MCP Server Basic Example

What is MCP Server Basic Example?

MCP Server Basic Example is a minimal reference implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server in Python. It demonstrates core MCP capabilities—tools and resources—and is intended for developers learning how to build MCP servers.

How to use MCP Server Basic Example?

Initialize a project with uv init mcp-server-basic, create a virtual environment, and install mcp[cli]. Run the server for inspection with uv run mcp dev main.py, or normally with uv run mcp run. To install in Claude Desktop, use uv run mcp install main.py. For VS Code, run uv run main.py then open the chat with Ctrl+Shift+I.

Key features of MCP Server Basic Example

• add(a, b) tool: adds two integers
• subtract(a, b) tool: subtracts second integer from first
• greeting://{name} resource: returns a personalized greeting
• Fully compatible with MCP Inspector and Claude Desktop
• Minimal Python implementation using uv as package manager

Use cases of MCP Server Basic Example

• Learning how to implement MCP tools and resources from scratch
• Testing MCP client‑server communication with the Inspector
• Bootstrapping a custom MCP server for simple arithmetic or greeting functions
• Integrating with Claude Desktop for demonstration purposes

FAQ from MCP Server Basic Example

What tools does the server provide?

The server exposes two integer arithmetic tools: add(a, b) and subtract(a, b).

What resources does the server provide?

It provides a single dynamic resource greeting://{name} that returns a personalized greeting string.

How do I run the server in development mode?

Use uv run mcp dev main.py to launch the server with the MCP Inspector for testing and debugging.

How do I install the server in Claude Desktop?

Run uv run mcp install main.py from the project directory to register the server with Claude Desktop.

How do I connect the server in VS Code?

Open the project folder in VS Code, run uv run main.py in the terminal, then press Ctrl+Shift+I to launch the VS Code chat interface and configure the MCP connection.