About MCP (Model Context Protocol)
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a simple example server and setup guide for connecting LLMs to external tools and context. It demonstrates an `add` tool in Cursor and describes local STDIO and remote SSE transport.
Key features
- 01Demonstrate an `add` tool
- 02Set up with the MCP SDK
- 03Configure the server in Cursor
- 04Describe STDIO and SSE transport
Use cases
- 01Try an MCP tool from Cursor
- 02Build a basic Node.js MCP server
- 03Choose transport for local or remote use
MCP support
The project demonstrates an MCP server exposing a tool to clients, including a Cursor configuration. It describes STDIO for local use and SSE for remote connections.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
We haven’t collected a package or remote endpoint for this server. Follow the instructions in the project README.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEMCP (Model Context Protocol)
by Gaurav Kabra
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standardized way, introduced by Anthropic, for LLMs to interact with external tools and functions and injecting context in LLMs. It allows models to:
- Request real-time information
- Execute actions in external systems
- Access specialized knowledge
- Interact with APIs and services
→ Agents
→ MCP
The 2nd figure is like this:
So we improve and get to the 3rd figure, which is similar to:
The MCP is similar to USB hub in above picture.
Due to it being a standard, changes become in a standard way. So less chances of API breaking since each MCP server is now being maintained by individual companies (Yahoo or Google etc.) and we just integrate with them.
An MCP server will expose 3 things:
Tool:
Resource: includes knowledge base, DB, files etc.
Prompt:
You can refer this for above images.
Setup From Scratch
mkdir mcpserver
npm init
npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
See this for official documentation.
Now in Cursor IDE, click on Settings cog -> MCP. Create the file mcp.json and put below code:
{
"mcpServers": {
"Gaurav Kabra's MCP Server": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/Users/gauravkabra/Desktop/MCPServer/index.js"]
}
}
}
Replace args with absolute path (full path) of index.js on your local.
And now it should show the add tool available:
You can find documentation here.
Do CMD + I and ask to add two numbers and you should see a response which we coded in index.js.
STDIO (Standard Input-Output) is ideal on local but for remote we use SSE transport (Server Sent Event). See this to know more.
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.