mcp-server-patterns

To set up an MCP server in Node.js, structure your project to define tools, resources, and reusable prompts using the Model Context Protocol SDK. You must implement transport-independent server logic and validate all inputs with Zod schemas before exposing endpoints to clients.

Use stdio transport for local MCP clients and Streamable HTTP for remote client connections. Choosing the right transport ensures your MCP server communicates correctly with its target environment, whether running locally or deployed across a network.

Validate input schemas for MCP server tools by defining Zod schemas for each tool's parameters. This enforces strict type checking and runtime validation, ensuring that malformed or invalid requests are rejected before reaching your core server logic.

MCP server tools fail to register correctly when server logic is transport-dependent or SDK versions are mismatched. Debug registration by pinning your MCP SDK version, verifying current APIs against official documentation, and ensuring your server logic remains transport-independent.

Yes, you can build a TypeScript MCP server that exposes search tools, read-only resources, and reusable prompts. This setup allows clients like Codex to securely query data and execute predefined actions without modifying the underlying resource state.

Keep an MCP server compatible with SDK updates by pinning your dependency versions and verifying current APIs against official MCP documentation or Context7. This prevents breaking changes from affecting your server's tool registration and transport configuration.