LiteMCP

LiteMCP uses Zod schemas to define and validate tool parameters, automatically converting them to JSON Schema for MCP protocol compliance. The framework leverages zod-to-json-schema to transform Zod validators into protocol-compliant schemas without manual schema duplication, enabling type-safe parameter handling with runtime validation and IDE autocomplete support.

LiteMCP wraps the official @modelcontextprotocol/sdk to provide a simplified constructor that handles server name and version registration, abstracting away low-level MCP protocol initialization details. The framework manages server instance creation, capability negotiation, and protocol handshake setup through a single LiteMCP class constructor.

LiteMCP provides a built-in logging system that outputs structured messages during server operation, including startup, component registration, tool invocation, and error events. The logging is integrated with the development CLI and provides real-time visibility into server behavior without requiring external logging libraries.

LiteMCP's addTool() method registers executable functions as MCP tools by binding a handler function to a tool definition that includes name, description, and Zod-validated parameters. The framework manages the mapping between tool invocations from MCP clients and the corresponding handler execution, with automatic parameter validation and error handling.

LiteMCP's addResource() method registers data sources as MCP resources identified by URIs, with a load() handler that retrieves resource content on demand. Resources support multiple content types (text, binary, images) and are exposed to MCP clients through URI-based addressing, enabling clients to discover and fetch resource data without direct file system access.

LiteMCP's addPrompt() method registers reusable prompt templates as MCP prompts with argument schemas defined via Zod. The framework manages prompt discovery and instantiation, allowing MCP clients to request prompts with specific arguments that are substituted into template strings, enabling dynamic prompt generation without server-side template rendering.

LiteMCP provides a development CLI command (litemcp dev) that starts an MCP server with automatic hot-reload on file changes, integrated logging output, and debugging support. The command uses execa for process management and watches source files for changes, restarting the server automatically without manual intervention, accelerating the development feedback loop.

LiteMCP provides an inspection CLI command (litemcp inspect) that connects to a running MCP server and displays all registered tools, resources, and prompts with their schemas and metadata. The command uses the MCP client protocol to introspect server capabilities without requiring source code access, enabling developers to verify server configuration and test client connectivity.

LiteMCP abstracts MCP transport mechanisms through the underlying SDK, supporting both stdio (standard input/output) and HTTP transports for server-client communication. The framework handles transport initialization and message serialization, allowing developers to choose transport based on deployment context without changing server code.

LiteMCP is built entirely in TypeScript and generates type definitions for all components (tools, resources, prompts) through Zod schema inference. The framework provides IDE autocomplete, type checking, and compile-time validation without requiring separate type definition files, leveraging TypeScript's type system to catch errors before runtime.

LiteMCP uses tsup to build both a library entry point (dist/index.js for programmatic use) and a CLI entry point (dist/cli/index.js for command-line execution) from a single TypeScript codebase. The build process generates ES modules with TypeScript declarations and source maps, supporting both npm package consumption and global CLI installation.