mcp-developer-context-server

MCP Server that Exposes Project Context, Codebase Search, Safe Commands & API Spec Summary for Any Model Or MCP Client

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20 or later

Installation

git clone 
cd mcp-developer-context-server
npm install

Configuration

Optional environment variables:

Variable	Description
PROJECT_ROOT	Directory treated as the project root. Defaults to the process working directory.
ALLOWED_COMMANDS	Comma-separated list of commands allowed by the run-command tool. If unset, a default list is used (e.g. npm run lint, npm run typecheck, npm test, npx tsc --noEmit).

Running

Build and start the server:

npm run build
npm start

For development without building:

npm run dev

The server runs over stdio and waits for client connections. Stop with Ctrl+C.

Testing with MCP Inspector

Run the server under the MCP Inspector to exercise all capabilities:

npm run build
npm run inspector

Open http://localhost:6274 in a browser. Use the Tools, Resources, and Prompts tabs to invoke capabilities and verify responses.

Tools: expected behavior

Tool	Example input	Expected outcome
search-codebase	pattern: registerTool, glob: **/*.ts	Lines of the form path:lineNum: snippet for matching files; ignores node_modules and dist.
project-structure	(none) or depth: 1	Directory tree and a line listing key files at root (e.g. package.json, tsconfig.json).
run-command	command: npm run lint	Exit code and command stdout/stderr.
run-command	command: echo hello	Message: "Command not allowed."
fetch-api-spec	url: a valid OpenAPI JSON URL	Summary with operations (method, path, operationId) and schema names.
validate-json	json: {"a":1}, action: format	Pretty-printed JSON.
validate-json	json: {invalid, action: validate	Error message: "Invalid JSON" and parse details.

Resources: expected behavior

Resource URI	Expected outcome
project://manifest	JSON body of the project package.json.
project://config	JSON with configFiles (e.g. tsconfig.json, package.json) and envExampleKeys from .env.example if present.
api://spec	Message asking for a url query parameter.
api://spec?url=	Same summary format as the fetch-api-spec tool.

Prompts: expected behavior

Prompt	Example arguments	Expected outcome
code-review	code: a code snippet, focus: performance or empty	Single user message containing review instructions and the provided code.
api-usage	operationId: e.g. getPets, language: optional	Single user message requesting a client example for that operation.
test-plan	module: e.g. src/index.ts, entryPoints: optional	Single user message requesting unit test suggestions for the module.

Cursor setup

Add the server to your Cursor MCP configuration (e.g. in Cursor settings or the configured MCP config file):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "developer-context": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-developer-context-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "PROJECT_ROOT": "/path/to/your/project"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace paths with your actual project and server locations. Restart or reload Cursor so it picks up the server.

Project structure

src/
  index.ts          Server entry; registers tools, resources, prompts; stdio transport.
  lib/              Shared helpers: project root, manifest read, OpenAPI summary.
  tools/            MCP tools: search-codebase, project-structure, run-command, fetch-api-spec, validate-json.
  resources/       MCP resources: project manifest, project config, API spec.
  prompts/         MCP prompts: code-review, api-usage, test-plan.

Scripts

Script	Purpose
npm run build	Compile TypeScript to dist/.
npm start	Run the compiled server.
npm run dev	Run the server from source with tsx.
npm run inspector	Run the server under MCP Inspector (http://localhost:6274).
npm run lint	Run ESLint on src/.
npm run typecheck	Run TypeScript compiler in check-only mode.