Restless Coder MCP Server

NOTE: THIS IS PRE-RELEASE; CORE VOICE PROTOCOL FUNCTIONAL AS OF 6/2/2025

MCP server for voice interaction with coding assistants. Currently built for use with Cline, but may extend later.

restless_coder is for those of you who always need a podcast or audiobook to keep your mind occupied while doing the dishes or walking the dog. It's not quite ready for that kind of hands-off interaction, but eventually it will be!

This server provides a tool (process_voice_command) that enables users to interact with Cline using voice commands. It aims to make the development workflow more natural by allowing voice input for commands and potentially voice-based approval for code changes or actions.

Note: for use with Cline, you need to set your auto-approve rules to encompass every command you expect to activate by voice. You can keep your auto-approve limited if you don't mind physically clicking approve. I would recommend allowing auto-approval of restless_coder actions, however, as the interaction loop will automatically call restless_coder after every action, until the user tells it to stop the tool/protocol.

Features

Tools

• process_voice_command:
  • Accepts audio input (either as a file path or base64 encoded string).
  • Transcribes the audio using a specified speech recognition service (pluggable).
  • Sends the transcribed command to a specified coding assistant (pluggable).
  • Returns the assistant's response, either as text or synthesized audio.
  • Input Schema:
    • audio_input_type (string, enum: "file_path", "base64_encoded"): How audio data is provided.
    • audio_data (string): The audio data.
    • speech_service_id (string): Identifier for the speech recognition service (e.g., "webspeech", "whisper_local").
    • coding_assistant_id (string): Identifier for the coding assistant (e.g., "cline", "github_copilot").
    • output_format (string, enum: "text", "audio", default: "text"): Desired output format.

Development

Prerequisites:

• Node.js and npm

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the server:

npm run build

For development with auto-rebuild on file changes:

npm run watch

Installation

Follow these step-by-step instructions to install the Restless Coder MCP server and integrate it with Cline in VS Code.

Step 1: Prerequisites - Node.js and npm

This server requires Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager). npm usually comes with Node.js.

1. Check if Node.js and npm are installed: Open your terminal (Command Prompt, PowerShell, Terminal, or Git Bash) and type:

   node -v
   npm -v

   If these commands show version numbers (e.g., v18.12.1 and 8.19.2), you're good to go.
2. Install Node.js and npm if missing: If you don't have them, download Node.js from nodejs.org (we recommend the LTS version). Installing Node.js will also install npm.

Step 2: Get the Restless Coder Server Code

You need to download the server's code to your computer.

• Option A: Using Git (Recommended if you know Git)
  1. Open your terminal.
  2. Navigate to the directory where you want to store the project (e.g., cd Documents/Projects).
  3. Clone the repository (replace your-username/restless_coder.git with the actual URL if different):

     git clone https://github.com/your-username/restless_coder.git

• Option B: Downloading a ZIP File
  1. Go to the GitHub page for Restless Coder (e.g., https://github.com/your-username/restless_coder).
  2. Click the green "Code" button.
  3. Select "Download ZIP".
  4. Save the ZIP file to your computer and then extract it to a folder (e.g., in Documents/Projects). You'll have a folder named something like restless_coder-main. You can rename it to restless_coder for simplicity.

Step 3: Navigate to the Project Directory

1. In your terminal, change to the directory where you cloned or extracted Restless Coder:

   cd path/to/restless_coder 

   (e.g., cd Documents/Projects/restless_coder)

Step 4: Install Dependencies

The server has some software "dependencies" it needs to run.

1. While inside the restless_coder directory in your terminal, run:

   npm install

   This command reads the package.json file and downloads the necessary packages into a node_modules folder.

Step 5: Build the Server

The server code is written in TypeScript and needs to be "built" (compiled) into JavaScript.

1. In the same terminal, still inside the restless_coder directory, run:

   npm run build

   This command will create a build folder inside restless_coder, and inside build, you'll find an index.js file. This build/index.js is the main file Cline will run.

Step 6: Find the Absolute Path to build/index.js

Cline needs the full, complete "absolute" path to the build/index.js file.

1. Make sure you are still in the restless_coder directory in your terminal.

2. For macOS or Linux: Type pwd in your terminal. It will print the current directory's full path (e.g., /Users/yourname/Documents/Projects/restless_coder). Your absolute path to index.js will be this path + /build/index.js. Example: /Users/yourname/Documents/Projects/restless_coder/build/index.js

3. For Windows:

   • Using Command Prompt or PowerShell: Type cd (in Command Prompt) or Get-Location (in PowerShell). This shows the current path. Your absolute path will be this path + \build\index.js. Example: C:\Users\yourname\Documents\Projects\restless_coder\build\index.js
   • Using Git Bash (if installed): Type pwd. It will print a path like /c/Users/yourname/Documents/Projects/restless_coder. Your absolute path will be this path + /build/index.js. Example: /c/Users/yourname/Documents/Projects/restless_coder/build/index.js
   • Using File Explorer: Navigate to the restless_coder folder, then into the build folder. Right-click on index.js and look for an option like "Copy as path" or check its Properties for the "Location".

   Important for Windows paths in JSON: When you use this path in the JSON settings file (next step), you must either replace single backslashes \ with double backslashes \\ (e.g., C:\\Users\\yourname\\...) or use forward slashes / (e.g., C:/Users/yourname/...).

Step 7: Configure Cline to Use the Server

Now, you'll tell Cline where to find and how to run your Restless Coder server.

1. Locate Cline's MCP settings file (cline_mcp_settings.json): This file is usually found in these locations:

   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json (You can paste %APPDATA% into your File Explorer address bar to go to the Roaming AppData folder).
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json (In Finder, click "Go" in the menu bar, hold Option, then click "Library". Then navigate to Application Support -> Code -> ...).
   • Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json (Hidden files might need to be shown in your file manager).

2. Open cline_mcp_settings.json in a text editor (like VS Code itself). It's a JSON file. Be careful with syntax (commas, curly braces, square brackets).

3. Add the Restless Coder server configuration: Look for an mcpServers object. If it doesn't exist, you might need to create it (see Cline documentation if unsure). Inside mcpServers, add an entry for restless_coder:

   {
     // ... other settings if they exist ...
     "mcpServers": {
       // ... other servers if they exist, make sure there's a comma after the previous one ...
       "restless_coder": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["YOUR_ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_BUILD_INDEX_JS_HERE"],
         "env": {},
         "disabled": false,
         "autoApprove": []
       }
       // ... if this is the last server, no comma after this closing brace ...
     }
     // ... other settings if they exist ...
   }

   CRITICAL: Replace "YOUR_ABSOLUTE_PATH_TO_BUILD_INDEX_JS_HERE" with the actual absolute path you found in Step 6.

   • Example for macOS/Linux: "args": ["/Users/yourname/Documents/Projects/restless_coder/build/index.js"]
   • Example for Windows (using double backslashes): "args": ["C:\\Users\\yourname\\Documents\\Projects\\restless_coder\\build\\index.js"]
   • Example for Windows (using forward slashes): "args": ["C:/Users/yourname/Documents/Projects/restless_coder/build/index.js"]

   Ensure your JSON is valid. If you add this entry and there were other servers before it, make sure the previous server entry ends with a comma. If this is the only server, or the last one, its closing } should not have a comma after it.

Step 8: Restart VS Code or Reload Cline

For Cline to pick up the new server configuration, you might need to:

• Restart VS Code completely.
• Or, use a command in VS Code to reload Cline or its MCP servers if available (check Cline's documentation).

Step 9: Verify Installation (Optional)

1. After restarting, open Cline.
2. Try asking Cline if it has access to an MCP server named restless_coder or a tool named process_voice_command.
3. If configured correctly, Cline should be able to find and use the server. The server itself will start running in the background when Cline tries to use it. You can check your system's process list for a node process running the index.js script.

You should now be able to use the Restless Coder server with Cline! The server provides a UI for voice input at http://localhost:6543 (or http://YOUR_COMPUTER_IP:6543 from other devices on your local network, once the server is started by Cline attempting to use it).

Debugging

MCP servers communicate over stdio. For easier debugging, you can use the MCP Inspector:

npm run inspector

This will provide a URL to access debugging tools in your browser.