create-mcp-server

Scaffold a Model Context Protocol server in seconds. Like create-react-app, but for MCP.

Status

Early groundwork — one working template (typescript-stdio-tool). See Roadmap.

Try it locally

npm install
npm run build
node dist/cli.js my-server

Or in dev mode (no build):

npm run dev -- my-server

Flags:

• -t, --template <name> — pick template non-interactively
• -y, --yes — accept all defaults (implies --no-install, --no-git)
• --install / --no-install — install deps after generate (auto-detects npm/pnpm/yarn/bun)
• --git / --no-git — git init + initial commit after generate

Architecture

src/
  cli.ts          CLI entry (commander)
  prompts.ts      Interactive prompts (@inquirer/prompts)
  templates.ts    Discover templates/ at runtime
  generator.ts    Copy template + replace placeholders
templates/
  typescript-stdio-tool/
    template.json     metadata (name, description)
    package.json      uses {{projectName}}, {{description}}, {{author}}
    src/index.ts      stdio MCP server with one example tool
    _gitignore        renamed to .gitignore on copy (npm strips real .gitignore)

Adding a new template

1. Create templates/<name>/
2. Add a template.json with { "description": "..." }
3. Put real, runnable code inside — use {{projectName}}, {{description}}, {{author}} where you want substitution
4. Files eligible for placeholder replacement live in PLACEHOLDER_FILES in generator.ts — extend if needed
5. Use _gitignore instead of .gitignore (auto-renamed)

CI

GitHub Actions workflows live at .github/workflows/ — that's the only path GitHub recognizes; placing them anywhere else makes them inert.

• ci.yml — runs npm ci, npm run build, npm test, and a CLI smoke test on Node 20/22 across Linux/Windows/macOS for every push and PR to main. Also runs the Python SDK pin check (non-blocking).
• sdk-bump.yml — weekly cron + manual trigger that runs the Python sync script and opens a PR when @modelcontextprotocol/sdk has a new release.

License

PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 — free to fork, modify, and use for personal, research, educational, or other noncommercial purposes. Commercial use requires a separate license from the author.

Roadmap

• Template: typescript-stdio-resource
• Auto-install deps (--install / --no-install)
• Auto-init git repo (--git / --no-git)
• Project-name validation
• CI workflows
• More templates: typescript-stdio-full, typescript-http-sse, python-stdio-tool
• Helper to add Claude Desktop config entry
• mcp add tool <name> subcommand to extend an existing project
• Publish to npm as create-mcp-server so npm create mcp-server works
• Tests (vitest) — at minimum, generate each template into a tmpdir and run tsc

Design notes

• Templates are real, runnable projects with placeholders, not a DSL. Lower mental tax, easier to test, easier to contribute.
• Replacements are scoped to package.json, README.md, tsconfig.json by default. Keep source files clean of template syntax so they stay valid TypeScript.
• _gitignore rename trick — npm refuses to publish a real .gitignore inside a package, so templates ship the underscore form.