Stack Overflow MCP Server

A modular Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to search and access Stack Overflow content for technical solutions, error handling, and programming knowledge.

Features

• 🔍 Multiple Search Methods: Search by query, error message, or specific question ID
• 📊 Advanced Filtering: Filter results by tags, score, and accepted answers
• 🧩 Error Analysis: Parse error messages and find relevant solutions
• 📝 Flexible Formatting: Get results in Markdown or JSON format
• 💬 Comments Support: Optionally include question and answer comments
• ⚡ Rate Limiting: Built-in protection to respect Stack Exchange API quotas
• 🏗️ Modular Architecture: Clean separation of concerns for easy maintenance

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12+
• uv (recommended) or pip
• Stack Exchange API key (see below)

Getting a Stack Exchange API Key

1. Go to Stack Apps OAuth Registration
2. Fill out the form:
   • Name: "Stack Overflow MCP" (or your preferred name)
   • Description: "MCP server for accessing Stack Overflow"
   • OAuth Domain: "localhost" (for local usage)
3. Submit and copy your API Key

Installation

Using uv (recommended)

# Clone the repository
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd stackoverflow-mcp

# Install dependencies
uv pip install -e .

# For development
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

Using pip

pip install -e .

# For development
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your configuration:

# Required
STACK_EXCHANGE_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# Optional: Rate limiting (defaults shown)
MAX_REQUEST_PER_WINDOW=30
RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS=60000
RETRY_AFTER_MS=2000

Usage

Running the Server Locally

# Using uv
uv run main.py

# Using python
python main.py

Running with Docker

# Build the Docker image
docker-compose build

# Run the server
docker-compose run --rm stackoverflow-mcp

Adding to VS Code MCP

Add to your User mcp.json file (File > Preferences > Settings > search for "mcp" > Edit in settings.json):

Using Docker (recommended):

"stackoverflow-mcp": {
  "type": "stdio",
  "command": "docker",
  "args": [
    "compose",
    "-f",
    "C:/Users/YourUser/path/to/stackoverflow-mcp/docker-compose.yml",
    "run",
    "--rm",
    "-T",
    "stackoverflow-mcp"
  ],
  "env": {
    "STACK_EXCHANGE_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
  }
}

Without Docker:

"stackoverflow-mcp": {
  "type": "stdio",
  "command": "python",
  "args": ["C:/Users/YourUser/path/to/stackoverflow-mcp/main.py"],
  "env": {
    "STACK_EXCHANGE_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
  }
}

Available Tools

1. search_by_query

Advanced search with comprehensive filtering options.

Parameters:

• query (required): Search query string
• tags: Filter by tags (e.g., ["python", "pandas"])
  • ⚠️ Note: Invalid tags are automatically detected and removed. The search continues with only valid tags and displays which tags were removed.
  • ℹ️ Note: If no results are found with tags, the search automatically retries without tag filtering to find relevant content.
• excluded_tags: Exclude specific tags
• min_score: Minimum score threshold (default: 0)
• has_accepted_answer: Require accepted answer (default: false)
• title: Text that must appear in title
• body: Text that must appear in body
• min_answers: Minimum number of answers
• sort_by: Sort by activity, creation, votes, or relevance (default: "relevance")
• include_comments: Include comments (default: false)
• response_format: "json" or "markdown" (default: "markdown")
• limit: Max results (default: 10)

2. search_by_error

Parse error messages and find solutions.

Parameters:

• error_message (required): Error message or stack trace
• language: Programming language (e.g., "python", "javascript")
• technologies: Related technologies (e.g., ["react", "django"])
• min_score: Minimum score threshold (default: 1)
• include_comments: Include comments (default: false)
• response_format: "json" or "markdown" (default: "markdown")
• limit: Max results (default: 5)

3. get_question

Fetch specific question with all answers by ID.

Parameters:

• question_id (required): Stack Overflow question ID
• include_comments: Include comments (default: false)
• response_format: "json" or "markdown" (default: "markdown")