mcp-builder
npx skills add https://github.com/mcp-use/skills --skill mcp-builder
Agent 安装分布
Skill 文档
MCP Server Builder
Build production-ready MCP servers with the mcp-use framework. This Skill provides quick-start instructions and best practices for creating MCP servers.
Quick Start
Always bootstrap with npx create-mcp-use-app:
npx create-mcp-use-app my-mcp-server
cd my-mcp-server
Choose template based on needs:
--template starter– Full-featured with all MCP primitives (tools, resources, prompts) + example widgets--template mcp-apps– Optimized for ChatGPT widgets with product search example--template blank– Minimal starting point for custom implementation
# Example: MCP Apps template
npx create-mcp-use-app my-server --template mcp-apps
cd my-server
yarn install
Template Details:
- starter: Best for learning – includes all MCP features plus widgets
- mcp-apps: Best for ChatGPT apps – includes product carousel/accordion example
- blank: Best for experts – minimal boilerplate
MCP Apps Structure
Automatic Widget Registration
The mcp-apps and starter templates automatically discover and register React widgets from the resources/ folder:
Single-file widget pattern:
resources/
âââ weather-display.tsx # Widget name becomes "weather-display"
Folder-based widget pattern:
resources/
âââ product-search/ # Widget name becomes "product-search"
âââ widget.tsx # Entry point (required name!)
âââ components/ # Sub-components
âââ hooks/ # Custom hooks
âââ types.ts
âââ constants.ts
What happens automatically:
- Server scans
resources/folder at startup - Finds
.tsxfiles orwidget.tsxin folders - Extracts
widgetMetadatafrom each component - Registers as MCP Tool (e.g.,
weather-display) - Registers as MCP Resource (e.g.,
ui://widget/weather-display.html) - Builds widget bundles with Vite
No manual registration needed! Just export widgetMetadata and a default component.
Defining Tools
Tools are executable functions that AI models can call:
import { MCPServer, text, object } from "mcp-use/server";
import { z } from "zod";
const server = new MCPServer({
name: "my-server",
version: "1.0.0",
description: "My MCP server"
});
// Simple tool
server.tool(
{
name: "greet-user",
description: "Greet a user by name",
schema: z.object({
name: z.string().describe("The user's name"),
formal: z.boolean().optional().describe("Use formal greeting")
})
},
async ({ name, formal }) => {
const greeting = formal ? `Good day, ${name}` : `Hey ${name}!`;
return text(greeting);
}
);
Key points:
- Use Zod for schema validation
- Add
.describe()to all parameters - Return appropriate response types (text, object, widget)
Defining Resources
Resources expose data that clients can read:
import { object, text, markdown } from "mcp-use/server";
// Static resource
server.resource(
{
uri: "config://settings",
name: "Application Settings",
description: "Current configuration",
mimeType: "application/json"
},
async () => {
return object({
theme: "dark",
version: "1.0.0"
});
}
);
// Dynamic resource
server.resource(
{
uri: "stats://current",
name: "Current Stats",
description: "Real-time statistics",
mimeType: "application/json"
},
async () => {
const stats = await getStats();
return object(stats);
}
);
// Markdown resource
server.resource(
{
uri: "docs://guide",
name: "User Guide",
description: "Documentation",
mimeType: "text/markdown"
},
async () => {
return markdown("# Guide\n\nWelcome!");
}
);
Response helpers available:
text(string)– Plain textobject(data)– JSON objectsmarkdown(string)– Markdown contenthtml(string)– HTML contentimage(buffer, mimeType)– Binary imagesaudio(buffer, mimeType)– Audio filesbinary(buffer, mimeType)– Binary datamix(...contents)– Combine multiple content types
Advanced response examples:
// Audio response
import { audio } from 'mcp-use/server';
// From base64 data
return audio(base64Data, "audio/wav");
// From file path (async)
return await audio("/path/to/audio.mp3");
// Binary data (PDFs, etc.)
import { binary } from 'mcp-use/server';
return binary(pdfBuffer, "application/pdf");
// Mix multiple content types
import { mix, text, object, resource } from 'mcp-use/server';
return mix(
text("Analysis complete:"),
object({ score: 95, status: "pass" }),
resource("report://analysis-123", text("Full report..."))
);
Defining Prompts
Prompts are reusable templates for AI interactions:
server.prompt(
{
name: "code-review",
description: "Generate a code review template",
schema: z.object({
language: z.string().describe("Programming language"),
focusArea: z.string().optional().describe("Specific focus area")
})
},
async ({ language, focusArea }) => {
const focus = focusArea ? ` with focus on ${focusArea}` : "";
return {
messages: [
{
role: "user",
content: {
type: "text",
text: `Please review this ${language} code${focus}.`
}
}
]
};
}
);
Testing Locally
Development mode (hot reload):
yarn dev
Production mode:
yarn build
yarn start
Inspector UI:
Access at http://localhost:3000/inspector to test tools, view resources, and try prompts.
Tunneling (test with ChatGPT before deploying):
Option 1 – Auto-tunnel:
mcp-use start --port 3000 --tunnel
Option 2 – Separate tunnel:
yarn start # Terminal 1
npx @mcp-use/tunnel 3000 # Terminal 2
You’ll get a public URL like https://happy-cat.local.mcp-use.run/mcp
Tunnel details:
- Expires after 24 hours
- Closes after 1 hour of inactivity
- Rate limit: 10 creations/hour, max 5 active per IP
Learn more: https://mcp-use.com/docs/tunneling
Deployment
Deploy to mcp-use Cloud (recommended):
# Login first (if not already)
npx mcp-use login
# Deploy
yarn deploy
If authentication error:
npx mcp-use login
yarn deploy
After deployment:
- Public URL provided (e.g.,
https://your-server.mcp-use.com/mcp) - Auto-scaled and monitored
- HTTPS enabled
- Zero-downtime deployments
Best Practices
Tool Design:
- â One tool = one focused capability
- â Descriptive names and descriptions
- â
Use
.describe()on all Zod fields - â Handle errors gracefully
- â Return helpful error messages
Resource Design:
- â Use clear URI schemes (config://, docs://, stats://)
- â Choose appropriate MIME types
- â Use response helpers for cleaner code
- â Make resources dynamic when needed
Prompt Design:
- â Keep prompts reusable
- â Use system messages for context
- â Parameterize with Zod schemas
- â Include clear instructions
Testing:
- â Test with Inspector UI first
- â Use tunneling to test with real clients before deploying
- â Verify all tools, resources, and prompts work as expected
Deployment:
- â Test locally and with tunneling first
- â
Run
npx mcp-use loginif deploy fails - â Version your server semantically
- â Document breaking changes
Widget Support
Automatic Widget Registration
When using the mcp-apps or starter template, widgets in the resources/ folder are automatically registered:
// resources/weather-display.tsx
import { useWidget, McpUseProvider, type WidgetMetadata } from 'mcp-use/react';
import { z } from 'zod';
const propSchema = z.object({
city: z.string(),
temperature: z.number()
});
// Required: Export widget metadata
export const widgetMetadata: WidgetMetadata = {
description: "Display weather information",
props: propSchema, // Use 'props', not 'schema'!
};
// Required: Export default component
export default function WeatherDisplay() {
const { props, isPending } = useWidget<z.infer<typeof propSchema>>();
// Always handle loading state
if (isPending) return <div>Loading...</div>;
return (
<McpUseProvider autoSize>
<div>
<h2>{props.city}</h2>
<p>{props.temperature}°C</p>
</div>
</McpUseProvider>
);
}
Widget automatically becomes available as:
- MCP Tool:
weather-display - MCP Resource:
ui://widget/weather-display.html
Content Security Policy (CSP)
Control what external resources widgets can access:
export const widgetMetadata: WidgetMetadata = {
description: "Weather widget",
props: z.object({ city: z.string() }),
metadata: {
csp: {
// APIs to call
connectDomains: ["https://api.weather.com"],
// Static assets to load
resourceDomains: ["https://cdn.weather.com"],
// Iframes to embed
frameDomains: ["https://embed.weather.com"],
// Script directives
scriptDirectives: ["'unsafe-inline'"],
},
},
};
Alternatively, set at server level:
server.uiResource({
type: "mcpApps",
name: "my-widget",
htmlTemplate: `...`,
metadata: {
csp: {
connectDomains: ["https://api.example.com"],
resourceDomains: ["https://cdn.example.com"],
},
},
});
Dual-Protocol Widget Support
mcp-use supports the MCP Apps standard (SEP-1865) with automatic dual-protocol support:
import { MCPServer } from 'mcp-use/server';
const server = new MCPServer({
name: 'my-server',
version: '1.0.0',
baseUrl: process.env.MCP_URL || 'http://localhost:3000', // Required for widgets
});
// Register a dual-protocol widget
server.uiResource({
type: "mcpApps", // Works with BOTH MCP Apps clients AND ChatGPT
name: "weather-display",
htmlTemplate: `<!DOCTYPE html>...`,
metadata: {
csp: { connectDomains: ["https://api.weather.com"] },
prefersBorder: true,
autoResize: true,
},
});
What happens automatically:
- MCP Apps clients (Claude, Goose) receive:
text/html;profile=mcp-appwith_meta.ui.* - ChatGPT receives:
text/html+skybridgewith_meta.openai/* - Same widget code works everywhere!
Custom OpenAI Metadata
Need ChatGPT-specific features? Combine both metadata fields:
server.uiResource({
type: "mcpApps",
name: "my-widget",
htmlTemplate: `...`,
// Unified metadata (dual-protocol)
metadata: {
csp: { connectDomains: ["https://api.example.com"] },
prefersBorder: true,
},
// ChatGPT-specific overrides
appsSdkMetadata: {
"openai/widgetDescription": "ChatGPT-specific description",
"openai/customFeature": "some-value", // Any custom OpenAI metadata
},
});
Project Structure
my-mcp-server/
âââ resources/ # React widgets (apps-sdk)
â âââ widget.tsx
âââ public/ # Static assets
âââ index.ts # Server entry point
âââ package.json
âââ tsconfig.json
âââ README.md
Common Patterns
Tool with dual-protocol widget:
import { MCPServer, widget, text } from 'mcp-use/server';
import { z } from 'zod';
const server = new MCPServer({
name: 'my-server',
version: '1.0.0',
baseUrl: process.env.MCP_URL || 'http://localhost:3000',
});
server.tool(
{
name: "show-data",
description: "Display data with visualization",
schema: z.object({
query: z.string()
}),
widget: {
name: "data-display", // Must exist in resources/
invoking: "Loading...",
invoked: "Data loaded"
}
},
async ({ query }) => {
const data = await fetchData(query);
return widget({
props: { data },
output: text(`Found ${data.length} results`)
});
}
);
Resource template (parameterized):
server.resourceTemplate(
{
uriTemplate: "user://{userId}/profile",
name: "User Profile",
description: "Get user by ID",
mimeType: "application/json"
},
async ({ userId }) => {
const user = await fetchUser(userId);
return object(user);
}
);
Error handling:
server.tool(
{
name: "divide",
schema: z.object({
a: z.number(),
b: z.number()
})
},
async ({ a, b }) => {
if (b === 0) {
return text("Error: Cannot divide by zero");
}
return text(`Result: ${a / b}`);
}
);
Detailed Examples
For comprehensive examples and advanced patterns, connect to the mcp-use MCP server which provides:
- Complete example resources for all primitives
- Full working server examples
- Detailed documentation
- Interactive widgets showcase
Learn More
- Documentation: https://docs.mcp-use.com
- MCP Apps Standard: https://docs.mcp-use.com/typescript/server/mcp-apps (dual-protocol guide)
- Templates: https://docs.mcp-use.com/typescript/server/templates (template comparison)
- Widget Guide: https://docs.mcp-use.com/typescript/server/ui-widgets
- Examples: https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use/tree/main/examples
- Tunneling Guide: https://mcp-use.com/docs/tunneling
- Discord: https://mcp-use.com/discord
- GitHub: https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use
Quick Reference
Commands:
npx create-mcp-use-app my-server– Bootstrapyarn dev– Development modeyarn build– Build for productionyarn start– Run production servermcp-use start --tunnel– Start with tunnelnpx mcp-use login– Authenticateyarn deploy– Deploy to cloud
Response helpers:
text(str),object(data),markdown(str),html(str)image(buf, mime),audio(buf, mime),binary(buf, mime)mix(...)– Combine multiple content typeswidget({ props, output })– Return widget with data
Server methods:
server.tool()– Define executable toolserver.resource()– Define static/dynamic resourceserver.resourceTemplate()– Define parameterized resourceserver.prompt()– Define prompt templateserver.uiResource()– Define widget resourceserver.listen()– Start server
Widget metadata fields:
description– Widget descriptionprops– Zod schema for widget propsmetadata– Unified config (dual-protocol)metadata.csp– Content Security PolicyappsSdkMetadata– ChatGPT-specific overrides
Available templates:
starter– Full-featured (tools, resources, prompts, widgets)mcp-apps– ChatGPT-optimized with product exampleblank– Minimal boilerplate