switchroom 0.5.0

package/skills/mcp-builder/reference/mcp_best_practices.md

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+# MCP Server Best Practices
+
+## Quick Reference
+
+### Server Naming
+- **Python**: `{service}_mcp` (e.g., `slack_mcp`)
+- **Node/TypeScript**: `{service}-mcp-server` (e.g., `slack-mcp-server`)
+
+### Tool Naming
+- Use snake_case with service prefix
+- Format: `{service}_{action}_{resource}`
+- Example: `slack_send_message`, `github_create_issue`
+
+### Response Formats
+- Support both JSON and Markdown formats
+- JSON for programmatic processing
+- Markdown for human readability
+
+### Pagination
+- Always respect `limit` parameter
+- Return `has_more`, `next_offset`, `total_count`
+- Default to 20-50 items
+
+### Transport
+- **Streamable HTTP**: For remote servers, multi-client scenarios
+- **stdio**: For local integrations, command-line tools
+- Avoid SSE (deprecated in favor of streamable HTTP)
+
+---
+
+## Server Naming Conventions
+
+Follow these standardized naming patterns:
+
+**Python**: Use format `{service}_mcp` (lowercase with underscores)
+- Examples: `slack_mcp`, `github_mcp`, `jira_mcp`
+
+**Node/TypeScript**: Use format `{service}-mcp-server` (lowercase with hyphens)
+- Examples: `slack-mcp-server`, `github-mcp-server`, `jira-mcp-server`
+
+The name should be general, descriptive of the service being integrated, easy to infer from the task description, and without version numbers.
+
+---
+
+## Tool Naming and Design
+
+### Tool Naming
+
+1. **Use snake_case**: `search_users`, `create_project`, `get_channel_info`
+2. **Include service prefix**: Anticipate that your MCP server may be used alongside other MCP servers
+   - Use `slack_send_message` instead of just `send_message`
+   - Use `github_create_issue` instead of just `create_issue`
+3. **Be action-oriented**: Start with verbs (get, list, search, create, etc.)
+4. **Be specific**: Avoid generic names that could conflict with other servers
+
+### Tool Design
+
+- Tool descriptions must narrowly and unambiguously describe functionality
+- Descriptions must precisely match actual functionality
+- Provide tool annotations (readOnlyHint, destructiveHint, idempotentHint, openWorldHint)
+- Keep tool operations focused and atomic
+
+---
+
+## Response Formats
+
+All tools that return data should support multiple formats:
+
+### JSON Format (`response_format="json"`)
+- Machine-readable structured data
+- Include all available fields and metadata
+- Consistent field names and types
+- Use for programmatic processing
+
+### Markdown Format (`response_format="markdown"`, typically default)
+- Human-readable formatted text
+- Use headers, lists, and formatting for clarity
+- Convert timestamps to human-readable format
+- Show display names with IDs in parentheses
+- Omit verbose metadata
+
+---
+
+## Pagination
+
+For tools that list resources:
+
+- **Always respect the `limit` parameter**
+- **Implement pagination**: Use `offset` or cursor-based pagination
+- **Return pagination metadata**: Include `has_more`, `next_offset`/`next_cursor`, `total_count`
+- **Never load all results into memory**: Especially important for large datasets
+- **Default to reasonable limits**: 20-50 items is typical
+
+Example pagination response:
+```json
+{
+  "total": 150,
+  "count": 20,
+  "offset": 0,
+  "items": [...],
+  "has_more": true,
+  "next_offset": 20
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## Transport Options
+
+### Streamable HTTP
+
+**Best for**: Remote servers, web services, multi-client scenarios
+
+**Characteristics**:
+- Bidirectional communication over HTTP
+- Supports multiple simultaneous clients
+- Can be deployed as a web service
+- Enables server-to-client notifications
+
+**Use when**:
+- Serving multiple clients simultaneously
+- Deploying as a cloud service
+- Integration with web applications
+
+### stdio
+
+**Best for**: Local integrations, command-line tools
+
+**Characteristics**:
+- Standard input/output stream communication
+- Simple setup, no network configuration needed
+- Runs as a subprocess of the client
+
+**Use when**:
+- Building tools for local development environments
+- Integrating with desktop applications
+- Single-user, single-session scenarios
+
+**Note**: stdio servers should NOT log to stdout (use stderr for logging)
+
+### Transport Selection
+
+| Criterion | stdio | Streamable HTTP |
+|-----------|-------|-----------------|
+| **Deployment** | Local | Remote |
+| **Clients** | Single | Multiple |
+| **Complexity** | Low | Medium |
+| **Real-time** | No | Yes |
+
+---
+
+## Security Best Practices
+
+### Authentication and Authorization
+
+**OAuth 2.1**:
+- Use secure OAuth 2.1 with certificates from recognized authorities
+- Validate access tokens before processing requests
+- Only accept tokens specifically intended for your server
+
+**API Keys**:
+- Store API keys in environment variables, never in code
+- Validate keys on server startup
+- Provide clear error messages when authentication fails
+
+### Input Validation
+
+- Sanitize file paths to prevent directory traversal
+- Validate URLs and external identifiers
+- Check parameter sizes and ranges
+- Prevent command injection in system calls
+- Use schema validation (Pydantic/Zod) for all inputs
+
+### Error Handling
+
+- Don't expose internal errors to clients
+- Log security-relevant errors server-side
+- Provide helpful but not revealing error messages
+- Clean up resources after errors
+
+### DNS Rebinding Protection
+
+For streamable HTTP servers running locally:
+- Enable DNS rebinding protection
+- Validate the `Origin` header on all incoming connections
+- Bind to `127.0.0.1` rather than `0.0.0.0`
+
+---
+
+## Tool Annotations
+
+Provide annotations to help clients understand tool behavior:
+
+| Annotation | Type | Default | Description |
+|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
+| `readOnlyHint` | boolean | false | Tool does not modify its environment |
+| `destructiveHint` | boolean | true | Tool may perform destructive updates |
+| `idempotentHint` | boolean | false | Repeated calls with same args have no additional effect |
+| `openWorldHint` | boolean | true | Tool interacts with external entities |
+
+**Important**: Annotations are hints, not security guarantees. Clients should not make security-critical decisions based solely on annotations.
+
+---
+
+## Error Handling
+
+- Use standard JSON-RPC error codes
+- Report tool errors within result objects (not protocol-level errors)
+- Provide helpful, specific error messages with suggested next steps
+- Don't expose internal implementation details
+- Clean up resources properly on errors
+
+Example error handling:
+```typescript
+try {
+  const result = performOperation();
+  return { content: [{ type: "text", text: result }] };
+} catch (error) {
+  return {
+    isError: true,
+    content: [{
+      type: "text",
+      text: `Error: ${error.message}. Try using filter='active_only' to reduce results.`
+    }]
+  };
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## Testing Requirements
+
+Comprehensive testing should cover:
+
+- **Functional testing**: Verify correct execution with valid/invalid inputs
+- **Integration testing**: Test interaction with external systems
+- **Security testing**: Validate auth, input sanitization, rate limiting
+- **Performance testing**: Check behavior under load, timeouts
+- **Error handling**: Ensure proper error reporting and cleanup
+
+---
+
+## Documentation Requirements
+
+- Provide clear documentation of all tools and capabilities
+- Include working examples (at least 3 per major feature)
+- Document security considerations
+- Specify required permissions and access levels
+- Document rate limits and performance characteristics