The most comprehensive C++ implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for building AI-powered applications. Production-ready SDK with enterprise features including multi-transport support, connection pooling, and multi-language bindings via C API (Python, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java, C#, Ruby and more).
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- Architecture Overview
- Cross-Language Support
- What is MCP?
- Features
- Quick Start
- Examples
- Installation
- Documentation
- Comparison with Other C++ MCP SDKs
- FAQ
- Adopters
- Contributing
- License
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Application Layer │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ MCP Server │ MCP Client │ Custom Applications │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Cross-Language Binding Layer │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Python │ TypeScript │ Go │ Rust │ Java │ C# │ Ruby │ Swift │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ C API (FFI Layer) │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ libgopher_mcp_c: Opaque Handles │ RAII Guards │ Type Safety │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Protocol Layer │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │ JSON-RPC │ │ Requests │ │ Responses │ │ Notify │ │
│ │ Codec │ │ Dispatch │ │ Routing │ │ Stream │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Filter Chain Layer │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │ HTTP / SSE │ │ Routing │ │ Rate Limiter │ │ Auth │ │
│ │ Codecs │ │ & CORS │ │ Circuit Brk │ │ Metrics │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Transport Layer │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Stdio │ HTTP(S)+SSE │ Streamable HTTP │ WebSocket │ TCP │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Network Layer │
│ ┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ Connection │ │ Listener │ │ Socket │ │
│ │ Management │ │ & Accept │ │ Interface │ │
│ └────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Event Loop & Dispatcher │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Libevent │ Timer Management │ I/O Events │ Buffer │ Result │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
- Thread-Safe Dispatcher Model - All I/O in dispatcher threads, no complex synchronization
- Filter Chain Architecture - Modular, composable request processing
- Production Patterns - Connection pooling, circuit breaker, graceful shutdown
Use MCP C++ SDK from any programming language via the stable C API (libgopher_mcp_c):
| Language | Binding Type | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Python | ctypes/cffi | Async support, type hints |
| TypeScript/Node.js | N-API | High performance, native async |
| Go | CGO | Goroutine-safe wrappers |
| Rust | FFI | Safe wrappers, ownership guarantees |
| Java | JNI | Automatic resource management |
| C#/.NET | P/Invoke | Async/await support |
| Ruby | Native extension | GC integration |
# Installation paths
Headers: /usr/local/include/gopher-mcp/mcp/c_api/
Library: /usr/local/lib/libgopher_mcp_c.{so,dylib,dll}Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol that enables AI models (like Claude, GPT, etc.) to securely interact with external tools, data sources, and services. MCP provides a standardized way for:
- AI assistants to access files, databases, and APIs
- Developers to expose tools and resources to AI models
- Applications to integrate AI capabilities with enterprise systems
This MCP C++ SDK implements the official MCP specification in high-performance C++, suitable for:
- Embedded systems and IoT devices
- High-frequency trading and real-time applications
- Game engines and graphics applications
- Native desktop and mobile applications
- Backend services requiring low latency
| Category | Features |
|---|---|
| Protocol | Full MCP 2025-06-18 and 2025-11-25 specifications, 2026-07-28 (in progress), JSON-RPC 2.0, resources, tools, prompts |
| Transports | stdio, HTTP+SSE, HTTPS+SSE, WebSocket, TCP |
| Performance | Zero-copy buffers, lock-free operations, connection pooling |
| Reliability | Circuit breaker, rate limiting, retry with backoff, graceful shutdown |
| Security | TLS/SSL, authentication middleware, request validation |
| Observability | Structured logging, metrics, health endpoints |
| Cross-Language | C API for Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, Java, C#, Ruby bindings |
# Show all available commands
make help
# Build
make
# Install (auto-prompts for sudo if needed)
make install
# Run tests
make test#include "mcp/server/mcp_server.h"
int main() {
mcp::server::McpServerConfig config;
config.server_name = "my-mcp-server";
auto server = mcp::server::createMcpServer(config);
// Register a tool
mcp::Tool calculator;
calculator.name = "add";
calculator.description = "Add two numbers";
server->registerTool(calculator, [](const std::string& name,
const mcp::optional<mcp::Metadata>& arguments,
mcp::server::SessionContext& ctx) {
mcp::CallToolResult result;
auto args = arguments.value();
auto a_it = args.find("a");
auto b_it = args.find("b");
double a = mcp::holds_alternative<double>(a_it->second)
? mcp::get<double>(a_it->second) : 0.0;
double b = mcp::holds_alternative<double>(b_it->second)
? mcp::get<double>(b_it->second) : 0.0;
result.content.push_back(mcp::TextContent{"Result: " + std::to_string(a + b)});
return result;
});
server->listen("http://0.0.0.0:3000");
server->run();
}#include "mcp/client/mcp_client.h"
int main() {
mcp::client::McpClientConfig config;
config.client_name = "my-mcp-client";
auto client = mcp::client::createMcpClient(config);
client->connect("http://localhost:3000");
// Initialize protocol
auto init = client->initializeProtocol().get();
// Call a tool
auto args = mcp::make<mcp::Metadata>()
.add("a", 10.0)
.add("b", 5.0)
.build();
auto result = client->callTool("add", mcp::make_optional(args)).get();
}See examples/mcp/README.md for complete working examples:
# Terminal 1: Start server
./build/examples/mcp/mcp_example_server --verbose
# Terminal 2: Run client with demo
./build/examples/mcp/mcp_example_client --demo --verboseThe example server includes:
- Resource registration and subscriptions
- Tool execution (calculator, database query, system info)
- Prompt templates
- Session management
- HTTP/SSE endpoints
- C++14 compiler (GCC 8+, Clang 10+, MSVC 2019+)
- CMake 3.10+
- libevent 2.1+
- OpenSSL 1.1+ (optional, for TLS)
# Debug build
make debug
# Release build
make release
# Static libraries only
cmake -B build -DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF
# Without C API
cmake -B build -DBUILD_C_API=OFF
# Custom install prefix
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=~/.localBuilding on Windows requires Cygwin with MinGW-w64 toolchain:
Install Cygwin with these packages:
make,cmake- Build toolsmingw64-x86_64-gcc-g++- MinGW C++ compilermingw64-x86_64-libevent- Event librarymingw64-x86_64-openssl- SSL/TLS library
# From Cygwin bash shell
./build-mingw.sh # Release build (default)
./build-mingw.sh debug # Debug build
./build-mingw.sh release # Release build
./build-mingw.sh clean # Clean build directory- Build directory:
build-mingw/ - Executable:
build-mingw/examples/mcp/mcp_example_server.exe
- Examples Guide - Working server and client examples
- MCP Protocol in C++ - Model Context Protocol implementation details
- Filter Chain - Processing pipeline architecture
- Transport Layer - Transport implementations
- Network Layer - Connection management and socket abstraction
- Event Loop Design - Event-driven architecture and dispatcher design
- Filter Usage Guide - Comprehensive guide for using and creating filters
- CTAD Alternatives - Class Template Argument Deduction alternatives for C++14
- MCP Serialization Coverage - JSON serialization implementation details
Several C++ implementations of the Model Context Protocol exist. They serve different needs — this table is meant to help you pick the right one:
| gopher-mcp (this SDK) | hkr04/cpp-mcp | Neumann-Labs/mcp-cpp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Production / enterprise deployments | Lightweight, minimal footprint | Modern C++20 framework |
| MCP spec version | 2025-06-18, 2025-11-25, 2026-07-28 (in progress) | 2025-03-26 | 2025-11-25 (in progress) |
| C++ standard | C++14 / 17 / 20 | C++17 | C++20 |
| Transports | stdio, HTTP+SSE, HTTPS, Streamable HTTP, WebSocket, TCP | stdio, HTTP+SSE | stdio, HTTP |
| Client + server | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TLS | Yes | Yes (build flag) | — |
| Event model | Event-driven dispatcher (libevent), thread-safe by design | — | — |
| Resilience | Connection pooling, circuit breaker, rate limiting, backpressure | — | — |
| Observability | Metrics, tracing hooks, structured logging | — | — |
| Language bindings | Python, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java, C#, Ruby via stable C API | C++ only | C++ only |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT | MIT |
If you need a small dependency for a quick stdio tool, a lightweight SDK like
cpp-mcp is a fine choice. If you need an MCP C++ SDK for production —
long-lived connections, multiple transports, observability, or calling the
SDK from other languages — that is what gopher-mcp is built for.
MCP is an open protocol by Anthropic that standardizes how AI models interact with external tools and data. It defines JSON-RPC methods for resources (data), tools (actions), and prompts (templates).
C++ provides maximum performance and portability. This SDK is ideal for embedded systems, real-time applications, game engines, and any environment where Python/Node.js overhead is unacceptable.
Yes. MCP is model-agnostic. Any AI system that supports MCP can use servers built with this SDK.
Use the C API bindings. The SDK provides a stable C interface that can be called from any language with FFI support.
Yes. The SDK includes connection pooling, circuit breakers, rate limiting, TLS support, and comprehensive error handling suitable for enterprise deployments.
- stdio - Standard input/output (CLI tools)
- HTTP+SSE - HTTP with Server-Sent Events (web applications)
- HTTPS+SSE - Secure HTTP+SSE
- WebSocket - Bidirectional real-time
- TCP - Raw TCP sockets
See the comparison table. In short: gopher-mcp targets production use — more transports (Streamable HTTP, WebSocket, TCP), connection pooling, circuit breakers, observability, and multi-language bindings — while lighter SDKs optimize for minimal footprint.
See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines. Issues and pull requests welcome!
Using this MCP C++ SDK in your product or project? We'd love to list you here — open a pull request or issue to add yourself.
- Gopher Security - MCP-native AI security platform
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Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines before submitting pull requests.
Apache License 2.0 - see LICENSE for details.