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scaffold-mcp-server

pjt222
Updated 2 days ago
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Testingaitestingmcp

About

This skill generates a complete, runnable MCP server project from tool specifications using the official TypeScript or Python SDKs. It creates proper project structure including transport configuration, tool handlers, and test harness for immediate use. Use it when starting a new MCP server, migrating existing tools to MCP, or prototyping tool surfaces for testing with Claude Code.

Quick Install

Claude Code

Recommended
Primary
npx skills add pjt222/agent-almanac -a claude-code
Plugin CommandAlternative
/plugin add https://github.com/pjt222/agent-almanac
Git CloneAlternative
git clone https://github.com/pjt222/agent-almanac.git ~/.claude/skills/scaffold-mcp-server

Copy and paste this command in Claude Code to install this skill

Documentation

MCP-Server aufsetzen

Generieren a complete, runnable MCP server project from a tool specification document, using the official MCP SDK for TypeScript or Python.

Wann verwenden

  • You have a tool specification (from analyze-codebase-for-mcp or written manuell) 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 vor full implementation
  • Need both der Server scaffold and a test harness for CI

Eingaben

  • Erforderlich: Tool specification document (YAML or JSON with tool names, parameters, return types)
  • Erforderlich: Target language (typescript or python)
  • Erforderlich: Transport type (stdio or sse)
  • Optional: Output directory (default: current directory)
  • Optional: Package name and version
  • Optional: Authentication method (none, bearer-token, api-key)
  • Optional: Docker packaging (true or false, default: false)

Vorgehensweise

Schritt 1: Auswaehlen SDK Language and Transport

1.1. Waehlen the implementation language basierend auf 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. Waehlen the transport mechanism:

  • stdio: Default for local tool execution. Claude Code launches der Server as a subprocess.
  • SSE (Server-Sent Events): For remote/shared servers. Requires HTTP hosting.

1.3. Bestimmen Authentifizierung requirements:

  • none: Local stdio servers (process-level trust)
  • bearer-token: Remote SSE servers with static tokens
  • api-key: Remote servers with per-client keys

Erwartet: Clear language, transport, and auth choices documented.

Bei Fehler: If requirements are ambiguous, default to TypeScript + stdio + no auth for fastest time-to-working-server.

Schritt 2: Initialize Project Structure

2.1. Erstellen das Projekt 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. Erstellen the standard Verzeichnisstruktur:

$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. Hinzufuegen 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"
  }
}

Erwartet: A buildable project skeleton with all Abhaengigkeiten installed.

Bei Fehler: If npm/pip install fails, check network connectivity and registry access. For TypeScript, ensure Node.js >= 18. For Python, ensure Python >= 3.10.

Schritt 3: Implementieren Tool Handlers from Spec

3.1. Parsen the tool specification document and fuer jede 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. Generieren one handler file per tool category from the specification.

3.3. Hinzufuegen input validation beyond type checking:

  • String length limits
  • Numeric range bounds
  • Enum value constraints
  • Required field enforcement

3.4. Hinzufuegen structured error responses for all anticipated failure modes.

Erwartet: A handler file per category with typed parameters and Fehlerbehandlung.

Bei Fehler: If the spec contains ambiguous types, default to string and add a TODO comment for manual refinement.

Schritt 4: Konfigurieren Transport

4.1. Erstellen der 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 Authentifizierung ist erforderlich, add middleware:

  • Bearer token: validate Authorization header
  • API key: validate X-API-Key header

4.3. Hinzufuegen a shebang line for stdio servers to enable direct execution:

#!/usr/bin/env node

Erwartet: A working entry point that starts the MCP server on the configured transport.

Bei Fehler: If the SDK version nicht match the import paths, check the @modelcontextprotocol/sdk version and adjust imports. The SDK restructured paths zwischen versions.

Schritt 5: Erstellen Testen Harness

5.1. Erstellen 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. Erstellen test fixtures fuer jede tool: valid inputs, invalid inputs, and Grenzfaelle.

5.3. Hinzufuegen a test script to package.json or pyproject.toml.

Erwartet: A test harness that exercises every tool with both valid and invalid inputs.

Bei Fehler: If InMemoryTransport ist nicht available in the SDK version, fall back to spawning der Server as a subprocess and communicating via stdio pipes.

Schritt 6: Generieren Documentation and Configuration

6.1. Generieren 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. Generieren 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. Generieren 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"]

Erwartet: Abschliessen documentation and configuration files for immediate use.

Bei Fehler: If the generated README has placeholder values, search das Projekt for actual values to substitute. If Docker build fails, verify the base image matches the Node.js/Python version used.

Validierung

  • Project builds ohne errors (npm run build or equivalent)
  • Server starts and responds to tools/list JSON-RPC request
  • Every tool from the specification is registered and discoverable
  • Testen harness passes for all tools with valid inputs
  • Testen harness confirms error responses for invalid inputs
  • Claude Code can connect via claude mcp add command
  • README includes working installation and configuration instructions
  • All generated code passes linting (if configured)

Haeufige Stolperfallen

  • SDK import path changes: The @modelcontextprotocol/sdk package restructured its exports zwischen versions. Always check the installed version's actual export paths.
  • Forgetting the shebang: stdio servers invoked directly need #!/usr/bin/env node as the first line to be executable.
  • Blocking the event loop: Tool handlers in TypeScript muss async. Synchronous operations block all other tool calls on der 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 sind nicht updated, validation mismatches cause silent failures. Generieren schemas from a single source of truth.
  • stdout pollution: stdio transport uses stdout for JSON-RPC. Any console.log in tool handlers corrupts the protocol stream. Use console.error or a file logger stattdessen.

Verwandte Skills

  • analyze-codebase-for-mcp - generate the tool specification this skill consumes
  • build-custom-mcp-server - manual server implementation for complex cases
  • configure-mcp-server - connect the scaffolded server to Claude Code/Desktop
  • troubleshoot-mcp-connection - debug connectivity issues nach deployment
  • containerize-mcp-server - package der Server in Docker for distribution

GitHub Repository

pjt222/agent-almanac
Path: i18n/de/skills/scaffold-mcp-server
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