Developer MCP Server

1# Developer MCP Server
2 
3A general purpose Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides comprehensive developer tools for file editing, shell command execution, and screen capture capabilities. Built using the [rmcp](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/rmcp) crate.
4 
5## 🚀 Features
6 
7### 📝 Text Editor
8- **View files** with language detection for markdown formatting
9- **Write/create files** with automatic directory creation
10- **String replacement** with precise matching
11- **Undo functionality** with edit history
12- **File size protection** (400KB limit for text files)
13 
14### 🖥️ Shell Integration
15- **Cross-platform command execution** (PowerShell on Windows, bash/zsh on Unix)
16- **Combined stdout/stderr output** as it appears in terminal
17- **Output size protection** (400KB limit)
18- **Platform-specific optimizations**
19 
20### 📸 Screen Capture
21- **Full display screenshots** with monitor selection
22- **Window-specific capture** by title
23- **Automatic image optimization** (768px max width)
24- **Base64 encoded PNG output**
25 
26### 🖼️ Image Processing
27- **Image file processing** from disk
28- **Automatic resizing** while maintaining aspect ratio
29- **Format conversion** to PNG
30- **macOS screenshot filename handling**
31 
32### 🔄 Workflow Management
33- **Multi-step problem solving** with sequential progression
34- **Branching workflows** for alternative solution paths
35- **Step revision** capability to update previous steps
36- **Context preservation** across complex reasoning processes
37 
38### 🔒 Security Features
39- **Gitignore integration** - respects `.gitignore` patterns for file access control
40- **Path validation** - requires absolute paths to prevent directory traversal
41- **File size limits** - prevents memory exhaustion attacks
42- **Access pattern filtering** - blocks access to sensitive files
43 
44## 📋 Requirements
45 
46- **Rust** 1.70+ (for building from source)
47- **Claude Desktop** or compatible MCP client
48- **Operating System**: macOS, Linux, or Windows
49 
50## 🛠️ Installation
51 
52### Option 1: Build from Source (Recommended)
53 
541. **Clone the repository:**
55   ```bash
56   git clone git@github.com:VertexStudio/developer.git
57   cd developer
58   ```
59 
602. **Build the project:**
61   ```bash
62   cargo build --release
63   ```
64 
653. **The binary will be available at:**
66   ```
67   target/release/developer
68   ```
69 
70### Option 2: Development Build
71 
72For development/testing purposes:
73```bash
74cargo build
75# Binary at: target/debug/developer
76```
77 
78## ⚙️ Configuration
79 
80### Claude Desktop Setup
81 
821. **Open Claude Desktop configuration file:**
83 
84   **macOS/Linux:**
85   ```bash
86   code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
87   ```
88 
89   **Windows:**
90   ```bash
91   code %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
92   ```
93 
942. **Add the developer server configuration:**
95 
96   ```json
97   {
98     "mcpServers": {
99       "developer": {
100         "command": "/path/to/your/developer/target/release/developer",
101         "args": []
102       }
103     }
104   }
105   ```
106 
107   **Example configurations:**
108 
109   **Development build:**
110   ```json
111   {
112     "mcpServers": {
113       "developer": {
114         "command": "/Users/rozgo/vertex/developer/target/debug/developer",
115         "args": []
116       }
117     }
118   }
119   ```
120 
121   **Production build:**
122   ```json
123   {
124     "mcpServers": {
125       "developer": {
126         "command": "/Users/rozgo/vertex/developer/target/release/developer",
127         "args": []
128       }
129     }
130   }
131   ```
132 
1333. **Restart Claude Desktop** to load the new configuration.
134 
135### File Access Control (Optional)
136 
137Create a `.gitignore` file in your working directory to control which files the server can access:
138 
139```gitignore
140# Sensitive files
141.env
142.env.*
143secrets.*
144private/
145*.key
146*.pem
147 
148# Build artifacts
149target/
150node_modules/
151dist/
152```
153 
154The server will automatically respect these patterns and block access to matching files.
155 
156## 🎯 Usage Examples
157 
158Once configured, you can use these tools directly in Claude Desktop:
159 
160### Text Editing
161```
162"Can you view the contents of /path/to/my/file.rs?"
163 
164"Please create a new file at /path/to/hello.py with a simple hello world script"
165 
166"Replace the line 'old_function()' with 'new_function()' in /path/to/main.rs"
167 
168"Undo the last edit to /path/to/main.rs"
169```
170 
171### Shell Commands
172```
173"Run 'ls -la' to show me the current directory contents"
174 
175"Execute 'cargo test' to run the test suite"
176 
177"Run 'git status' to check the repository status"
178```
179 
180### Screen Capture
181```
182"Take a screenshot of my main display"
183 
184"Capture a screenshot of the window titled 'VS Code'"
185 
186"Show me what windows are available for capture"
187```
188 
189### Image Processing
190```
191"Process the image at /path/to/screenshot.png and show it to me"
192 
193"Load and display the image from /Users/me/Desktop/diagram.jpg"
194```
195 
196### Workflow Management
197```
198"Start a workflow to implement a new feature with 5 steps"
199 
200"Create a branch from step 3 to explore an alternative approach"
201 
202"Revise step 2 to use a different algorithm"
203```
204 
205## 🏗️ Architecture
206 
207```
208Developer MCP Server
209├── Text Editor     → File viewing, editing, string replacement, undo
210├── Shell           → Cross-platform command execution  
211├── Screen Capture  → Display and window screenshots
212├── Image Processor → File-based image processing
213├── Workflow        → Multi-step problem solving with branching
214└── Security Layer  → Gitignore integration, path validation
215```
216 
217## 🔧 Tool Reference
218 
219### text_editor
220- **Commands:** `view`, `write`, `str_replace`, `undo_edit`
221- **Parameters:** `path` (required), `file_text`, `old_str`, `new_str`
222- **Limits:** 400KB file size, absolute paths only
223 
224### shell  
225- **Parameters:** `command` (required)
226- **Features:** Platform detection, output redirection, size limits
227- **Limits:** 400KB output size
228 
229### screen_capture
230- **Parameters:** `display` (optional), `window_title` (optional)
231- **Output:** Base64 PNG image, 768px max width
232 
233### list_windows
234- **Parameters:** None
235- **Output:** List of capturable window titles
236 
237### image_processor
238- **Parameters:** `path` (required)
239- **Features:** Auto-resize, format conversion, macOS compatibility
240- **Limits:** 10MB file size
241 
242### workflow
243- **Parameters:** `step_description`, `step_number`, `total_steps`, `next_step_needed` (required), `is_step_revision`, `revises_step`, `branch_from_step`, `branch_id`, `needs_more_steps` (optional)
244- **Features:** Sequential progression, branching, step revision
245- **Output:** JSON workflow status
246 
247## 🐛 Troubleshooting
248 
249### Common Issues
250 
251**"Tool not found" errors:**
252- Ensure the binary path in your configuration is correct
253- Verify the binary exists and is executable
254- Check Claude Desktop logs for detailed error messages
255 
256**"File access denied" errors:**
257- Check if the file is blocked by `.gitignore` patterns
258- Ensure you're using absolute paths (not relative paths)
259- Verify file permissions
260 
261**"Command failed" errors:**
262- Ensure the command exists and is in your system PATH
263- Check if the command requires special permissions
264- Verify the command syntax for your operating system
265 
266### Debug Mode
267 
268Build with debug info for troubleshooting:
269```bash
270cargo build
271# Use target/debug/developer in your configuration
272```
273 
274### MCP Inspector
275 
276Use the official MCP inspector to debug and test tools:
277```bash
278npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector target/debug/developer
279```
280 
281This will open a web interface where you can:
282- Inspect available tools and their schemas
283- Test tool calls interactively
284- Debug server responses
285- Validate MCP protocol compliance
286 
287### Tools Schema Export
288 
289Export the tools JSON schema for debugging or integration:
290```bash
291# Save tools schema to file
292cargo run toolbox > tools.json
293 
294# Pretty print tools schema
295cargo run toolbox | jq .
296```
297 
298## 🤝 Contributing
299 
3001. Fork the repository
3012. Create a feature branch
3023. Add tests for new functionality
3034. Ensure all tests pass: `cargo test`
3045. Submit a pull request
305 
306## 📝 License
307 
308[MIT](LICENSE)
309 
310## 🔗 Related Projects
311 
312- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) - The protocol specification
313- [Claude Desktop](https://claude.ai/download) - Official Claude desktop application
314- [MCP Servers](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers) - Official MCP server implementations
315