# Developer Protocol **Server:** whois-mcp-server **Version:** 0.3.0 **Framework:** [@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core) `^0.13.22` **Engines:** Bun ≥1.4.4, Node ≥24.0.0 **MCP SDK:** `@modelcontextprotocol/server` ^2.4.0 **Zod:** ^4.6.7 > **Read the framework docs first:** `node_modules/@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/CLAUDE.md` contains the full API reference — builders, Context, error codes, exports, patterns. This file covers server-specific conventions only. --- ## What's Next? When the user asks what's next or needs direction, suggest options based on the current project state. Common next steps: 1. **Re-run the `setup` skill** — ensures CLAUDE.md, skills, structure, and metadata are populated and up to date with the current codebase 2. **Run the `design-mcp-server` skill** — if the tool/resource surface hasn't been mapped yet, work through domain design 3. **Add tools/resources/prompts** — scaffold new definitions using the `add-tool`, `add-app-tool`, `add-resource`, `add-prompt` skills 4. **Add services** — scaffold domain service integrations using the `add-service` skill 5. **Add tests** — scaffold tests for existing definitions using the `add-test` skill 6. **Field-test definitions** — exercise tools/resources/prompts with real inputs using the `field-test` skill, get a report of issues and pain points 7. **Run `devcheck`** — lint, format, typecheck, and security audit 8. **Run the `security-pass` skill** — audit handlers for MCP-specific security gaps: output injection, scope blast radius, input sinks, tenant isolation 9. **Run the `polish-docs-meta` skill** — finalize README, CHANGELOG, metadata, and agent protocol for shipping 10. **Run the `maintenance` skill** — investigate changelogs, adopt upstream changes, and sync skills after `bun update --latest` Tailor suggestions to what's actually missing or stale — don't recite the full list every time. --- ## Core Rules - **Logic throws, framework catches.** Tool/resource handlers are pure — throw on failure, no `try/catch`. Plain `Error` is fine; the framework catches, classifies, and formats. Use error factories (`notFound()`, `validationError()`, etc.) when the error code matters. - **Use `ctx.log`** for request-scoped logging. No `console` calls. - **Use `ctx.state`** for tenant-scoped storage. Never access persistence directly. - **Need input the caller didn't supply?** `return ctx.requestInput(...)` and read `ctx.inputs` when the handler is re-entered. Never `await` for user input mid-handler. - **Secrets in env vars only** — never hardcoded. - **Cut noise.** Add only what earns its place: no speculative generality, no guards for states the framework already prevents (Zod-validated params, classified errors), no abstraction until a third caller proves it, no option nothing sets. - **Close the loop on issues.** When implementing work tracked by a GitHub issue, comment on the issue with what landed and close it. Do both — a comment without a close leaves stale issues open; a close without a comment leaves no record of what shipped. The comment is for future readers — state the concrete changes, not the conversation that produced them. --- ## Patterns ### Tool ```ts import { tool, z } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core'; import { JsonRpcErrorCode } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors'; import { getRdapService } from '@/services/rdap/rdap-service.js'; export const whoisLookupDomain = tool('whois_lookup_domain', { description: 'Look up registry registration data with provider DNSSEC and privacy evidence. Public registrant org is independent of contact redaction.', annotations: { readOnlyHint: true, idempotentHint: true, openWorldHint: true }, input: z.object({ domain: z.string().describe('Domain name to look up (e.g. "github.com")'), }), output: z.object({ domain: z.string().describe('Normalized domain name'), registrar: z.string().nullable().describe('Registrar name'), // … additional output fields }), errors: [ { reason: 'rdap_no_coverage', code: JsonRpcErrorCode.NotFound, when: 'TLD has no RDAP server in IANA bootstrap', recovery: 'Use whois_get_dns for DNS evidence; it cannot establish registration status.' }, { reason: 'domain_not_found', code: JsonRpcErrorCode.NotFound, when: 'RDAP returned 404 — no registry object found', recovery: 'Use whois_check_availability for record status; no eligibility guarantee is implied.' }, ], async handler(input, ctx) { const rdap = getRdapService(); const record = await rdap.lookupDomain(input.domain); ctx.log.info('Domain lookup completed', { domain: input.domain }); return record; }, format: (result) => [{ type: 'text', text: `**${result.domain}** — Registrar: ${result.registrar ?? 'unknown'}` }], }); ``` ### Server config ```ts // src/config/server-config.ts — lazy-parsed, separate from framework config import { z } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core'; import { parseEnvConfig } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/config'; const ServerConfigSchema = z.object({ rdapTimeoutMs: z.coerce.number().default(5000).describe('HTTP timeout for RDAP requests in ms.'), dohTimeoutMs: z.coerce.number().default(3000).describe('HTTP timeout for DoH requests in ms.'), rdapMaxRetries: z.coerce.number().default(2).describe('Max retry attempts on transient RDAP failures.'), dohMaxRetries: z.coerce.number().default(2).describe('Max retry attempts on transient DoH failures.'), }); let _config: z.infer | undefined; export function getServerConfig() { _config ??= parseEnvConfig(ServerConfigSchema, { rdapTimeoutMs: 'RDAP_TIMEOUT_MS', dohTimeoutMs: 'DOH_TIMEOUT_MS', rdapMaxRetries: 'RDAP_MAX_RETRIES', dohMaxRetries: 'DOH_MAX_RETRIES', }); return _config; } ``` `parseEnvConfig` maps Zod schema paths → env var names so errors name the variable (`RDAP_TIMEOUT_MS`) not the path (`rdapTimeoutMs`). Throws `ConfigurationError`, which the framework prints as a clean startup banner. An empty string and a whole-value unsubstituted `${…}` placeholder read as unset, so an optional field stays `undefined` and a defaulted field takes its default. For env booleans use `z.stringbool()`, never `z.coerce.boolean()` — `Boolean("false")` is `true`, so a coerced flag can't be disabled through the environment. `z.stringbool()` parses `true/false/1/0/yes/no/on/off` and rejects anything else, so `=false` actually disables. Call `getServerConfig()` in `createApp()`'s `setup()` before initializing services so invalid environment values fail startup before the transport binds. ### Server identity and instructions `createApp()` accepts optional identity fields forwarded to the SDK's `initialize` response and the server manifest (`/.well-known/mcp.json`): ```ts await createApp({ name: 'whois-mcp-server', title: 'whois-mcp-server', instructions: 'Use shortcut alpha for the most common case.', }); ``` `instructions` is optional server-level orientation, sent on every `initialize` as session-level context. Use it for deployment guidance (connection aliases, regional notes, scope hints) instead of repeating the same context across tool descriptions. Client adoption is uneven, but there's no downside when set. ### Session posture and shutdown Two more `createApp()` options shape how the server runs rather than how it presents itself: ```ts await createApp({ sessionMode: 'stateless', // or { default: 'stateful', require: 'stateful' } setup(core) { startMyWatcher(core.config); }, async teardown() { await stopMyWatcher(); }, }); ``` `sessionMode` declares the HTTP session posture in `src/` instead of leaving it to a deployment's `MCP_SESSION_MODE`, which still wins whenever it carries a meaningful value (an empty string and an unsubstituted `${…}` placeholder read as unset and fall through to the option). Add `require: 'stateful'` when a tool asks the caller for input mid-handler via `ctx.requestInput`: startup then fails with a `ConfigurationError` rather than serving a mode in which a 2025-era client can never answer the prompt. Stdio is never refused. `teardown(core)` is the `setup()` counterpart — release a watcher, socket, or non-`unref()`'d timer there. It runs after the transport stops and before the logger closes, on every shutdown path, and a signal-triggered shutdown then exits the process explicitly (0, or 1 if a step never settles within the framework's 10 s ceiling). **This server declares `sessionMode: 'stateless'`.** It holds no per-session state and no handler calls `ctx.requestInput`, so the session store and the per-session `McpServer` allocation are pure overhead and the process scales horizontally. `MCP_SESSION_MODE=stateless` in `.env.example` and the `Dockerfile` restate the same posture rather than overriding it; `require: 'stateful'` is deliberately not set. Neither `RdapService` nor `DohService` allocates a watcher, socket, or ref'd timer, so no `teardown` hook is warranted. --- ## Context Handlers receive a unified `ctx` object. Key properties: | Property | Description | |:---------|:------------| | `ctx.log` | Request-scoped logger — `.debug()`, `.info()`, `.notice()`, `.warning()`, `.error()`. Auto-correlates requestId, traceId, tenantId. Dual-sink: Pino **and** `notifications/message` to the client, so treat it as client-visible. | | `ctx.state` | Tenant-scoped KV — `.get(key)`, `.set(key, value, { ttl? })`, `.delete(key)`, `.getMany(keys)`, `.list(prefix, { cursor, limit })`. Accepts any JSON-serializable value; reads return its JSON form (a `Date` comes back as an ISO string). | | `ctx.requestInput` | Suspend and ask the caller for more input — `return ctx.requestInput({ inputRequests: { key: inputRequired.elicit({ message, requestedSchema }) } })`. Never returns; the handler is re-entered with the answers. Always present. | | `ctx.inputs` | The request's responses — `.accepted(key, schema)`, `.view(key)`, `.state()`, `.dropped` — limited to what the client declared (`elicitation` and its form/url modes, `sampling`, `roots`). Client-supplied: a consent gate trusts only a `ctx.state` record it stored when it asked, bound to the operation, caller, and target (see the `api-context` skill). | | `ctx.clientCapabilities` | What the client declared for this request, `undefined` when no view exists. Decides whether to ask for optional context (e.g. roots); never a reason to skip a consent prompt. | | `ctx.enrich` | Success-path agent context (empty-result notices, query echo, pagination totals) — `ctx.enrich(...)` or `.notice()` / `.total()` / `.echo()` / `.truncated()`. Reaches `structuredContent` and `content[]`; lands only when the definition declares an `enrichment` block (no-op otherwise). | | `ctx.content` | Non-text content blocks — `.image(data, mimeType)`, `.audio(data, mimeType)`, or `ctx.content(block)` for a raw block. Prepended to `content[]` after `format()`; never enters `structuredContent`. | | `ctx.signal` | `AbortSignal` for cancellation. | | `ctx.requestId` | Request ID — the one every log record of the call carries and its error envelope returns as `data.requestId`. | | `ctx.tenantId` | Tenant ID from JWT; `'default'` for stdio or HTTP with auth off. | --- ## Errors Handlers throw — the framework catches, classifies, and formats. **Recommended: typed error contract.** Declare `errors: [{ reason, code, when, recovery, retryable?, severity?, thrownBy? }]` on `tool()` / `resource()` to receive `ctx.fail(reason, …)` typed against the reason union. TypeScript catches typos at compile time, `data.reason` is auto-populated for observability, linter enforces conformance against the handler body. `recovery` is required (≥ 5 words, lint-validated) — the single source of truth for the agent's next move. The framework puts it on the wire whenever a failure carrying that `reason` arrives without a hint — a bare `ctx.fail('reason')` or a service throw with `data: { reason }` — as `data.recovery.hint`, mirrored into `content[]` text unless the message already contains it verbatim; override with an explicit `{ recovery: { hint: '...' } }` when dynamic runtime context matters. Every error envelope also carries `data.requestId`, the id the server's log records for that call carry, and `content[]` closes with `(reason … · request )`. Mark an entry the service layer throws with `thrownBy: 'service'` so `error-contract-unthrown` skips it — lint-only metadata, nothing at runtime reads it. Baseline codes (`InternalError`, `ServiceUnavailable`, `Timeout`, `ValidationError`, `SerializationError`, `RequestCancelled`) bubble freely and don't need declaring. ```ts import { JsonRpcErrorCode } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors'; errors: [ { reason: 'no_match', code: JsonRpcErrorCode.NotFound, when: 'No item matched the query', recovery: 'Broaden the query or check the spelling and try again.' }, ], async handler(input, ctx) { const item = await db.find(input.id); if (!item) throw ctx.fail('no_match', `No item ${input.id}`); return item; } ``` **Declare contracts inline on each tool.** The contract is part of the tool's public surface — one file should give the full picture. Don't extract a shared `errors[]` constant; per-tool repetition is the intended cost of locality. **Fallback (no contract entry fits):** throw via factories or plain `Error`. ```ts // Error factories — explicit code import { notFound, serviceUnavailable } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors'; throw notFound('Item not found', { itemId }); throw serviceUnavailable('API unavailable', { url }, { cause: err }); // Plain Error — framework auto-classifies from message patterns throw new Error('Item not found'); // → NotFound throw new Error('Invalid query format'); // → ValidationError // McpError — when no factory exists for the code import { McpError, JsonRpcErrorCode } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors'; throw new McpError(JsonRpcErrorCode.InitializationFailed, 'Connection failed', { pool: 'primary' }); ``` See framework CLAUDE.md and the `api-errors` skill for the full auto-classification table, all available factories, and the contract reference. --- ## Structure ```text src/ index.ts # Entry point — starts the app app.ts # createApp() options — tools, services, session mode config/ server-config.ts # Server-specific env vars (Zod schema) services/ rdap/ rdap-service.ts # RDAP client — IANA bootstrap + domain/IP/ASN lookup types.ts # RDAP domain/IP/ASN normalized types doh/ doh-service.ts # DNS-over-HTTPS client — Cloudflare primary, NextDNS fallback types.ts # DoH record types routing/ routing-service.ts # Optional RIPEstat RIS routing observations mcp-server/ tools/definitions/ whois-lookup-domain.tool.ts # Domain registration record via RDAP whois-check-availability.tool.ts # Registry record status; no eligibility guarantee whois-get-dns.tool.ts # DNS records via DoH, including SRV, DS, DNSKEY, TLSA, HTTPS whois-lookup-ip.tool.ts # IP/CIDR netblock, org, abuse contact via RIR RDAP whois-lookup-asn.tool.ts # ASN to org/RIR resolution via RIR RDAP whois-get-dossier.tool.ts # One-call domain triage — registration + DNS in parallel _fqdn.ts # Shared registration/DNS/ASN/IP syntax patterns _literal.ts # Literal provider text for Markdown presentation ``` --- ## Lookup Contracts Registry object absence never establishes registration eligibility. `whois_check_availability` reports `registration_status: registered | not_found | unknown`, with `available: false` only for a found record and null otherwise. Its ICANN-only suffix recognition rejects known subdomains without silently querying their parent; private suffixes do not create registry boundaries. Exact domain lookup and dossier preserve valid exact RDAP records below an inferred parent. Only an exact 404 permits a dossier parent fallback, attributed as `registration_domain` while DNS stays on `domain`; exact lookup instead names the parent as a next query. No-coverage recovery offers DNS evidence without asserting registration status. Registrant org comes from jCard `org`; personal `fn` is not organization data. Explicit registrant redaction and missing evidence yield true and null respectively; public org survives independently. DNSSEC preserves provider `delegationSigned`, with missing/no-coverage evidence null. Domain and dossier formatters render unknown states explicitly. Optional `include_registrar` detail stays nested, never overriding registry authority; one referral, no retry/recursion, five guarded redirects and one total RDAP deadline. Destination checks are best-effort against DNS rebinding. DNS owner syntax separately permits underscores and one normalized root dot. SRV, DS, DNSKEY, TLSA and HTTPS use the ordinary Cloudflare-first/NextDNS-fallback path and preserve literal RDATA. Failure RCODEs and truncated replies never become empty successes; CAA does not repeat NextDNS as fallback, and cancellation starts no further requests. TXT uses complete literal fences, not an injection boundary. PTR selects only reachable owner-matched records, allows five aliases under one DNS deadline, and discloses found/not_found/failed plus failure detail. IP output retains all ordered `cidrs`, with scalar `cidr` only for one component. A missing IANA route is non-retryable `ip_no_rdap_route`; bootstrap fetch failure stays operational. Primary domain objects must carry matching identity (case/IDNA equivalent), reject error envelopes and explicitly wrong classes, and accept sparse name-only records. Invalid objects are `rdap_invalid_domain_response`, not registration evidence. NXDOMAIN retains supported preceding aliases; PTR remains terminal on NXDOMAIN. Dossier null MX stays `0 .` with an explicit no-mail label and no provider. Provider strings use literal fences where Markdown would alter punctuation/spacing; structured strings stay unchanged. `whois_lookup_ip` optionally accepts `include_routing: true`: one RIPEstat Network Info request, after successful primary RDAP and parallel with PTR, under one fixed 3000 ms deadline covering headers and body, with no retries or ASN-detail fan-out. Nested routing is separately attributed RIS eight-hour-dump observation, never registry ownership; found, empty and failed outcomes remain distinct. Omitted/false adds no routing request. Optional failure retains primary data; cancellation propagates. Domain tools share strict IDNA normalization, returning ASCII `domain` and optional `unicode_domain` as decoded display. Validate converted label/name lengths and every supplied registry identity; URL syntax must never become a matching name through truncation. Preserve DNS's separate underscore/root-dot/case behavior and valid numeric-label spellings. Serialized patterns remain useful lexical gates; normalization failures are `InvalidParams`/`invalid_arguments`. IP/ASN semantic parsing and exclusions retain typed reasons. Preserve existing ASN whitespace/plus/zero-padding and CIDR padding without arbitrary input ceilings. See `docs/design.md` for the domain decisions. RIPE IP/ASN `org_name` comes from a direct organization registrant, never a maintainer or a nested contact's organization. Other RIR organization extraction stays compatible. ASN abuse contacts may be nested; IP/ASN `registration_date` and `last_changed` use top-level object events and preserve provider timestamps. Missing evidence is omitted. Supplied two-letter country codes are uppercase. Dossier NS/MX inference retains first-record selection, with an ICANN registrable-label fallback. ## Naming | What | Convention | Example | |:-----|:-----------|:--------| | Files | kebab-case with suffix | `search-docs.tool.ts` | | Tool/resource/prompt names | snake_case | `search_docs` | | Directories | kebab-case | `src/services/doc-search/` | | Descriptions | Single string or template literal, no `+` concatenation | `'Search items by query and filter.'` | --- ## Skills Read development skills in `framework-skills/` when a task matches. For example, read `framework-skills/add-tool/SKILL.md` when adding a tool. `bun run list-skills` prints the registry. `init` and `maintenance` manage the framework copies. Root `skills/` contains `whois-guide`, caller guidance for registration, DNS and routing investigations. Plugin installs, the npm package, the Docker image and the MCPB bundle deliver it; `createApp({ skills: 'skills' })` also serves `skill://whois-guide/SKILL.md`. Use `add-skill` to author caller guidance and `lint:packaging` to validate the tree. **Agent skill directory.** Copy `framework-skills/` into the directory your development agent discovers, such as `.claude/skills/`. The `maintenance` skill re-syncs that directory in Phase B. Available skills: | Skill | Purpose | |:------|:--------| | `setup` | Post-init project orientation | | `design-mcp-server` | Design tool surface, resources, and services for a new server | | `add-tool` | Scaffold a new tool definition | | `add-app-tool` | Scaffold an MCP App tool + paired UI resource | | `add-resource` | Scaffold a new resource definition | | `add-prompt` | Scaffold a new prompt definition | | `add-skill` | Author and validate a skill for callers of the server in root `skills/` | | `add-service` | Scaffold a new service integration | | `add-test` | Scaffold test file for a tool, resource, or service | | `field-test` | Exercise tools/resources/prompts with real inputs, verify behavior, report issues | | `tool-defs-analysis` | Read-only audit of MCP definition language across the surface — voice, leaks, defaults, recovery hints, output descriptions | | `security-pass` | Audit server for MCP-flavored security gaps: output injection, scope blast radius, input sinks, tenant isolation | | `code-simplifier` | Post-session cleanup against `git diff` — modernize syntax, consolidate duplication, align with the codebase | | `polish-docs-meta` | Finalize docs, README, metadata, and agent protocol for shipping | | `git-wrapup` | Land working-tree changes as a commit stack — version bump, changelog, verify, commit by concern, release commit on top. No tag, no push to main; opens the release PR when the project declares release PR mode | | `release-pr-review` | Review pass on an open release PR — simplifier + correctness review, fixes as ordinary commits on top of the stack, PR body kept in sync. Release PR mode only | | `release-and-publish` | Fast-forward merge (release PR mode) + tag + push + npm + MCP Registry + GH Release + Docker. Picks up from `git-wrapup` | | `maintenance` | Investigate changelogs, adopt upstream changes, sync skills to agent dirs | | `orchestrations` | Chain task skills into a gated multi-phase pipeline — build-out, QA-fix, update-ship — when you can spawn sub-agents | | `report-issue-framework` | File a bug or feature request against `@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core` via `gh` CLI | | `report-issue-local` | File a bug or feature request against this server's own repo via `gh` CLI | | `techniques` | Catalog of response/data-shaping techniques — overflow handling, payload shaping, retrieval patterns | | `api-auth` | Auth modes, scopes, JWT/OAuth | | `api-canvas` | DataCanvas: register tabular data, run SQL, export, plus the `spillover()` helper for big result sets — Tier 3 opt-in | | `api-config` | AppConfig, parseConfig, env vars | | `api-context` | Context interface, RequestContext, logger, state, multi-round-trip input | | `api-errors` | McpError, JsonRpcErrorCode, error patterns | | `api-linter` | Definition linter rule catalog — invoked by `bun run lint:mcp` and `devcheck` | | `api-mirror` | MirrorService: persistent self-refreshing local mirror (embedded SQLite + FTS5) of a bulk upstream dataset — Tier 3 opt-in | | `api-services` | LLM, Speech, Graph services | | `api-testing` | createMockContext, test patterns | | `api-utils` | Formatting, parsing, security, pagination, scheduling, telemetry helpers | | `api-telemetry` | OTel catalog: spans, metrics, completion logs, env config, cardinality rules | | `api-workers` | Cloudflare Workers runtime | **Chaining skills into pipelines.** When the user wants a multi-phase effort — build this server out, QA-and-fix the surface, update-and-ship — *and you can spawn sub-agents*, `framework-skills/orchestrations/SKILL.md` sequences the task skills above into a gated pipeline with verification at each step. Read it to drive the run. Optional: skip it if you can't orchestrate sub-agents, and ignore it entirely if you were *spawned* as one — you've already been scoped to a single phase. When you complete a skill's checklist, check the boxes and add a completion timestamp at the end (e.g., `Completed: 2026-03-11`). --- ## Commands **Runtime:** Scripts use Bun's native TypeScript execution — `bun run ` is the standard invocation. `npm run ` also works (npm delegates to bun). | Command | Purpose | |:--------|:--------| | `bun run build` | Compile TypeScript | | `bun run rebuild` | Clean + build | | `bun run clean` | Remove build artifacts | | `bun run devcheck` | Lint + format + typecheck + security + changelog sync | | `bun run audit:fix` | `bun audit fix` — upgrade vulnerable packages to the lowest safe version within existing ranges (`--dry-run` previews, `--latest` rewrites ranges). First response when `devcheck` flags a transitive advisory; then `bun update `, then `bun dedupe` | | `bun run audit:refresh` | Delete `bun.lock` and reinstall. Last resort after `audit:fix`, `bun update `, and `bun dedupe` — re-resolves every ranged dep (the framework pin included) and rewrites the lockfile as `lockfileVersion: 2` | | `bun run lint:mcp` | Run the MCP definition linter standalone (rule catalog: `api-linter` skill) | | `bun run lint:packaging` | Check registry and bundle env-var parity, `.mcpbignore` coverage, plugin manifests, and the published `skills/` tree | | `bun run list-skills` | Print the skill registry | | `bun run tree` | Generate directory structure doc | | `bun run format` | Auto-fix formatting (safe fixes only) | | `bun run format:unsafe` | Also apply Biome's unsafe autofixes — review the diff; they can change behavior | | `bun run test` | Run tests (Vitest — use `bun run test`, not `bun test`) | | `bun run start:stdio` | Production mode (stdio) | | `bun run start:http` | Production mode (HTTP) | | `bun run changelog:build` | Regenerate `CHANGELOG.md` from `changelog/*.md` | | `bun run changelog:check` | Verify `CHANGELOG.md` is in sync (used by devcheck) | | `bun run bundle` | Build, pack, and clean a `.mcpb` for one-click Claude Desktop install | **CI is one file.** `.github/workflows/codeql.yml` is the only GitHub Actions workflow: CodeQL is GitHub-owned end to end, and the file runs only while the repo's CodeQL *default setup* is turned off. Verification — `devcheck`, tests, the release gates — runs locally; don't add a workflow that re-runs it. --- ## Bundling `bun run bundle` produces a stdio `.mcpb` extension for Claude Desktop. The packer uses `.mcpbignore`. Give each root development path an anchored pattern such as `/docs/` to preserve matching paths in dependencies. Root `skills/` ships in the bundle. `scripts/clean-mcpb.ts` prunes dev dependencies and removes dependency-shipped agent documentation, platform-specific native bindings, node-gyp build output, and build-only framework files. A nested `skills/` directory can contain runtime modules and stays in the bundle. **Adding an env var requires both files:** `server.json` (registry discovery, `environmentVariables[]`) and `manifest.json` (bundle install UX, `mcp_config.env` + `user_config`). `lint:packaging` (run by `devcheck`) verifies the env var names match, that every `user_config` option is wired into `mcp_config.env` as `"X": "${user_config.X}"` (the host substitutes nothing else — `"${X}"` reaches the server as that literal string), and that an optional string option carries `"default": ""`. **README install badges** (Claude Desktop `.mcpb`, Cursor, VS Code) and the `base64` / `encodeURIComponent` config-generation commands are ship-time concerns — run the `polish-docs-meta` skill, which carries the badge format, layout, and generation snippets in `framework-skills/polish-docs-meta/references/readme.md`. --- ## Changelog Directory-based, grouped by minor series via the `.x` semver-wildcard convention. Source of truth: `changelog/.x/.md` (e.g. `changelog/0.1.x/0.1.0.md`) — one file per release, shipped in the npm package. At release, author the per-version file with a concrete version and date, then run `npm run changelog:build` to regenerate the rollup. `changelog/template.md` is a **pristine format reference** — never edited or moved; read it for the frontmatter + section layout when scaffolding. `CHANGELOG.md` is a **navigation index** (header + link + summary per version), regenerated by `npm run changelog:build` — devcheck hard-fails on drift; never hand-edit it. Each per-version file opens with YAML frontmatter: ```markdown --- summary: "One-line headline, ≤350 chars" # required — powers the rollup index breaking: false # optional — true flags breaking changes security: false # optional — true ONLY for a source-code security fix, never a dependency CVE bump --- # 0.1.0 — YYYY-MM-DD ... ``` `breaking: true` renders a `· ⚠️ Breaking` badge — use it when consumers must update code on upgrade (signature changes, removed APIs, config renames). `security: true` renders a `· 🛡️ Security` badge and pairs with a `## Security` body section — set it only for a security fix in this server's *own source code*, never for a routine dependency or transitive CVE bump (record those under `## Dependencies`). When both are set, badges render `· ⚠️ Breaking · 🛡️ Security`. `agent-notes` is an optional free-form field for maintenance agents processing the release downstream. Content here won't appear in the rendered CHANGELOG — it's consumed by agents running the `maintenance` skill. Use it for adoption instructions that don't fit the human-facing sections: new files to create, fields to populate, one-time migration steps. Omit entirely when there's nothing to say. **Section order:** the Keep a Changelog sequence — Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security — then `Dependencies` last. Include only sections with entries — don't ship empty headers. **Tag annotations** render as GitHub Release bodies via `--notes-from-tag`. They must be structured markdown — never a flat comma-separated string. Subject omits the version number (GitHub prepends it). See `changelog/template.md` for the full format reference. --- ## Publishing **Every release goes through a release PR, straight-through** — `git-wrapup`'s "Release PR mode", mode `straight-through`. One run: `git-wrapup` lands the commit stack on `release/`, pushes it, and opens the PR (title = the release commit subject, body = the release digest: theme line, `## Changes`, `## Gates`, changelog link last); `release-and-publish` then fast-forwards `main` locally with `git merge --ff-only`, creates the tag on `main`'s tip, pushes `main` and the tag, deletes the branch, and publishes. A caller's brief may run a given release as `gated` instead — a `release-pr-review` pass on the open PR before `release-and-publish`. **Never merge through the GitHub UI or `gh pr merge`**: squash and rebase-merge are disabled in the repo settings because both rewrite the stack (rebase-merge also strips the SSH signatures), and a merge commit breaks the linear history. --- ## Imports ```ts // Framework — z is re-exported, no separate zod import needed import { tool, z } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core'; import { McpError, JsonRpcErrorCode } from '@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/errors'; // Server's own code — via path alias import { getMyService } from '@/services/my-domain/my-service.js'; ``` --- ## Checklist - [ ] Zod schemas: all fields have `.describe()`, only JSON-Schema-serializable types (no `z.custom()`, `z.date()`, `z.transform()`, `z.bigint()`, `z.symbol()`, `z.void()`, `z.map()`, `z.set()`, `z.function()`, `z.nan()`) - [ ] Optional nested objects: handler guards for empty inner values from form-based clients (`if (input.obj?.field && ...)`, not just `if (input.obj)`). When regex/length constraints matter, use `z.union([z.literal(''), z.string().regex(...).describe(...)])` — literal variants are exempt from `describe-on-fields`. - [ ] JSDoc `@fileoverview` + `@module` on every file - [ ] `ctx.log` for logging, `ctx.state` for storage - [ ] Handlers throw on failure — error factories or plain `Error`, no try/catch - [ ] `format()` renders all data the LLM needs — different clients forward different surfaces (Claude Code → `structuredContent`, Claude Desktop → `content[]`); both must carry the same data - [ ] If wrapping external API: raw/domain/output schemas reviewed against real upstream sparsity/nullability before finalizing required vs optional fields - [ ] If wrapping external API: normalization and `format()` preserve uncertainty; do not fabricate facts from missing upstream data - [ ] If wrapping external API: tests include at least one sparse payload case with omitted upstream fields - [ ] Registered in `createApp()` arrays (directly or via barrel exports) - [ ] Tests use `createMockContext()` from `@cyanheads/mcp-ts-core/testing` - [ ] `.codex-plugin/plugin.json` populated — `name`, `version`, `description`, `repository`, `license` from `package.json`; `interface.displayName` = the unscoped repo name (never the npm scope — `lint:packaging` enforces this); `interface.shortDescription` from `package.json` description - [ ] `.codex-plugin/mcp.json` updated — server name key is the unscoped repo name; every user-supplied variable (API key, contact email, instance URL) is listed in `env_vars` so Codex forwards it from the user's environment. Never write `"KEY": ""` into `env` — an empty value replaces the user's exported key and is read as unset - [ ] `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` populated — `name`, `version`, `description`, `author`, `repository`, `license`, `keywords` from `package.json`; inline `mcpServers` entry keyed by the unscoped repo name. Every user-supplied variable is declared under `userConfig` (`type`, `title`, `description`; `sensitive: true` for keys and tokens; `required: true` or `default: ""`) and referenced from `env` as `"KEY": "${user_config.