Overview
What is Expo MCP Server?
Expo MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol server that provides development and debugging tools for Expo-based React Native applications. It integrates logging, process management, and file tooling to streamline automation and AI-based workflows.
How to use Expo MCP Server?
Install dependencies with npm install, build with npm run build, then start the server with npm start. For development use npm run dev and for testing with the MCP inspector use npm run inspect. The server exposes MCP tools such as expoStart, expoStop, expoLogs, readFile, and listFiles.
Key features of Expo MCP Server
- Start, stop, and monitor Expo development servers
- Capture and filter stdout/stderr logs
- Read, write, and list files in the project directory
- Query log statistics and clear logs
- Extendable via custom MCP tools
- Includes a packed single-file representation for AI processing (via Repomix)
Use cases of Expo MCP Server
- AI-assisted debugging of Expo React Native applications
- Automating Expo dev server lifecycle management
- Collecting and analyzing server logs without manual inspection
- Performing file operations within the project from an AI tool
FAQ from Expo MCP Server
Does Expo MCP Server always kill the child Expo process on shutdown?
No. The server has a known issue where it does not always kill the child Expo process. It relies on global state to track process existence and should verify by PID instead.
How are logs stored and retrieved?
Logs are currently stored in-memory from child process events. The project notes that logs should ideally be queried from persisted log files for robustness.
What dependencies are required to run the server?
The README does not specify explicit external dependencies beyond Node.js and npm. An Expo installation is likely required for the Expo tools to function, but this is not stated.
What transport and authentication does the server use?
The server uses the Model Context Protocol standard. No authentication mechanism is described in the README.
