Quickstart

Get a real MCP server running in under ten minutes. mcp-rune ships an example server (the bookshelf) that exposes the full framework surface — tools, prompts, validation, and documentation — all generated from a single 30-line model definition. No database, no API backend required.

Install

Clone the repo and start the bookshelf example through the MCP Inspector:

git clone https://github.com/mcp-rune/mcp-rune.git
cd mcp-rune/examples/bookshelf
npm install
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector -- npx tsx server.ts

The Inspector opens in your browser. You’re now connected to a working MCP server with one model (Book), a hybrid prompt strategy, and all polymorphic tools registered.

Try a tool

Inside the Inspector, call:

1. get_prompt_guide with { "model": "book" } — see the auto-generated creation guide that an LLM would use to fill the form.
2. validate_form with { "model": "book", "attributes": { "title": "Clean Code" } } — see structured validation feedback for a partial submission.

Both tools work without any external service. They’re derived from the model definition in examples/bookshelf/models/book.ts.

Connect to Claude Desktop

To talk to the same server from Claude Desktop, drop this block into claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bookshelf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["tsx", "/path/to/mcp-rune/examples/bookshelf/server.ts"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/mcp-rune with the absolute path to your clone. Restart Claude Desktop and the bookshelf server will appear in the tool picker.

What you got

From examples/bookshelf/models/book.ts (a 30-line file), the framework registered:

• Tools that work immediately (no API backend) — list_models, get_prompt_guide, validate_form, get_form_summary, get_filters_guide.
• Tools that need an API backend — create_model, find_model, update_model, delete_model, search_records, bulk_action_models.

The bookshelf example’s full source is ~150 lines total. See examples/bookshelf/ for the model, prompt, and server wiring.

Next

• Project structure — where models, prompts, tools, apps, and the domain registry live in a generated mcp-rune project.
• Prompt Creation — the DSL that turns model attributes into agent-fillable forms.
• MCP Apps — interactive HTML UIs rendered inside Claude Desktop.