NaderZniti/mcp-server-symfony

Symfony MCP Server

Examlple of a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server built with Symfony 6 and PHP, providing AI-powered tools for Symfony application management and PDF generation.

🚀 Features

• Cache Management - Clear Symfony cache via MCP tools
• PDF Generation - Create PDF documents with current date/time
• HTTP Transport - Works on Windows using ReactPHP HTTP server
• Auto-Discovery - Automatically discovers MCP tools from your codebase
• VS Code Integration - Seamlessly integrates with GitHub Copilot in VS Code

📋 Prerequisites

• PHP 8.1 or higher
• Composer
• Windows (configured for HTTP transport)
• VS Code with GitHub Copilot

🔧 Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/mcp_app.git
cd mcp_app

2. Install Dependencies

composer install

3. Configure Environment

Copy the .env file and adjust settings if needed:

copy .env .env.local

4. Configure MCP in VS Code

Add your MCP server configuration to VS Code's mcp.json file.

Location: %APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "my-mcp-server-52ab6668": {
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/mcp/sse"
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

🎯 Running the MCP Server

Start the Server

php bin/mcp-server.php

You should see:

MCP Server is starting...
Discovering tools...
Base path: C:\wamp64\www\mcp_app
Scan dirs: src/Toolkit
Discovery complete
Starting HTTP server on http://127.0.0.1:8080/mcp/sse

Keep the Server Running

The server must remain running for VS Code to communicate with it. Keep the terminal window open.

🛠️ Available MCP Tools

1. Clear Cache (clear_cache)

Clears the Symfony application cache for the dev environment.

Usage in VS Code:

• Ask GitHub Copilot: "Use the clear_cache tool"
• Or use Command Palette: "GitHub Copilot: Use MCP Tools"

Example:

User: "Clear the Symfony cache"
Copilot: [Executes clear_cache tool]

2. Create PDF with Date (create_pdf_with_date)

Creates a PDF document containing the current date and time.

Parameters:

• title (optional): Custom title for the document (default: "Date Document")
• content (optional): Additional content to include in the PDF

Example:

User: "Create a PDF with today's date"
Copilot: [Executes create_pdf_with_date tool]

Output Location: var/pdfs/

3. List Generated PDFs (list_generated_pdfs)

Lists all PDF files that have been generated.

Example:

User: "Show me all generated PDFs"
Copilot: [Executes list_generated_pdfs tool]

📁 Project Structure

mcp_app/
├── bin/
│   ├── console              # Symfony console
│   └── mcp-server.php       # MCP server entry point
├── config/                  # Symfony configuration
├── src/
│   ├── Kernel.php
│   └── Toolkit/             # MCP Tools directory
│       ├── AbstractToolkit.php
│       ├── CacheToolKit.php
│       ├── ConsoleRunner.php
│       └── PdfToolKit.php
├── var/
│   ├── cache/               # Symfony cache
│   ├── log/                 # Application logs
│   └── pdfs/                # Generated PDF files
├── vendor/                  # Composer dependencies
└── composer.json

🔍 Creating Custom MCP Tools

Step 1: Create a New Toolkit Class

Create a new file in src/Toolkit/:

<?php

namespace App\Toolkit;

use PhpMcp\Server\Attributes\McpTool;

class YourToolKit
{
    #[McpTool(
        name: 'your_tool_name',
        description: 'Description of what your tool does'
    )]
    public function yourMethod(string $param): array
    {
        // Your tool logic here
        
        return [
            'success' => true,
            'message' => 'Tool executed successfully'
        ];
    }
}

Step 2: Restart the MCP Server

The server will automatically discover your new tool on restart.

php bin/mcp-server.php

Step 3: Use Your Tool

Ask GitHub Copilot to use your new tool in VS Code!

🐛 Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

Problem: Failed opening required autoload.php

Solution: Run composer install to install dependencies.

404 Error on Connection

Problem: VS Code shows "404 status connecting to http://localhost:8080/mcp/sse"

Solution:

1. Ensure the server is running (php bin/mcp-server.php)
2. Check that you're using HttpServerTransport (not StdioServerTransport)
3. Verify the URL in mcp.json is http://localhost:8080/mcp/sse

Tools Not Discovered

Problem: "Discovered 0 tools"

Solution:

1. Check that your toolkit classes are in src/Toolkit/
2. Ensure the #[McpTool] attribute only uses valid parameters: name, description, annotations
3. Verify the class has a no-argument constructor or dependency injection is properly configured

Windows STDIO Error

Problem: "STDIN and STDOUT are not supported on Windows"

Solution: Use HttpServerTransport instead of StdioServerTransport (already configured in this project).

📝 Development Notes

Why HTTP Transport?

This project uses HTTP transport (HttpServerTransport) instead of STDIO because:

• PHP on Windows doesn't support non-blocking pipes required by STDIO transport
• HTTP transport with ReactPHP provides a reliable alternative
• SSE (Server-Sent Events) enables real-time communication

Dependencies

Key packages:

• php-mcp/server: MCP server SDK for PHP
• react/http: ReactPHP HTTP server
• tecnickcom/tcpdf: PDF generation library
• symfony/framework-bundle: Symfony framework

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-tool)
3. Create your MCP tool in src/Toolkit/
4. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing tool')
5. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-tool)
6. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the Proprietary License.

🔗 Resources

• Model Context Protocol Specification
• PHP MCP Server Documentation
• Symfony Documentation
• TCPDF Documentation

👤 Author

Your Name - @your_github

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Model Context Protocol team
• Symfony community
• PHP MCP Server contributors