npm package: @rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
Description: Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing and serving quotes
Latest version: 1.1.1

# MCP Quotes Server

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A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides a simple tool for searching quotes from famous and not-so-famous people using the Serper.dev API.

## Features

- **Quote Search**: Two tools for quote retrieval - standard and resilient versions
- **Topic Filtering**: Optionally filter quotes by specific topics
- **Flexible Results**: Request 1-10 quotes per search
- **Resilience Patterns**: Caching, circuit breaker, retry logic, and fallback mechanisms
- **Prompt Templates**: Multiple structured templates for different use cases
- **Enhanced Error Messages**: Actionable error messages with clear recovery steps
- **Performance Optimization**: Pre-warmed cache, request deduplication
- **Transport Options**: Both STDIO and HTTP transport modes
- **Health Monitoring**: Built-in health checks and performance metrics
- **TypeScript Support**: Full type safety with exported types
- **MCP Protocol**: Full compliance with MCP standards for use with Claude and other AI assistants

## Installation

### Global Installation (Recommended)

```bash
npm install -g @rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
```

### Or use directly with npx

```bash
npx @rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
```

## Quick Start

```bash
# Install globally
npm install -g @rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code

# Set your Serper.dev API key
export SERPER_API_KEY="your-serper-api-key"

# Run the server
mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
```

## Usage

### Running the Server

After global installation:
```bash
# Set your Serper.dev API key
export SERPER_API_KEY="your-serper-api-key"

# Run the server
mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
```

Or run directly without installation:
```bash
# Set your Serper.dev API key
export SERPER_API_KEY="your-serper-api-key"

# Run with npx
npx @rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
```

### Testing with MCP Inspector

```bash
# Test the server using MCP Inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx @rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
```

### Using with Claude Desktop

Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration:

#### For global installation:
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "quotes": {
      "command": "mcp-quotes-server-claude-code",
      "env": {
        "SERPER_API_KEY": "your-serper-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

#### Or using npx:
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "quotes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code"],
      "env": {
        "SERPER_API_KEY": "your-serper-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Using HTTP Transport

The server supports both STDIO (default) and HTTP transport modes. To use HTTP transport:

```bash
# Start the server with HTTP transport
export MCP_TRANSPORT=http
export MCP_HTTP_PORT=3000
export MCP_HTTP_HOST=localhost
export MCP_HTTP_PATH=/mcp
export SERPER_API_KEY="your-serper-api-key"

mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
```

The server will start on `http://localhost:3000/mcp` and accept POST requests following the MCP Streamable HTTP transport specification (2025-03-26).

#### HTTP Transport Configuration

- `MCP_TRANSPORT`: Set to `http` to enable HTTP transport (default: `stdio`)
- `MCP_HTTP_PORT`: Port for the HTTP server (default: `3000`)
- `MCP_HTTP_HOST`: Host for the HTTP server (default: `localhost`)
- `MCP_HTTP_PATH`: Path for the MCP endpoint (default: `/mcp`)

#### Example HTTP Requests

**Initialize Session:**
```bash
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 1,
    "method": "initialize",
    "params": {
      "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
      "capabilities": {},
      "clientInfo": {
        "name": "example-client",
        "version": "1.0.0"
      }
    }
  }'
```

**Call getQuotes Tool:**
```bash
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Mcp-Session-Id": "your-session-id" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 2,
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "getQuotes",
      "arguments": {
        "person": "Albert Einstein",
        "numberOfQuotes": 3,
        "topic": "science"
      }
    }
  }'
```

**Health Check:**
```bash
curl http://localhost:3000/health
# Returns: {"status":"ok","transport":"http","sessions":0}
```

## API

### Tools

#### getQuotes
Search for quotes from a specific person.

**Parameters:**
- `person` (string, required): The name of the person whose quotes you want to find
- `numberOfQuotes` (number, required): The number of quotes to return (1-10)
- `topic` (string, optional): A specific topic to filter the quotes by

**Example:**
```json
{
  "person": "Albert Einstein",
  "numberOfQuotes": 3,
  "topic": "science"
}
```

#### getResilientQuotes
Enhanced quote retrieval with resilience patterns including caching, circuit breaker, and automatic fallback.

**Parameters:**
- `person` (string, required): The name of the person whose quotes you want to find
- `numberOfQuotes` (number, required): The number of quotes to return (1-10)
- `topic` (string, optional): A specific topic to filter the quotes by

**Features:**
- Automatic caching with 1-hour TTL
- Circuit breaker protection
- Automatic retries with exponential backoff
- Fallback to cached data when services are unavailable
- Returns metadata about cache status

**Example:**
```json
{
  "person": "Maya Angelou",
  "numberOfQuotes": 3,
  "topic": "courage"
}
```

**Response includes metadata:**
```json
{
  "quotes": [
    {
      "text": "I've learned that people will forget what you said...",
      "author": "Maya Angelou",
      "source": "https://example.com/angelou-quotes"
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "cacheHit": true,
    "fallbackUsed": false,
    "retryCount": 0,
    "searchQueries": ["Maya Angelou courage quotes"]
  }
}
```

### Resources

#### Quote Prompt Templates
Multiple structured templates for different quote-related use cases.

**Available Templates:**
- `quote-prompt://default` - Standard template for general use
- `quote-prompt://research` - Academic research template with citation focus
- `quote-prompt://creative` - Creative writing and inspiration template
- `quote-prompt://list` - Lists all available templates

**Example URI:** `quote-prompt://default`

## Documentation

- [Comprehensive Usage Examples](docs/EXAMPLES.md) - Detailed examples and integration patterns
- [API Documentation](docs/API.md) - Complete API reference
- [Testing Guide](TESTING.md) - Testing strategies and examples
- [Deployment Guide](docs/DEPLOYMENT.md) - Production deployment instructions
- [Performance Guide](docs/PERFORMANCE.md) - Performance benchmarks and optimization
- [Manual Test Checklist](docs/MANUAL_TEST_CHECKLIST.md) - Pre-release validation checklist

## Development

### Setup

```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code.git
cd mcp-quotes-server-claude-code

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Set up environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your SERPER_API_KEY

# Build the project
npm run build
```

### Scripts

- `npm run build` - Build the TypeScript project
- `npm run dev` - Run in development mode with hot reload
- `npm test` - Run unit tests
- `npm run test:unit` - Run unit tests only
- `npm run test:integration` - Run integration tests
- `npm run test:coverage` - Run tests with coverage report
- `npm run test:watch` - Run tests in watch mode
- `npm run typecheck` - Run TypeScript type checking
- `npm run lint` - Run ESLint
- `npm run lint:fix` - Run ESLint with auto-fix
- `npm run format` - Format code with Prettier
- `npm run format:check` - Check code formatting
- `npm run clean` - Clean build artifacts
- `npm run precommit` - Run pre-commit checks

### Testing

```bash
# Run all tests
npm test

# Run unit tests only
npm run test:unit

# Run integration tests
npm run test:integration

# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage

# Test the server manually
npm run dev
# In another terminal:
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx @rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code
```

## Configuration

The server requires the following environment variable:

- `SERPER_API_KEY` (required): Your Serper.dev API key for searching quotes

Optional configuration:
- `NODE_ENV`: Set to 'production' for production deployments
- `LOG_LEVEL`: Set logging level (debug, info, warn, error)
- `MCP_TRANSPORT`: Transport type - 'stdio' (default) or 'http'
- `MCP_HTTP_PORT`: HTTP server port when using HTTP transport (default: 3000)
- `MCP_HTTP_HOST`: HTTP server host when using HTTP transport (default: localhost)
- `MCP_HTTP_PATH`: HTTP endpoint path when using HTTP transport (default: /mcp)

## Architecture

The server is built with:
- TypeScript for type safety
- MCP SDK for protocol implementation
- Axios for HTTP requests to Serper.dev
- Zod for input validation
- Jest for unit testing
- Express.js for HTTP transport mode

### Advanced Features

#### Resilience Patterns
The getResilientQuotes tool implements several resilience patterns:

1. **Caching Layer**
   - In-memory cache with 1-hour TTL
   - Automatic cache invalidation
   - Stale-while-revalidate pattern
   - Pre-warmed cache for popular queries

2. **Circuit Breaker**
   - Prevents cascading failures
   - Automatic recovery testing
   - Configurable thresholds
   - Health status monitoring

3. **Retry Logic**
   - Exponential backoff
   - Maximum 3 retry attempts
   - Smart error detection

4. **Fallback Mechanisms**
   - Stale cache fallback
   - Partial result handling
   - Graceful degradation

5. **Rate Limiting**
   - Request deduplication
   - API quota management
   - Burst protection

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

#### SERPER_API_KEY not found
```
Error: Configuration error: Missing or invalid SERPER_API_KEY
```

**Solution:**
```bash
# Set the API key in your environment
export SERPER_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

# Or add to .env file
echo "SERPER_API_KEY=your-api-key-here" >> .env
```

#### Authentication Failed
```
Error: Authentication failed for serper
```

**Solution:**
1. Verify your API key is correct
2. Check if the key is active at https://serper.dev/dashboard
3. Ensure you haven't exceeded your plan limits

#### Rate Limit Exceeded
```
Error: Rate limit exceeded for serper
```

**Solution:**
1. Wait a few minutes before retrying
2. Reduce the numberOfQuotes parameter
3. Space out your requests over time
4. Consider upgrading your Serper.dev plan

#### No Quotes Found
If the server returns an empty quotes array:
1. Check the person's name spelling
2. Try without a topic filter first
3. Use more common name variations
4. Ensure the person is publicly known

### Debug Mode

Enable debug logging for detailed troubleshooting:

```bash
export LOG_LEVEL=debug
export NODE_ENV=development
mcp-quotes-server-claude-code  # If installed globally
# OR
npx @rhofkens/mcp-quotes-server-claude-code  # If using npx
```

## Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`)
3. Commit your changes (`git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'`)
4. Push to the branch (`git push origin feature/amazing-feature`)
5. Open a Pull Request

## License

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

## Acknowledgments

- Built using the [Model Context Protocol SDK](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/typescript-sdk)
- Powered by [Serper.dev](https://serper.dev) for web search capabilities
- Enhanced with comprehensive error handling and user guidance