
- Installation instructions
- Claude Code configuration command
- Claude Desktop JSON configuration snippet
- Tool listing with descriptions and parameter schemas
- Development and testing instructions
6.2. Generate Claude Code registration command:
# stdio transport
claude mcp add $PACKAGE_NAME stdio "node" "dist/index.js"
# SSE transport
claude mcp add $PACKAGE_NAME -e API_KEY=your_key -- mcp-remote http://localhost:3000/mcp
6.3. Generate Claude Desktop configuration snippet:
{
"mcpServers": {
"$PACKAGE_NAME": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["path/to/dist/index.js"]
}
}
}
6.4. If Docker was requested, generate a Dockerfile:
FROM node:20-slim AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build
FROM node:20-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build /app/dist ./dist
COPY --from=build /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY --from=build /app/package.json .
ENTRYPOINT ["node", "dist/index.js"]
预期结果: Complete documentation and configuration files for immediate use.
失败处理: If the generated README has placeholder values, search the project for actual values to substitute. If Docker build fails, verify the base image matches the Node.js/Python version used.
验证清单
- Project builds without errors (
npm run buildor equivalent) - Server starts and responds to
tools/listJSON-RPC request - Every tool from the specification is registered and discoverable
- Test harness passes for all tools with valid inputs
- Test harness confirms error responses for invalid inputs
- Claude Code can connect via
claude mcp addcommand - README includes working installation and configuration instructions
- All generated code passes linting (if configured)
常见问题
- SDK import path changes: The
@modelcontextprotocol/sdkpackage restructured its exports between versions. Always check the installed version's actual export paths. - Forgetting the shebang: stdio servers invoked directly need
#!/usr/bin/env nodeas the first line to be executable. - Blocking the event loop: Tool handlers in TypeScript must be
async. Synchronous operations block all other tool calls on the server. - Missing
type: "module"in package.json: The MCP SDK uses ESM imports. Without"type": "module", Node.js treats files as CommonJS and imports fail. - Zod schema drift: If the tool spec evolves but Zod schemas are not updated, validation mismatches cause silent failures. Generate schemas from a single source of truth.
- stdout pollution: stdio transport uses stdout for JSON-RPC. Any
console.login tool handlers corrupts the protocol stream. Useconsole.erroror a file logger instead.
相关技能
analyze-codebase-for-mcp- generate the tool specification this skill consumesbuild-custom-mcp-server- manual server implementation for complex casesconfigure-mcp-server- connect the scaffolded server to Claude Code/Desktoptroubleshoot-mcp-connection- debug connectivity issues after deploymentcontainerize-mcp-server- package the server in Docker for distribution
GitHub Repository
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