vishnuvardhanreddy31/simple-mcp-server

Simple MCP Server

A basic Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for learning and demonstration purposes. This server provides simple tools that can be integrated with Cline and other MCP clients.

Features

This MCP server provides the following tools:

• echo_message: Echo back a message (useful for testing)
• get_current_time: Get the current date and time
• calculate_sum: Calculate the sum of a list of numbers
• count_words: Count words and characters in text
• reverse_string: Reverse a text string

Installation

1. Make sure you have Python 3.8+ installed
2. Install the required dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Running the Server

To test the server directly:

python simple_mcp_server.py

The server will start and listen for MCP messages via stdin/stdout.

Integration with Cline

To use this server with Cline or other MCP clients, you need to configure the client to connect to this server.

For Cline in VS Code

1. Open your Cline configuration (usually in VS Code settings)
2. Add this server configuration:

   {
     "servers": {
       "simple-learning-server": {
         "type": "stdio",
         "command": "python",
         "args": ["path/to/simple_mcp_server.py"]
       }
     }
   }
   

For Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simple-learning-server": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["d:\\projects\\MCP_Servers\\simple_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace the path with the actual absolute path to your simple_mcp_server.py file.

For Cline (VS Code Extension)

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Cline settings
3. Add a new MCP server with:
   • Name: simple-learning-server
   • Command: python
   • Args: ["D:\\projects\\MCP_Servers\\simple_mcp_server.py"]

Testing the Server

You can test the server by:

1. Adding it to your MCP client
2. Asking questions like:
   • "Echo the message 'Hello MCP!'"
   • "What time is it?"
   • "Calculate the sum of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5"
   • "Count the words in 'This is a test sentence'"
   • "Reverse the string 'Hello World'"

Understanding MCP

This server demonstrates key MCP concepts:

• Tools: Functions that the AI can call to perform tasks
• Resources: Information that can be retrieved (like server info)
• STDIO Transport: Communication method between client and server
• JSON-RPC: Protocol used for communication

Next Steps

To learn more about MCP:

1. Read the MCP documentation
2. Explore the MCP SDK
3. Try modifying this server to add your own tools
4. Look at more complex MCP server examples

Troubleshooting

If the server doesn't work:

1. Check that Python 3.10+ is installed
2. Verify all dependencies are installed: pip install -r requirements.txt
3. Check the MCP client logs for error messages
4. Ensure the file path in the configuration is correct and absolute

Project Structure

simple-mcp-server/
├── simple_mcp_server.py    # Main server implementation
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── README.md              # This file
├── .vscode/
│   └── mcp.json          # VS Code MCP configuration
└── .github/
    └── copilot-instructions.md  # Copilot instructions

How It Works

1. The server uses the FastMCP framework for easy tool definition
2. Each tool is decorated with @mcp.tool() and includes proper documentation
3. Logging is configured to use stderr (never stdout for MCP servers)
4. The server communicates via stdio transport with MCP clients

Testing Tools

You can test each tool by asking your MCP client:

• "Echo the message 'Hello MCP!'"
• "What time is it?"
• "Calculate the sum of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5"
• "Count the words in 'This is a test message'"
• "Reverse the string 'Hello World'"

Development

To modify or extend this server:

1. Add new tools using the @mcp.tool() decorator
2. Ensure all tools have proper type hints and docstrings
3. Test your changes by running the server
4. Remember to never use stdout for logging or debug output

Resources

• MCP Documentation
• Python MCP SDK
• FastMCP Framework