About agentcast
agentcast is an MCP server for assistant and agent developers who need structured JSON output from LLM responses. It extracts JSON, checks it against a field-and-type shape, and builds retry feedback when validation fails.
Key features
- 01Extract JSON from messy text
- 02Validate values against shape specs
- 03Build feedback for retry attempts
Use cases
- 01Parsing JSON wrapped in explanatory prose
- 02Checking required fields and value types
- 03Preparing correction feedback after invalid output
MCP support
It exposes JSON extraction, shape validation, and retry-feedback tools to MCP clients. These support manually driven retry loops for clients that do not use the Node agentcast library.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
3Saved tool list · updated 3w ago
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| text | string | Yes | Free-form text from an LLM that may contain JSON anywhere inside. |
Details
From the project READMEagentcast-mcp
An MCP server that gives AI assistants the ability to enforce structured output: extract JSON from messy LLM text, gate it against a shape spec, and produce the retry feedback message when the model returns the wrong shape.
Built on top of
@mukundakatta/agentcast. Works
with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, Zed, and any other MCP client.
Tools exposed
extract_json
Pull a JSON value out of messy LLM output. Tries the whole text, then a
fenced ```json ``` block, then the largest balanced {...} / [...]
substring. Returns the parsed value plus which strategy succeeded.
{
"text": "Sure, here you go:\n```json\n{\"answer\": 42}\n```\nLet me know!"
}
→
{
"value": { "answer": 42 },
"found": true,
"source": "fenced_json"
}
source is one of whole, fenced_json, fenced_plain,
balanced_substring, or none.
validate_response
Validate a parsed JSON value against an agentcast shape spec. Spec maps field
name to type: string, number, boolean, array, object. Suffix with
? for optional.
{
"value": { "name": "ada" },
"shape": { "name": "string", "age": "number" }
}
→
{
"valid": false,
"error": "missing required field 'age'"
}
build_retry_prompt
Given an attempt history, produce the validation-error feedback message agentcast appends to the conversation when the model returned the wrong shape. Codifies the "validation error as feedback" pattern for non-Node MCP clients that want to drive the same retry loop manually.
{
"attempts": [
{ "text": "{\"name\":\"ada\"}", "error": "missing required field 'age'" }
],
"expected_shape": { "name": "string", "age": "number" }
}
→
{
"feedback": "Your previous response did not match the required shape. Error: missing required field 'age'\n\nTry again. Respond with ONLY valid JSON that fixes the error above.\n\nExpected shape: {\"name\":\"string\",\"age\":\"number\"}"
}
Install
Claude Desktop
Add to claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"agentcast": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@mukundakatta/agentcast-mcp"]
}
}
}
Cursor / Cline / Windsurf / Zed
Same shape, in the appropriate mcp.json for your client. Most clients
auto-discover via npx -y @mukundakatta/agentcast-mcp.
Local install
npm install -g @mukundakatta/agentcast-mcp
mcp-agentcast # listens on stdio
Why this matters
When an LLM is supposed to return structured data, it sometimes wraps the
JSON in prose, fences, or hallucinated fields. Standard JSON.parse throws.
Hand-rolled regex misses nested structure. This MCP server gives any model
driving an agent a real handle on (1) pulling JSON out of the response,
(2) checking it matches the expected shape, and (3) building the exact retry
prompt that nudges the model to fix it on the next turn.
License
MIT.
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.