mcp-devtools

MCP DevTools

A single, high-performance MCP server that replaces multiple Node.js and Python-based MCP servers with one efficient Go binary, providing access to essential developer tools through a unified, modular interface that can be easily extended with new tools.

graph TD
    A[MCP DevTools Server] --> B[Search & Discovery]
    A --> C[Document Processing]
    A --> D[Web & Network]
    A --> E[Intelligence & Memory]
    A --> F[UI & Utilities]

    B --> B1[Internet Search]
    B --> B2[Package Search]
    B --> B3[Package Documentation]

    C --> C1[Document Processing]
    C --> C2[PDF Processing]

    D --> D1[Web Fetch]

    E --> E1[Think Tool]
    E --> E2[Memory Graph]

    F --> F1[ShadCN UI Components]
    F --> F2[American→English]

    classDef server fill:#E6E6FA,stroke:#756BB1,color:#756BB1
    classDef category fill:#EFF3FF,stroke:#9ECAE1,color:#3182BD
    classDef tool fill:#E6FFE6,stroke:#4CAF50,color:#2E7D32

    class A server
    class B,C,D,E,F category
    class B1,B2,B3,C1,C2,D1,E1,E2,F1,F2 tool

Why I Built MCP DevTools

🚀 Single Binary Solution

• Replace multiple potentially resource-heavy Node.js/Python MCP servers, each spawned for every client tool you use
• One binary, one configuration, consistent performance
• Built in Go for speed and efficiency
• Minimal memory footprint compared to multiple separate servers
• Fast startup and response times
• Download one binary, configure once - or compile from source
• Optional dependencies only for specific tools
• Works out of the box for most tools

🛠 Comprehensive Tool Suite

• 10+ essential developer tools in one package
• No need to manage multiple MCP server installations
• Consistent API across all tools

Available Tools

👉 See detailed tool documentation

Quick Start

Installation

Option 1: Go Install

go install github.com/sammcj/mcp-devtools@HEAD

Option 2: Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/sammcj/mcp-devtools.git
cd mcp-devtools
make build

Option 3: Download Release Download the latest binary from releases and place in your PATH and remember to check for updates!

Basic MCP Configuration

STDIO

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dev-tools": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/mcp-devtools",
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "This is optional - remove if not needed",
      }
    }
  }
}

Replacing /path/to/mcp-devtools with your actual binary path (e.g., /Users/yourname/go/bin/mcp-devtools).

Note: The BRAVE_API_KEY is optional and only needed if you want to use the Brave Search provider, there are other providers available, see the various tools documentation for more details.

Streamable HTTP

mcp-devtools --transport http --port 8080

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dev-tools": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/http"
    }
  }
}

Transport Options

MCP DevTools supports three transport modes for different use cases:

STDIO Transport (Default)

Best for: Simple, local use with MCP clients like Claude Desktop, Cline, etc.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dev-tools": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/path/to/mcp-devtools",
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-api-key-if-needed"
      }
    }
  }
}

Streamable HTTP Transport

Best for: Production deployments, shared use, centralised configuration

# Basic HTTP mode
mcp-devtools --transport http --port 8080

# With authentication
mcp-devtools --transport http --port 8080 --auth-token mysecrettoken

# With OAuth (see OAuth documentation)
mcp-devtools --transport http --port 8080 --oauth-enabled

Client Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dev-tools": {
      "type": "streamableHttp",
      "url": "http://localhost:8080/http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer mysecrettoken"
      }
    }
  }
}

SSE Transport

Best for: Real-time applications, web dashboards

mcp-devtools --transport sse --port 18080 --base-url http://localhost

Client Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dev-tools": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://localhost:18080/sse"
    }
  }
}

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

All environment variables are optional, but if you want to use specific search providers or document processing features, you may need to provide the the appropriate variables.

Core Tools:

• BRAVE_API_KEY - Enable Brave Search provider by providing a (free Brave search API key)
• SEARXNG_BASE_URL - Enable SearXNG search provider by providing the base URL (e.g. https://searxng.example.com)
• MEMORY_FILE_PATH - Memory storage location (default: ~/.mcp-devtools/)
• DISABLED_FUNCTIONS - Comma-separated list of functions to disable (e.g. think,internet_search)

Document Processing:

• DOCLING_PYTHON_PATH - Python executable path (default: auto-detected)
• DOCLING_CACHE_ENABLED - Enable processed document cache (default: true)
• DOCLING_HARDWARE_ACCELERATION - Hardware acceleration (auto (default), mps, cuda, cpu)

Command-Line Options

• --transport, -t - Transport type (stdio, sse, http). Default: stdio
• --port - Port for HTTP transports. Default: 18080
• --base-url - Base URL for HTTP transports. Default: http://localhost
• --auth-token - Authentication token for HTTP transport
• --debug, -d - Enable debug logging

Architecture

MCP DevTools uses a modular architecture:

• Tool Registry: Central registry managing tool discovery and registration
• Tool Interface: Standardised interface all tools implement
• Transport Layer: Supports STDIO, HTTP, and SSE transports
• Plugin System: Easy to add new tools following the interface

Each tool is self-contained and registers automatically when the binary starts.

Advanced Features

OAuth 2.0/2.1 Authentication

For production deployments requiring centralised user authentication:

👉 Complete OAuth Setup Guide

Quick example:

# Browser-based authentication
mcp-devtools --transport http --oauth-browser-auth --oauth-client-id="your-client"

# Resource server mode
mcp-devtools --transport http --oauth-enabled --oauth-issuer="https://auth.example.com"

Docker Support

# Pull latest image
docker pull ghcr.io/sammcj/mcp-devtools:latest

# Run with environment variables
docker run -e BRAVE_API_KEY="your-key" ghcr.io/sammcj/mcp-devtools:latest

Creating New Tools

Want to add your own tools? See the Development Guide.

Getting Help

• Tool Documentation: docs/tools/overview.md
• OAuth Setup: docs/oauth/README.md
• Development: docs/development/creating-new-tools.md
• Issues: GitHub Issues, please note that I built this tool for my own use and it is not a commercially supported product, so if you can - please raise a PR instead of an issue.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! This project follows standard Go development practices and includes comprehensive tests.

# Development setup
git clone https://github.com/sammcj/mcp-devtools.git
cd mcp-devtools
make deps
make test
make build

License

Apache Public License 2.0 - Copyright 2025 Sam McLeod