ext-apps/examples/system-monitor-server/README.md
Jonathan Hefner 9acebd7f9f
Separate static and dynamic data in system-monitor-server tools
The two-tool architecture previously had both tools returning identical
`SystemStats` data. This refactors them to properly separate concerns:

- `get-system-info` (Model-visible): Returns static system configuration
  (hostname, platform, CPU model/count, total memory) sent once via
  `ontoolresult`

- `poll-system-stats` (App-only): Returns dynamic metrics (per-core CPU
  timing, memory usage, uptime) polled every 2 seconds

Moves `formatBytes()` and `formatUptime()` utilities to the client since
the server now returns raw values for client-side formatting.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-01-28 11:04:35 -06:00

102 lines
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# Example: System Monitor App
A demo MCP App that displays real-time OS metrics with a stacked area chart for per-core CPU usage and a bar gauge for memory.
<table>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://modelcontextprotocol.github.io/ext-apps/screenshots/system-monitor-server/01-initial-state.png"><img src="https://modelcontextprotocol.github.io/ext-apps/screenshots/system-monitor-server/01-initial-state.png" alt="Initial state" width="100%"></a></td>
<td><a href="https://modelcontextprotocol.github.io/ext-apps/screenshots/system-monitor-server/02-cpu-data-accumulated.png"><img src="https://modelcontextprotocol.github.io/ext-apps/screenshots/system-monitor-server/02-cpu-data-accumulated.png" alt="CPU data accumulated" width="100%"></a></td>
<td><a href="https://modelcontextprotocol.github.io/ext-apps/screenshots/system-monitor-server/03-extended-cpu-history.png"><img src="https://modelcontextprotocol.github.io/ext-apps/screenshots/system-monitor-server/03-extended-cpu-history.png" alt="Extended CPU history" width="100%"></a></td>
</tr>
</table>
## MCP Client Configuration
Add to your MCP client configuration (stdio transport):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"system-monitor": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"--silent",
"--registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/",
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-system-monitor",
"--stdio"
]
}
}
}
```
### Local Development
To test local modifications, use this configuration (replace `~/code/ext-apps` with your clone path):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"system-monitor": {
"command": "bash",
"args": [
"-c",
"cd ~/code/ext-apps/examples/system-monitor-server && npm run build >&2 && node dist/index.js --stdio"
]
}
}
}
```
## Features
- **Per-Core CPU Monitoring**: Stacked area chart showing individual CPU core utilization over a 1-minute sliding window
- **Memory Usage**: Horizontal bar gauge with color-coded thresholds (green/yellow/red)
- **System Info**: Hostname, platform, and uptime display
- **Auto-Polling**: Automatically starts monitoring on load with 2-second refresh interval
- **Theme Support**: Adapts to light/dark mode preferences
## Running
1. Install dependencies:
```bash
npm install
```
2. Build and start the server:
```bash
npm run start:http # for Streamable HTTP transport
# OR
npm run start:stdio # for stdio transport
```
3. View using the [`basic-host`](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/tree/main/examples/basic-host) example or another MCP Apps-compatible host.
## Architecture
### Server (`server.ts`)
Exposes two tools demonstrating a polling pattern:
1. **`get-system-info`** (Model-visible) — Returns static system configuration:
- Hostname, platform, architecture
- CPU model and core count
- Total memory
2. **`poll-system-stats`** (App-only, `visibility: ["app"]`) — Returns dynamic metrics:
- Per-core CPU timing data (idle/total counters)
- Memory usage (used/free/percentage)
- Uptime
The Model-visible tool is linked to a UI resource via `_meta.ui.resourceUri`.
### App (`src/mcp-app.ts`)
- Receives static system info via `ontoolresult` when the host sends the `get-system-info` result
- Polls `poll-system-stats` every 2 seconds for dynamic metrics
- Uses Chart.js for the stacked area chart visualization
- Computes CPU usage percentages client-side from timing deltas
- Maintains a 30-point history (1 minute at 2s intervals)