MCPStudio: The Postman for Model Context Protocol

Introduction

MCPStudio is a powerful, user-friendly platform designed to create, test, manage, and discover Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Similar to how Postman revolutionized API development and testing, MCPStudio provides an intuitive visual interface for interacting with MCP servers, abstracting away the underlying technical complexities of the protocol.

What is Model Context Protocol (MCP)?

The Model Context Protocol is a standard that enables AI systems (like large language models) to seamlessly connect with external tools, data sources, and services. MCPStudio makes this integration process accessible to both technical and non-technical users through a visual, user-friendly interface.

Core Architecture

MCPStudio follows a clean domain-driven design with:

Backend (Python/FastAPI)

• Organized in layers: API, Application, Domain, and Infrastructure
• Uses dependency injection (via the container.py file)
• Implements MCP protocol services that can connect to various external tools
• Has MongoDB integration for persistence
• Provides RESTful APIs for server and tool management

Frontend (React)

• Modern UI with components for servers, tools, and configurations
• Interactive tool testing interface
• Server deployment and management
• Dashboard for monitoring server status

Key Features

Server Management

• Create and configure MCP servers through an intuitive UI
• Monitor server status and health in real-time (deployed, deploying, failed)
• Organize servers with tags and collections
• View server details and configurations
• RESTful API endpoints for server CRUD operations

Tool Discovery and Testing

• Visually browse tools exposed by MCP servers
• Test tools with a parameter-driven interface
• View formatted responses with syntax highlighting
• Save tool executions for future reference

Authentication Management

• OAuth flow support for service integrations
• Secure credential storage
• Automatic token refresh handling
• JWT-based authentication for the platform itself

Google Drive Integration

• Connect to Google Drive via OAuth
• List and browse files
• Search for content
• Retrieve file content
• Create folders

Real-time Collaboration

• Share servers and tools with team members
• Collaborate on tool testing
• View execution history

Implementation Status

Phase 1: Backend Infrastructure (Completed)

• ✅ MongoDB repository implementations for servers and tools
• ✅ Event Bus for real-time updates via WebSockets
• ✅ JWT authentication system with OAuth integration
• ✅ Google Drive integration with OAuth flow
• ✅ Unit tests for core functionality
• ✅ RESTful API endpoints for server management
• ✅ Server controller with CRUD operations

Phase 2: Frontend Development (In Progress)

• React frontend with modern toolchain
• Server connection management panel
• Tool discovery and browsing interface
• Parameter input forms for tool execution
• Response visualization components
• Authentication UI with OAuth flow integration

Phase 3: End-to-End Integration (Planned)

• API clients in the frontend
• WebSocket connections for real-time updates
• Consistent error handling

Phase 4: Additional MCP Integrations (Planned)

• GitHub as second integration
• Template system for new integrations

How It Works

1. Users can create and configure MCP servers through the UI
2. MCPStudio connects to these servers using the MCP protocol
3. It discovers available tools and presents them in a user-friendly interface
4. Users can test tools with different parameters and view responses
5. Servers can be deployed and their status monitored

Technology Stack

Backend

• Language: Python 3.10+
• Framework: FastAPI
• Database: MongoDB
• Package Management: UV (ultra-fast Python package manager)
• Authentication: JWT + OAuth2
• Real-time Communication: WebSockets

Frontend

• Framework: React
• State Management: Redux
• UI Components: Tailwind CSS
• API Communication: Axios

Project Structure

MCPstudio/
├── backend/                  # Backend application
│   └── mcp_studio_backend/   # Python package
│       ├── src/              # Source code
│       │   └── mcp_studio/   # Main module
│       └── tests/            # Test suite
└── frontend/                 # Frontend application
    └── ai-server-forge/      # React application
        ├── src/              # Source code
        │   ├── components/   # React components
        │   ├── hooks/        # Custom React hooks
        │   ├── lib/          # Utility functions
        │   ├── pages/        # Page components
        │   └── types/        # TypeScript type definitions
        └── public/           # Static assets

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• Node.js 16+
• MongoDB
• UV package manager (optional, but recommended)

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/lonexreb/mcpstudio.git
   cd mcpstudio
   

2. Set up the backend

   cd backend/mcp_studio_backend
   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
   pip install uv
   uv pip install -e .
   

3. Set up the frontend

   cd ../../frontend/ai-server-forge
   npm install
   

4. Start the development servers

   Backend:

   cd ../../backend/mcp_studio_backend
   uvicorn mcp_studio.main:app --reload
   

   Frontend:

   cd ../../frontend/ai-server-forge
   npm run dev
   

5. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000

API Endpoints

Server Management

• POST /api/servers - Create a new server
• GET /api/servers - List all servers
• GET /api/servers/{server_id} - Get server details
• PUT /api/servers/{server_id} - Update server
• DELETE /api/servers/{server_id} - Delete server
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/connect - Connect to server
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/disconnect - Disconnect from server

Tool Management

• GET /api/servers/{server_id}/tools - List tools for a server
• GET /api/tools/{tool_id} - Get tool details
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/tools/{tool_id}/execute - Execute a tool

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/token - Get JWT access token
• GET /api/auth/google/auth - Get Google OAuth URL
• GET /api/auth/google/callback - Process Google OAuth callback
• GET /api/auth/me - Get current user information

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.