Project Setup Guide

What is Project Setup Guide?

Project Setup Guide is a simple Node.js Express server that provides a POST endpoint (/test-server) to check the availability of an MCP server by querying the Smithery registry (https://registry.smithery.ai/servers/{installationCode}). It is intended for developers who need to verify that an MCP server is reachable and return its connection details.

How to use Project Setup Guide?

Navigate to the backend directory, install dependencies with npm install, create a .env file with PORT=5000 and FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173, then run the server with npm run dev. The endpoint POST /test-server becomes available at http://localhost:5000/test-server. Send a request body containing an installationCode (e.g., {"installationCode":"your-installation-code"}). The server responds with a success flag, a message, and the server data if reachable, else an error.

Key features of Project Setup Guide

• Single POST endpoint to verify MCP server availability.
• Queries the Smithery registry using the provided installation code.
• Returns server data including qualified name, display name, and connection URLs.
• Handles success and error responses clearly.
• Simple Node.js Express setup with minimal dependencies.

Use cases of Project Setup Guide

• Validate that a specific MCP server is active and accessible.
• Automate health checks for MCP servers before using them.
• Retrieve connection details (e.g., HTTP URL, config schema) for a given server.
• Debug integration issues with Smithery-hosted MCP servers.

FAQ from Project Setup Guide

What runtime and dependencies does Project Setup Guide require?

It requires Node.js, npm, and Express. Environment variables must include PORT and FRONTEND_URL. The frontend setup (separate directory) uses Vite and requires VITE_BACKEND_URL.

How does the server check MCP server availability?

It sends an HTTP GET request to https://registry.smithery.ai/servers/{installationCode} and returns the response data on success, or an error if the connection fails.

What transport/auth does Project Setup Guide use?

The endpoint uses HTTP POST. No authentication is described in the README.

Where does the server data come from?

The data is fetched from the Smithery registry at https://registry.smithery.ai/servers/{installationCode}.

Can I run only the backend without the frontend?

Yes, the backend can run independently. The frontend is optional and is used to test the full application at http://localhost:5173.