mcp-dotnet-explorer by jadjhaddad - MCP Server

DLL Inspector MCP Server

Version 2.1.0 - Improved parameter default value handling

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that analyzes .NET assembly DLLs and stores metadata in a SQLite database for efficient querying. Originally designed for exploring Autodesk Civil 3D and AutoCAD APIs, now supports multiple software products in a single database.

Overview

This MCP server provides a comprehensive database-driven solution for exploring .NET APIs. Instead of loading DLLs every time you query them, it analyzes assemblies once and stores all metadata (types, methods, properties, parameters, etc.) in a SQLite database for fast, powerful queries.

Key Features

Software Differentiation (NEW in v2.0): Organize DLLs by software product (Civil 3D, Revit, Dynamo, etc.)
Filtered Queries (NEW in v2.0): Query only DLLs from specific software without searching the entire database
Automatic Migration: Seamlessly upgrades from v1 to v2 schema
One-time analysis: Analyze DLLs once and query the database repeatedly without reloading
Comprehensive metadata: Captures types, methods, properties, fields, events, parameters, inheritance, interfaces, and more
Smart updates: Hash-based change detection only re-analyzes when DLLs change
Powerful queries: Search by name, namespace, return type, inheritance, interface implementations
Full-text search: Find members by documentation and descriptions
Cross-platform: Automatically handles Windows path to WSL path conversion

MCP Tools

Database Management

`analyze_dll`

Analyzes a .NET DLL and stores all metadata in the database.

Parameters:

dllPath (required): Path to the DLL file (Windows or WSL format)
forceReAnalyze (optional): Force re-analysis even if already in database (default: false)
softwareName (optional, NEW in v2.0): Software name to associate with this DLL (e.g., "AutoCAD Civil 3D 2024")
softwareVersion (optional, NEW in v2.0): Software version

Example:

dllPath: "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2024\C3D\AeccDbMgd.dll"
softwareName: "AutoCAD Civil 3D"
softwareVersion: "2024"

`list_assemblies`

Lists all assemblies currently in the database with statistics.

Parameters:

softwareName (optional, NEW in v2.0): Filter assemblies by software name

Returns: Assembly names, versions, software association, analysis dates, namespace counts, and type counts

`list_software` (NEW in v2.0)

Lists all software products in the database with assembly counts.

Returns: Software names, versions, descriptions, and number of associated assemblies

`associate_assembly_with_software` (NEW in v2.0)

Associates an existing assembly with a software product.

Parameters:

assemblyName (required): Assembly name
softwareName (required): Software name

Example:

assemblyName: "AeccDbMgd"
softwareName: "AutoCAD Civil 3D"

Type Discovery

`list_namespaces`

Lists all namespaces in the database.

Parameters:

assemblyName (optional): Filter by specific assembly name

Example:

assemblyName: "AeccDbMgd"

`search_types`

Searches for types by name pattern. Supports SQL wildcards (%).

Parameters:

searchPattern (required): Search pattern (e.g., "Alignment", "%Pipe%", "Surface%")
namespaceName (optional): Filter by namespace
typeKind (optional): Filter by type kind (Class, Interface, Enum, Struct)

Examples:

searchPattern: "%Alignment%"
namespaceName: "Autodesk.Civil.DatabaseServices"

searchPattern: "Pressure%"
typeKind: "Class"

`get_type_details`

Gets comprehensive information about a specific type including all members.

Parameters:

typeName (required): Full type name

Example:

typeName: "Autodesk.Civil.DatabaseServices.Alignment"

Returns: Type information, base class, interfaces, constructors, properties, methods, fields, events with full signatures

Method Discovery

`search_methods`

Searches for methods by name pattern across all types.

Parameters:

searchPattern (required): Method name pattern (e.g., "%Station%", "Get%")
returnType (optional): Filter by return type

Examples:

searchPattern: "%Station%"

searchPattern: "Get%"
returnType: "%Surface%"

Advanced Queries

`search_documentation`

Full-text search across all type and member documentation.

Parameters:

searchTerms (required): Search terms to find in documentation

Example:

searchTerms: "corridor surface"

`get_inheritance_tree`

Shows the inheritance hierarchy for a type (base classes and derived classes).

Parameters:

typeName (required): Full type name

Example:

typeName: "Autodesk.Civil.DatabaseServices.Alignment"

`find_implementations`

Finds all types that implement a specific interface.

Parameters:

interfaceName (required): Full interface name

Example:

interfaceName: "System.IDisposable"

Installation

Prerequisites

.NET 9.0 SDK
WSL2 (if running on Windows)

Build

cd /mnt/c/Users/jjhaddad/Documents/Work/zeroTouch/dll-inspector-mcp
dotnet build

The built executable will be located at:

bin/Debug/net9.0/DllInspectorMcp.dll

Configuration for Claude Code

Add this server to your Claude Code MCP settings file.

Location of settings file:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "civil3d-inspector": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": [
        "exec",
        "/mnt/c/Users/jjhaddad/Documents/Work/zeroTouch/dll-inspector-mcp/bin/Debug/net9.0/DllInspectorMcp.dll"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Note: Adjust the path to match your installation location.

Usage Workflow

1. Analyze DLLs (with Software Association)

First, analyze the assemblies you want to explore. New in v2.0: You can now associate DLLs with software products:

analyze_dll
  dllPath: "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2024\C3D\AeccDbMgd.dll"
  softwareName: "AutoCAD Civil 3D"
  softwareVersion: "2024"

You can analyze multiple software products in the same database:

analyze_dll
  dllPath: "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit 2024\RevitAPI.dll"
  softwareName: "Revit"
  softwareVersion: "2024"

analyze_dll
  dllPath: "C:\Program Files\Dynamo\DynamoCore.dll"
  softwareName: "Dynamo"
  softwareVersion: "2.x"

The first analysis will take time, but subsequent queries will be instant!

Tip: Software association is optional. If you don't specify it, the DLL will still be analyzed and available for querying.

2. Explore the API

New in v2.0: View all software products and filter by software:

list_software

List assemblies from a specific software:

list_assemblies
  softwareName: "AutoCAD Civil 3D"

List available namespaces:

list_namespaces
  assemblyName: "AeccDbMgd"

Find types related to alignments:

search_types
  searchPattern: "%Alignment%"
  namespaceName: "Autodesk.Civil.DatabaseServices"

Get full details on a specific type:

get_type_details
  typeName: "Autodesk.Civil.DatabaseServices.Alignment"

Search for methods:

search_methods
  searchPattern: "%Station%"

Find inheritance relationships:

get_inheritance_tree
  typeName: "Autodesk.Civil.DatabaseServices.Corridor"

3. Updates

If you update Civil3D or the DLLs change, simply re-analyze:

analyze_dll
  dllPath: "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2024\C3D\AeccDbMgd.dll"
  forceReAnalyze: true

Database Location

The SQLite database is created at:

bin/Debug/net9.0/civil3d_api.db

You can inspect or query it directly using any SQLite client.

Database Schema

The database includes the following tables:

Software (NEW in v2.0): Software product information
Assemblies: DLL metadata and versions (now with optional SoftwareId)
Namespaces: Namespace organization
Types: Classes, interfaces, enums, structs
Members: Methods, properties, fields, events, constructors
Parameters: Method and constructor parameters
TypeInterfaces: Interface implementations
EnumValues: Enumeration values
PropertyAccessors: Property getter/setter information
MembersSearch: Full-text search index

See DatabaseSchema.sql for the complete v1 schema, or DatabaseSchema_v2.sql for v2 schema. See MIGRATION_V2.md for migration details.

Architecture

Components

DatabaseManager.cs: SQLite database operations and management
DllAnalyzer.cs: Extracts metadata from .NET assemblies using MetadataLoadContext
DatabaseQueryTools.cs: MCP tools for querying the database
DllLoader.cs: Assembly loading with dependency resolution and path conversion
DatabaseSchema.sql: Complete database schema with indexes and views

Key Technologies

SQLite: Lightweight, file-based database
MetadataLoadContext: Reflection-only assembly loading
FTS5: SQLite full-text search for documentation
Model Context Protocol: Integration with Claude Code

Path Handling

The server automatically converts Windows paths to WSL paths when running in WSL:

C:\path\to\file.dll → /mnt/c/path/to/file.dll
Works with all drive letters (C:, D:, etc.)

You can use either format when calling the tools.

Performance

First analysis: May take 30-60 seconds for large DLLs like AeccDbMgd.dll
Subsequent queries: Milliseconds (database lookups)
Re-analysis: Only when DLL file hash changes
Database size: ~10-50 MB per analyzed assembly

Troubleshooting

Error: "Path is not an absolute path"

Ensure the DLL path is correct
Try using the full WSL path format: /mnt/c/...

Error: "Could not load file or assembly"

The DLL may have dependencies in the same directory
The server attempts to load dependencies automatically from the DLL's directory

Database not found or empty

The database is created automatically on first use
Use analyze_dll to populate it with your DLLs

Slow queries

The first query after starting the server may initialize the database
Subsequent queries should be very fast
Consider re-analyzing if you suspect data corruption

Documentation

CHANGELOG.md: Version history and changes
FEATURE_SUMMARY.md: Summary of v2.0 software differentiation feature
MIGRATION_V2.md: Database migration guide from v1 to v2
CIVIL3D_API_STRUCTURE.md: Comprehensive documentation of the Civil3D API structure
PROJECT_STATUS.md: Project development status and roadmap
DatabaseSchema.sql: Complete v1 database schema with comments
DatabaseSchema_v2.sql: Complete v2 database schema with Software table

Dependencies

.NET 9.0
Microsoft.Data.Sqlite (9.0.0)
Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting (10.0.0)
ModelContextProtocol (0.4.0-preview.3)
System.Reflection.MetadataLoadContext (9.0.0)

Development

Build

dotnet build

Run

dotnet run

Clean Database

To start fresh, delete the database file:

rm bin/Debug/net9.0/civil3d_api.db

References

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the file for details.

jadjhaddad/mcp-dotnet-explorer

DLL Inspector MCP Server

Overview

Key Features

MCP Tools

Database Management

analyze_dll

list_assemblies

list_software (NEW in v2.0)

associate_assembly_with_software (NEW in v2.0)

Type Discovery

list_namespaces

search_types

get_type_details

Method Discovery

search_methods

Advanced Queries

search_documentation

get_inheritance_tree

find_implementations

Installation

Prerequisites

Build

Configuration for Claude Code

Usage Workflow

1. Analyze DLLs (with Software Association)

2. Explore the API

3. Updates

Database Location

Database Schema

Architecture

Components

Key Technologies

Path Handling

Performance

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Dependencies

Development

Build

Run

Clean Database

References

License

`analyze_dll`

`list_assemblies`

`list_software` (NEW in v2.0)

`associate_assembly_with_software` (NEW in v2.0)

`list_namespaces`

`search_types`

`get_type_details`

`search_methods`

`search_documentation`

`get_inheritance_tree`

`find_implementations`