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Arcade MCP Server Framework

• 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.

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Quick Start: Create a New Server

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/src/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 in server.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

Running Your Server

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.

Configure MCP Clients

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

Installing this Repo from Source

git clone https://github.com/ArcadeAI/arcade-mcp.git && cd arcade-mcp && make install

Support and Community

• 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.