b6fc151094Provides context about this repository including: - Common commands for building, testing, and running examples - SDK entry points and their purposes - Communication flow between Guest UI, Host, and MCP Server - Key source files and their responsibilities - Protocol lifecycle from initialization to teardown - Type generation workflow Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
87 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
87 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
# MCP Apps SDK
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## Project Overview
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MCP Apps SDK (`@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps`) enables MCP servers to display interactive UIs in conversational clients.
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Key abstractions:
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- **Guest** - UI running in an iframe, uses `App` class with `PostMessageTransport` to communicate with host
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- **Host** - Chat client embedding the iframe, uses `AppBridge` class to proxy MCP requests
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- **Server** - MCP server that registers tools/resources with UI metadata
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Specification (draft): `specification/draft/apps.mdx`
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## Commands
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```bash
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# Install dependencies
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npm install
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# Build the SDK only (generates schemas + bundles, does not build examples)
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npm run build
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# Build everything (SDK + all examples)
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npm run build:all
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# Type check + build a single example
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npm run --workspace examples/<example-name> build
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# Run all examples (starts server at http://localhost:8080)
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npm start
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# Run E2E tests (primary testing mechanism - starts examples server automatically)
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npm run test:e2e
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# Run unit tests (E2E tests have broader coverage; unit tests cover specific modules)
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npm test
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# Check JSDoc comment syntax and `{@link}` references
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npm exec typedoc -- --treatValidationWarningsAsErrors --emit none
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# Regenerate package-lock.json (especially on setups w/ custom npm registry)
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rm -fR package-lock.json node_modules && \
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docker run --rm -it --platform linux/amd64 -v $PWD:/src:rw -w /src node:latest npm i && \
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rm -fR node_modules && \
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npm i --cache=~/.npm-mcp-apps --registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/
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```
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## Architecture
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### SDK Entry Points
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- `@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps` - Main SDK for Apps (`App` class, `PostMessageTransport`)
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- `@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/react` - React hooks (`useApp`, `useHostStyleVariables`, etc.)
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- `@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/app-bridge` - SDK for hosts (`AppBridge` class)
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- `@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/server` - Server helpers (`registerAppTool`, `registerAppResource`)
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### Key Source Files
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- `src/app.ts` - `App` class extends MCP Protocol, handles guest initialization, tool calls, messaging
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- `src/app-bridge.ts` - `AppBridge` class for hosts, proxies MCP requests, sends tool input/results to guests
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- `src/server/index.ts` - Helpers for MCP servers to register tools/resources with UI metadata
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- `src/types.ts` - Protocol types re-exported from `spec.types.ts` and Zod schemas from `generated/schema.ts` (auto-generated during build)
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- `src/message-transport.ts` - `PostMessageTransport` for iframe communication
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- `src/react/` - React hooks: `useApp`, `useHostStyles`, `useAutoResize`, `useDocumentTheme`
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### Protocol Flow
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```
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Guest UI (App) <--PostMessageTransport--> Host (AppBridge) <--MCP Client--> MCP Server
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```
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1. Host creates iframe with Guest UI HTML
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2. Guest UI creates `App` instance and calls `connect()` with `PostMessageTransport`
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3. App sends `ui/initialize` request, receives host capabilities and context
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4. Host sends `sendToolInput()` with tool arguments after initialization
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5. Guest UI can call server tools via `app.callServerTool()` or send messages via `app.sendMessage()`
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6. Host sends `sendToolResult()` when tool execution completes
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7. Host calls `teardownResource()` before unmounting iframe
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## Examples
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Uses npm workspaces. Examples in `examples/` are separate packages:
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- `basic-server-*` - Starter templates (vanillajs, react, vue, svelte, preact, solid). Use these as the basis for new examples.
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- `basic-host` - Reference host implementation
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- Other examples showcase specific features (charts, 3D, video, etc.)
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