About sampledotnetmcpserver
sampledotnetmcpserver is a .NET reference MCP server for developers learning to build servers with C# and the ModelContextProtocol SDK. It demonstrates tool registration, stdio transport, and NuGet packaging and publishing.
Key features
- 01C# MCP tool examples
- 02Random number and greeting tools
- 03US ZIP-code weather and forecasts
- 04stdio transport configuration
- 05NuGet packaging example
Use cases
- 01Learn to implement MCP tools in C#
- 02Test random-number and greeting calls
- 03Look up weather by US ZIP code
- 04Package and publish an MCP server to NuGet
MCP support
The project implements an MCP server that exposes random-number, greeting, and weather tools to MCP clients over stdio.
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 READMESampleDotnetMcpServer
This project is a sample implementation of a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server in .NET, designed to demonstrate how to build, run, and publish an MCP server using C# and the ModelContextProtocol SDK.
mcp-name: io.github.timheuer/sampledotnetmcpserver
What is this?
SampleDotnetMcpServer is a reference MCP server for .NET, showing how to:
- Implement MCP tools in C# (see
Tools/RandomNumberTools.cs,Tools/SayHelloName.cs,Tools/WeatherTools.cs) - Register tools and configure the MCP server transport (see
Program.cs) - Package and publish the server as a NuGet package for use in IDEs like VS Code and Visual Studio
The included tools demonstrate various MCP capabilities:
get_random_number: Generates random numbers within a specified rangesay_hello_nameandsay_goodbye_name: Simple greeting toolsget_weather_by_zip_code: Gets current weather information for any US zip codeget_weather_forecast: Gets a multi-day weather forecast for any US zip code
Features
- Implements the MCP protocol using stdio transport
- Provides multiple sample tools:
get_random_number: Returns a random integer in a specified rangesay_hello_nameandsay_goodbye_name: Simple greeting toolsget_weather_by_zip_code: Gets current weather for any US zip code using wttr.in APIget_weather_forecast: Gets multi-day weather forecast for any US zip code
- Ready to be packed and published as a NuGet MCP server
- Example configuration files and metadata included
How to use
Run locally
You can run the MCP server directly from source for development and testing:
dotnet run --project .
Or configure your IDE to use the following MCP server definition:
{
"servers": {
"SampleDotnetMcpServer": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "dotnet",
"args": [
"run",
"--project",
"<PATH TO PROJECT DIRECTORY>"
]
}
}
}
Test the MCP server
Once running, you can use Copilot Chat or any MCP client to invoke the available tools:
Weather Tools:
- Ask: "What's the weather like in 90210?" to get current weather
- Ask: "Give me a 3-day forecast for 10001" to get a weather forecast
- Ask: "Check the weather in 60601" to test with Chicago's zip code
Other Tools:
- Ask: "Give me 3 random numbers" to use the random number generator
- Ask: "Say hello to John" to use the greeting tools
Publish to NuGet.org
CI handles publishing to NuGet, using NuGet Trusted Publishing for the key and automatic versioning using Nerdbank.GitVersioning.
Use from NuGet.org
After publishing, configure your IDE to use the MCP server from NuGet.org. Example configuration (replace package id and version):
{
"servers": {
"SampleDotnetMcpServer": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "dnx",
"args": [
"TimHeuer.SampleMcpServer",
"--version",
"0.1.0-beta",
"--yes"
]
}
}
}
Project structure
Program.cs: MCP server entry point and configurationTools/RandomNumberTools.cs: Example MCP tool for generating random numbersTools/SayHelloName.cs: Example MCP tools for greetingsTools/WeatherTools.cs: Weather-related MCP tools for checking weather by zip code.mcp/server.json: MCP server metadata and NuGet package infoSampleDotnetMcpServer.csproj: Project and NuGet packaging configuration
Learn more
- ModelContextProtocol SDK
- Model Context Protocol Documentation
- Protocol Specification
- GitHub Organization
- Use MCP servers in VS Code (Preview)
- Use MCP servers in Visual Studio (Preview)
This project is for demonstration and reference purposes only. For feedback or contributions, see the GitHub repository.
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.