MCP Server Management Scripts

This repository contains scripts to easily start and manage MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers for development.

Scripts Overview

• start-mcp-servers.sh: Starts all your MCP servers
• manage-mcp-servers.sh: Helps you manage running MCP servers (list, stop, view logs, etc.)

Getting Started

Make sure both scripts are executable:

chmod +x start-mcp-servers.sh manage-mcp-servers.sh

Starting MCP Servers

To start all your MCP servers:

./start-mcp-servers.sh

By default, this will:

1. Clear any existing log files
2. Run all servers in the foreground with output displayed in the current terminal
3. Prefix each line with the server name for easy identification

Running in Background Mode

If you prefer to run servers in the background:

./start-mcp-servers.sh --background

In background mode, the script will try to start servers using one of these methods (in order of preference):

1. iTerm2 tabs (if using iTerm2)
2. Terminal.app windows (if using Terminal.app)
3. tmux sessions (if tmux is available)
4. Background processes with log files (fallback method)

Command Line Options

./start-mcp-servers.sh --help

Available options:

• --background, -b: Run servers in background mode
• --help, -h: Show help message

Managing MCP Servers

The management script provides several commands to help you manage your running MCP servers:

Show Help

./manage-mcp-servers.sh help

List Running Servers

./manage-mcp-servers.sh list

This will show all configured servers and whether they're running or not.

Stop Servers

Stop all servers:

./manage-mcp-servers.sh stop

Stop a specific server (by number):

./manage-mcp-servers.sh stop 1  # Stop the first server

View Logs

List all log files:

./manage-mcp-servers.sh logs

View logs for a specific server (by number):

./manage-mcp-servers.sh logs 1  # View logs for the first server

Bring a Server to Foreground

./manage-mcp-servers.sh fg 1  # Bring the first server to foreground

If bringing to foreground isn't possible, it will show the log file in real-time.

Adding New MCP Servers

To add a new MCP server, you only need to edit the start-mcp-servers.sh file:

1. Open start-mcp-servers.sh
2. Find the MCP_SERVERS array at the top of the file
3. Add your new server command as a new line in the array

MCP_SERVERS=(
  "npx @agentdeskai/browser-tools-server"
  "npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking"
  "npx your-new-server-command"  # Add your new server here
)

The management script will automatically pick up the new server from the start script.

Log Management

The scripts handle logs in the following ways:

1. Automatic Cleanup: When starting servers, existing log files are automatically cleared to prevent them from growing too large.

2. Foreground Mode: In the default foreground mode, logs are displayed directly in the terminal with server name prefixes.

3. Background Mode: In background mode, logs are saved to files named after each server (e.g., browser-tools-server.log).

4. Viewing Logs: Use ./manage-mcp-servers.sh logs to view logs for background processes.

How It Works

• The start script defines all your MCP servers in an array at the top
• It detects your environment and starts the servers in the most appropriate way
• The management script extracts the server configuration from the start script
• It uses pgrep to find running processes and pkill to stop them
• For viewing logs, it uses tail -f to show real-time updates

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues:

1. Make sure both scripts are executable (chmod +x *.sh)
2. Check that the server commands in the array are correct
3. Look at the log files in the current directory for error messages
4. Try running the server commands manually to see if they work