expo-mcp-server by CaullenOmdahl - MCP Server

Expo MCP Server

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Expo.dev that enables programmatic interaction with Expo projects and EAS (Expo Application Services).

Overview

This MCP server provides comprehensive tools for managing Expo/React Native projects, including:

Project Management: Initialize projects, install packages, configure apps
Development Workflow: Run diagnostics and health checks
EAS Build: Create, monitor, and manage cloud builds for iOS and Android
EAS Update: Publish over-the-air updates and manage update channels
EAS Submit: Submit builds to App Store and Google Play
Documentation Access: Direct links to official Expo and React Native documentation

Features

Tools

Project Management:

expo_init_project - Create new Expo projects with templates
expo_install_packages - Install packages with automatic version validation
expo_get_config - View and validate app configuration
expo_prebuild - Generate native iOS/Android project directories

Development:

expo_doctor - Run comprehensive project diagnostics

EAS Build:

eas_build_create - Trigger cloud builds for iOS, Android, or both
eas_build_list - List recent builds with filtering
eas_build_status - Get detailed build status and logs
eas_build_cancel - Cancel in-progress builds

EAS Update (OTA):

eas_update_publish - Publish over-the-air updates to branches/channels
eas_update_list - List published updates
eas_channel_create - Create update channels for distribution

EAS Submit:

eas_submit_ios - Submit iOS builds to App Store Connect/TestFlight
eas_submit_android - Submit Android builds to Google Play Console

Information:

expo_whoami - Check authentication status
eas_project_info - Get EAS project configuration and metadata

Resources

The server exposes documentation resources that link to official Expo and React Native docs:

Expo Documentation:

expo://docs/llms - Complete Expo documentation (LLM-optimized)
expo://docs/eas-build - EAS Build guide
expo://docs/eas-update - EAS Update guide
expo://docs/eas-submit - EAS Submit guide
expo://docs/cli-reference - Expo CLI reference
expo://docs/development-builds - Development builds guide
expo://docs/programmatic-access - Authentication and API access
expo://docs/config-plugins - Config plugins guide
expo://docs/debugging - Debugging guide

React Native Documentation:

expo://docs/react-native/llms - React Native docs (LLM-optimized)
expo://docs/react-native/troubleshooting - Troubleshooting guide
expo://docs/react-native/debugging - Debugging guide

Installation

Using Smithery (Recommended)

npx @smithery/cli install expo-mcp-server

From Source

git clone <repository-url>
cd expo-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

Authentication

The server requires an Expo access token for EAS operations. You can provide it in two ways:

Environment Variable (recommended):

export EXPO_TOKEN=your_token_here

Server Configuration:

{
  "expoToken": "your_token_here",
  "defaultFormat": "markdown"
}

To create an access token:

Visit https://expo.dev/settings/access-tokens
Create a new token
Set it as EXPO_TOKEN environment variable

MCP Client Configuration

Add to your MCP client settings (e.g., Claude Code):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "expo-dev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "expo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "EXPO_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Create a New Expo Project

// Use the expo_init_project tool
{
  "projectName": "my-awesome-app",
  "template": "blank-typescript",
  "format": "markdown"
}

Trigger a Production Build

// Use the eas_build_create tool
{
  "platform": "all",
  "profile": "production",
  "format": "markdown"
}

Publish an OTA Update

// Use the eas_update_publish tool
{
  "branch": "production",
  "message": "Fix critical authentication bug",
  "format": "markdown"
}

Check Build Status

// Use the eas_build_status tool
{
  "buildId": "abc-123-def-456",
  "format": "markdown"
}

Output Formats

All tools support two output formats:

markdown (default): Human-readable tables and formatted text
json: Structured data for programmatic processing

Error Handling

The server provides actionable error messages with:

Clear descriptions of what went wrong
Suggested next steps for resolution
Links to relevant documentation resources
Context-specific troubleshooting guidance

Common errors include:

Authentication errors: Points to programmatic access documentation
Build failures: Links to EAS Build troubleshooting
Configuration errors: Suggests config validation steps
React Native errors: Links to RN troubleshooting guides

Requirements

Node.js: 18.0.0 or higher
Expo Account: Required for EAS operations
Access Token: For programmatic API access

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the server
npm run build

# Run in development mode with Smithery playground
npm run dev

Architecture

The server is built with:

TypeScript: Type-safe implementation
MCP SDK: Official Model Context Protocol SDK
Zod: Runtime schema validation
execa: CLI command execution

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts              # Main server entry point
├── types.ts              # Shared types and schemas
├── resources/
│   └── documentation.ts  # Documentation resource registrations
├── tools/
│   ├── project.ts        # Project management tools
│   ├── development.ts    # Development workflow tools
│   ├── build.ts          # EAS Build tools
│   ├── update.ts         # EAS Update tools
│   ├── submit.ts         # EAS Submit tools
│   └── info.ts           # Information tools
└── utils/
    ├── cli.ts            # CLI execution utilities
    ├── format.ts         # Response formatting
    ├── parse.ts          # Output parsing
    └── errors.ts         # Error handling

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Add tests if applicable
Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Resources

Support

For issues and questions:

GitHub Issues: [Create an issue]
Expo Forums: https://forums.expo.dev/
Expo Discord: https://chat.expo.dev/