examples

MCP Configuration Examples and Usage

This directory contains example configuration files for connecting MCP clients to the Haskell MCP server, as well as example implementations demonstrating different transport methods.

Claude Desktop Configuration

Claude Desktop reads its MCP server configuration from a JSON file. The location depends on your operating system:

Configuration File Locations

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Basic Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "haskell-mcp": {
      "command": "cabal",
      "args": ["run", "mcp"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/mcp-haskell"
    }
  }
}

Development Setup

For development with Cabal:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "haskell-mcp-dev": {
      "command": "cabal",
      "args": ["run", "mcp"],
      "cwd": "/home/user/projects/mcp-haskell",
      "env": {
        "GHC_ENVIRONMENT": "-"
      }
    }
  }
}

Production Setup

For production with a compiled binary:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "haskell-mcp-prod": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/mcp",
      "args": [],
      "cwd": "/opt/mcp-servers"
    }
  }
}

Stack-based Setup

If using Stack instead of Cabal:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "haskell-mcp-stack": {
      "command": "stack",
      "args": ["exec", "mcp"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/mcp-haskell"
    }
  }
}

Configuration Fields

• command: The executable to run (cabal, stack, or direct binary path)
• args: Arguments passed to the command
• cwd: Working directory (should be the project root for development)
• env: Environment variables (optional)

Testing the Configuration

1. Save the configuration to the appropriate location for your OS
2. Restart Claude Desktop
3. Start a new conversation
4. The Haskell MCP server should appear in the available tools/context

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Path Problems: Ensure cwd points to the correct project directory
2. Permission Issues: Make sure the command is executable
3. Build Issues: Run cabal build first to ensure the project compiles
4. Port Conflicts: Each server needs a unique name in the configuration

Debugging

To test the server manually:

cd /path/to/mcp-haskell
cabal run mcp

The server should start and wait for JSON-RPC messages on stdin.

Logs

Claude Desktop logs can help debug connection issues:

• macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/
• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Claude\logs\
• Linux: ~/.local/share/claude/logs/

Example Usage

Once configured, you can:

1. List Resources: Ask Claude to show available resources
2. Read Content: Request specific resource content
3. Use Tools: Execute tools provided by the server
4. Get Prompts: Use pre-defined prompt templates

The Haskell MCP server provides basic examples of each capability that you can extend for your specific use case.

---

HTTP Server Example

File: http-server.hs

Demonstrates how to run an MCP server using HTTP transport instead of StdIO.

Building and Running

Using Cabal (recommended):

# From the project root
cabal build mcp-http
cabal run mcp-http

Manual compilation:

# From the project root
ghc -package-env=. -o examples/http-server examples/http-server.hs
cd examples
./http-server

Using cabal exec:

cabal exec ghc -- -package-env=. -o examples/http-server examples/http-server.hs
cd examples  
./http-server

Testing the HTTP Server

Once running, the server exposes the MCP API at POST http://localhost:8080/mcp.

Test with curl:

# Ping test
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"ping"}'

# Initialize the server
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc":"2.0",
    "id":1,
    "method":"initialize",
    "params":{
      "protocolVersion":"2024-11-05",
      "capabilities":{},
      "clientInfo":{"name":"test-client","version":"1.0.0"}
    }
  }'

# List available tools
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/list"}'

# Call the getCurrentDate tool
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/mcp \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc":"2.0",
    "id":3,
    "method":"tools/call",
    "params":{"name":"getCurrentDate"}
  }'

Test with HTTPie:

# Ping test
http POST localhost:8080/mcp jsonrpc=2.0 id:=1 method=ping

# Initialize
http POST localhost:8080/mcp \
  jsonrpc=2.0 id:=1 method=initialize \
  params:='{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test-client","version":"1.0.0"}}'

# List tools
http POST localhost:8080/mcp jsonrpc=2.0 id:=2 method=tools/list

# Call tool
http POST localhost:8080/mcp \
  jsonrpc=2.0 id:=3 method=tools/call \
  params:='{"name":"getCurrentDate"}'

Key Differences: StdIO vs HTTP

Aspect	StdIO Transport	HTTP Transport
Client Integration	Process-based (stdin/stdout)	HTTP clients, web apps
Message Format	Line-delimited JSON-RPC	HTTP POST with JSON body
Server Lifecycle	Managed by client process	Independent HTTP service
Debugging	Log to stderr	HTTP access logs
Scalability	One client per process	Multiple concurrent clients
Network	Local only	Network accessible

Implementation Notes

• Both transports use the same MCPServer typeclass implementation
• Server logic is identical between StdIO and HTTP modes
• HTTP transport follows the MCP specification for streamable HTTP
• Future versions will support Server-Sent Events (SSE) for bidirectional communication

Error Handling

The HTTP server returns appropriate HTTP status codes:

• 200 OK: Successful JSON-RPC response
• 400 Bad Request: Invalid JSON or malformed JSON-RPC
• 500 Internal Server Error: Server-side processing errors

JSON-RPC errors are returned within the 200 response body following the JSON-RPC 2.0 specification.