-
To see example servers built with Arcade MCP Server Framework (this repo), check out our examples
-
To learn more about the Arcade MCP Server Framework (this repo), check out our Arcade MCP documentation
-
To learn more about other offerings from Arcade.dev, check out our documentation.
Pst. hey, you, give us a star if you like it!
The fastest way to get started is with the arcade new
CLI command, which creates a complete MCP server project:
# Install the CLI
uv tool install arcade-mcp
# Create a new server project
arcade new my_server
# Navigate to the project
cd my_server
This generates a project with:
-
server.py - Main server file with MCPApp and example tools
-
pyproject.toml - Dependencies and project configuration
-
.env.example - Example
.env
file containing a secret required by one of the generated tools inserver.py
The generated server.py
includes proper command-line argument handling and three example tools:
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""simple_server MCP server"""
import sys
from typing import Annotated
import httpx
from arcade_mcp_server import Context, MCPApp
from arcade_mcp_server.auth import Reddit
app = MCPApp(name="simple_server", version="1.0.0", log_level="DEBUG")
@app.tool
def greet(name: Annotated[str, "The name of the person to greet"]) -> str:
"""Greet a person by name."""
return f"Hello, {name}!"
# To use this tool locally, you need to either set the secret in the .env file or as an environment variable
@app.tool(requires_secrets=["MY_SECRET_KEY"])
def whisper_secret(context: Context) -> Annotated[str, "The last 4 characters of the secret"]:
"""Reveal the last 4 characters of a secret"""
# Secrets are injected into the context at runtime.
# LLMs and MCP clients cannot see or access your secrets
# You can define secrets in a .env file.
try:
secret = context.get_secret("MY_SECRET_KEY")
except Exception as e:
return str(e)
return "The last 4 characters of the secret are: " + secret[-4:]
# To use this tool locally, you need to install the Arcade CLI (uv tool install arcade-mcp)
# and then run 'arcade login' to authenticate.
@app.tool(requires_auth=Reddit(scopes=["read"]))
async def get_posts_in_subreddit(
context: Context, subreddit: Annotated[str, "The name of the subreddit"]
) -> dict:
"""Get posts from a specific subreddit"""
# Normalize the subreddit name
subreddit = subreddit.lower().replace("r/", "").replace(" ", "")
# Prepare the httpx request
# OAuth token is injected into the context at runtime.
# LLMs and MCP clients cannot see or access your OAuth tokens.
oauth_token = context.get_auth_token_or_empty()
headers = {
"Authorization": f"Bearer {oauth_token}",
"User-Agent": "{{ toolkit_name }}-mcp-server",
}
params = {"limit": 5}
url = f"https://oauth.reddit.com/r/{subreddit}/hot"
# Make the request
async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client:
response = await client.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)
response.raise_for_status()
# Return the response
return response.json()
# Run with specific transport
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Get transport from command line argument, default to "stdio"
# - "stdio" (default): Standard I/O for Claude Desktop, CLI tools, etc.
# Supports tools that require_auth or require_secrets out-of-the-box
# - "http": HTTPS streaming for Cursor, VS Code, etc.
# Does not support tools that require_auth or require_secrets unless the server is deployed
# using 'arcade deploy' or added in the Arcade Developer Dashboard with 'Arcade' server type
transport = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "stdio"
# Run the server
app.run(transport=transport, host="127.0.0.1", port=8000)
This approach gives you:
-
Complete Project Setup - Everything you need in one command
-
Best Practices - Proper dependency management with pyproject.toml
-
Example Code - Learn from working examples of common patterns
-
Production Ready - Structured for growth and deployment
Run your server directly with Python:
# Run with stdio transport (default)
uv run server.py
# Run with http transport via command line argument
uv run server.py http
# Or use python directly
python server.py http
python server.py stdio
Your server will start and listen for connections. With HTTP transport, you can access the API docs at http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs.
Once your server is running, connect it to your favorite AI assistant:
arcade configure claude # Configure Claude Desktop to connect to your stdio server in your current directory
arcade configure cursor --transport http --port 8080 # Configure Cursor to connect to your local HTTP server on port 8080
arcade configure vscode --entrypoint my_server.py # Configure VSCode to connect to your stdio server that will run when my_server.py is executed directly
git clone https://github.com/ArcadeAI/arcade-mcp.git && cd arcade-mcp && make install
- Discord: Join our Discord community for real-time support and discussions.
- GitHub: Contribute or report issues on the Arcade GitHub repository.
- Documentation: Find in-depth guides and API references at Arcade Documentation.