Contributing to MongoDB MCP Server

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the MongoDB MCP Server project! This document provides guidelines and instructions for contributing.

Project Overview

This project implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for MongoDB and MongoDB Atlas, enabling AI assistants to interact with MongoDB Atlas resources through natural language.

Development Setup

Prerequisites

Node.js (v20 or later)
npm

Getting Started

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/mongodb-labs/mongodb-mcp-server.git
cd mongodb-mcp-server

Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```

Add the mcp server to your IDE of choice (see the README for detailed client integration instructions)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "MongoDB": {
      "command": "/path/to/mongodb-mcp-server/dist/index.js"
    }
  }
}

Code Contribution Workflow

Create a new branch for your feature or bugfix:
```
git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
```
Make your changes, following the code style of the project
Run the inspector and double check your changes:
```
npm run inspect
```
Commit your changes with a descriptive commit message

Adding tests to the MCP Server

When adding new features or fixing bugs, please ensure that you also add tests to cover your changes. This helps maintain the quality and reliability of the codebase.

Running Tests

The tests can be found in the tests directory.

You can run tests using the following npm scripts:

npm test: Run all tests

To run a specific test file or directory:

npm test -- path/to/test/file.test.ts
npm test -- path/to/directory

Troubleshooting

Restart Server

Run npm run build to re-build the server if you made changes to the code
Press Cmd + Shift + P and type List MCP Servers
Select the MCP server you want to restart
Select the option to restart the server

View Logs

To see MCP logs, check https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers.

Press Cmd + Shift + P and type List MCP Servers
Select the MCP server you want to see logs for
Select the option to view logs in the output panel

Debugging

For debugging, we use the MCP inspector tool. From the root of this repository, run:

npm run inspect

This is equivalent to:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector -- node dist/index.js

Pull Request Guidelines

Update documentation if necessary
Ensure your PR includes only relevant changes
Link any related issues in your PR description
Keep PRs focused on a single topic

Code Standards

Use TypeScript for all new code
Follow the existing code style (indentation, naming conventions, etc.)
Comment your code when necessary, especially for complex logic
Use meaningful variable and function names

Reporting Issues

When reporting issues, please include:

A clear description of the problem
Steps to reproduce
Expected vs. actual behavior
Version information
Environment details

Adding New Tools

When adding new tools to the MCP server:

Follow the existing pattern in server.ts
Define clear parameter schemas using Zod
Implement thorough error handling
Add proper documentation for the tool
Include examples of how to use the tool

License

By contributing to this project, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the project's license.

Questions?

If you have any questions or need help, please open an issue or reach out to the maintainers.