Mcp Builder

• What capability does this server provide? (e.g., "query our Postgres database", "fetch Jira tickets", "interact with Slack")
• What tools should it expose? (list 1–5 tool names with one-sentence descriptions)
• What resources should it expose, if any? (e.g., database schemas, API documentation)
• Does it need credentials? If yes, which environment variables?

2. Choose transport

Default to stdio unless the user has a specific reason for a remote transport.

3. Scaffold the server

Choose the implementation language based on the project's primary stack.

Python (this project):

mkdir -p .mcp-servers/<server-name>
cd .mcp-servers/<server-name>
uv init && uv add mcp

TypeScript/JavaScript (alternative):

mkdir -p .mcp-servers/<server-name>
cd .mcp-servers/<server-name>
npm init -y
npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk zod
npm install --save-dev tsx typescript @types/node

4. Implement tools

For each tool identified in Step 1:

1. Define the input schema using Pydantic (Python) or Zod (TypeScript)
2. Implement the handler function
3. Register with the server

Rules:

• One tool, one action — keep tools focused
• Validate all inputs with schemas
• Return structured content (text or JSON)
• Handle errors gracefully — return error content, don't throw

5. Test with MCP Inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector python .mcp-servers/<server-name>/main.py

Verify:

• Server starts without errors
• Each tool appears in the inspector's tool list
• Each tool executes correctly with sample inputs
• Error cases return meaningful messages

6. Register in .vscode/mcp.json

Add the server to the project's MCP configuration:

{
  "<server-name>": {
    "type": "stdio",
    "command": "uv",
    "args": ["run", "python", ".mcp-servers/<server-name>/main.py"],
    "env": {
      "API_KEY": "${env:SERVER_NAME_API_KEY}"
    }
  }
}

7. Document

• Add the server to the §13 Available servers table in .github/copilot-instructions.md
• If the server is reusable across projects, consider publishing to an MCP registry

Verify

• Server starts via stdio and responds to initialize request
• All tools execute correctly in MCP Inspector
• .vscode/mcp.json is valid JSON with the new server entry
• §13 Available servers table is updated