MCP Creator — FastMCP v3
Build production-ready MCP servers with FastMCP v3 (3.0.0rc2). This skill guides through research, scaffolding, implementation, testing, and deployment. All output follows this repo's conventions:
directory,
config,
workspace member, imperative voice, kebab-case naming.
Target: FastMCP v3 rc2 — Provider/Transform architecture, 14 built-in middleware, OAuth 2.1, server composition, component versioning, structured output, background tasks, elicitation, sampling.
Input: — the service, API, or capability to wrap as an MCP server.
Dispatch
Route
to the appropriate mode:
| $ARGUMENTS pattern | Mode | Start at |
|---|
| Service/API name (e.g., "GitHub", "Stripe") | New server | Phase 1 |
| Path to existing server (e.g., ) | Extend | Phase 3 |
| OpenAPI spec URL or file path | Convert OpenAPI | Phase 2 (scaffold) then load references/server-composition.md
§6 |
| FastAPI app to convert | Convert FastAPI | Phase 2 (scaffold) then load references/server-composition.md
§7 |
| Error message or "debug" + description | Debug | Load references/common-errors.md
, match symptom |
| "learn" or conceptual question | Learn | Load relevant reference file, explain |
| Empty | Gallery / help overview | Show available modes and example invocations |
Consult Live Documentation
Before implementation, fetch current FastMCP v3 docs. Bundled references capture rc2 — live docs may be newer.
- Context7 — for "fastmcp", then for the topic.
- WebFetch —
https://gofastmcp.com/llms-full.txt
— comprehensive LLM-optimized docs.
- WebSearch fallback —
site:gofastmcp.com <topic>
for specific topics.
If live docs contradict bundled references, live docs win. Always fetch live docs first — API details shift between rc2 and stable.
Phase 1: Research & Plan
Goal: Understand the target service and design the MCP server's tool/resource/prompt inventory.
Load: references/tool-design.md
(naming, descriptions, parameter design, 8 tool patterns)
1.1 Understand the Target
- Read any documentation, SDK, or API reference for the target service.
- Identify the core operations users need (CRUD, search, status, config).
- Note authentication requirements (API keys, OAuth, tokens).
- Check for existing MCP servers for this service — avoid duplicating work.
1.2 Architecture Checklist
Answer before proceeding:
1.3 Design Tool Inventory
Plan 5-15 tools per server. For each tool, define:
| Field | Requirement |
|---|
| Name | , format, max 64 chars |
| Description | 3-5 sentences: WHAT, WHEN to use, WHEN NOT, WHAT it returns |
| Parameters | Each with type, description, constraints via Annotated[type, Field(...)]
|
| Annotations | , , , |
| Error cases | What messages to raise for expected failures |
1.4 Design Resources and Prompts
- Resources for static/slow-changing data (config, schemas, status). URI-addressed.
- Prompts for reusable message templates that guide LLM behavior.
- See
references/fastmcp-v3-api.md
§6-7 for URI patterns and prompt design.
1.5 Plan Architecture
Decide on composition strategy:
- Single server — Most cases. One instance with all tools.
- Composed servers — Large APIs. Domain servers mounted via with namespaces.
- Provider-based — Dynamic tool registration. or custom .
- OpenAPI conversion — Auto-generate tools from OpenAPI spec. or .
See
references/server-composition.md
for patterns.
1.6 Deliverable
Produce a tool/resource/prompt inventory table before proceeding:
markdown
|-----------|------|------|---------------------|
| Tool | tool | search_issues | Search GitHub issues by query |
| Resource | resource | config://settings | Current server configuration |
| Prompt | prompt | summarize_pr | Summarize a pull request for review |
Phase 2: Scaffold
Goal: Create the project directory, tests, and configure dependencies.
2.1 Create Project Structure
mcp/<name>/
├── server.py # FastMCP entry point
├── pyproject.toml # uv project config
├── fastmcp.json # FastMCP CLI config
└── tests/
├── conftest.py # Client fixture, mock Context
└── test_server.py # Automated test suite
Customize the scaffold:
- Set server name in : .
- Set package name in : .
- Update description in .
- Add service-specific dependencies to both and .
2.2 Add Test Configuration
toml
[tool.pytest.ini_options]
asyncio_mode = "auto"
[dependency-groups]
dev = ["pytest>=8", "pytest-asyncio>=0.25"]
Create
— see
§4 for the complete template.
2.3 Configure and Verify
- Ensure root has
[tool.uv.workspace] members = ["mcp/*"]
.
- Run to install dependencies.
- Verify:
uv run python -c "from server import mcp; print(mcp.name)"
.
Note:
validates skills/agents only, NOT MCP servers. Use the import check above for MCP server validation.
Phase 3: Implement
Goal: Build all tools, resources, and prompts from the Phase 1 inventory.
Load: references/fastmcp-v3-api.md
(full API surface),
references/tool-design.md
(patterns)
3.1 Server Setup
python
from fastmcp import FastMCP, Context
mcp = FastMCP(
"server-name",
instructions="Description of what this server provides and when to use it.",
)
For shared resources (HTTP clients, DB connections), add a composable lifespan:
python
from fastmcp.server.lifespan import lifespan
@lifespan
async def http_lifespan(server):
import httpx
async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client:
yield {"http": client}
mcp = FastMCP("server-name", lifespan=http_lifespan)
# Access in tools: ctx.lifespan_context["http"]
Combine lifespans with
:
mcp = FastMCP("name", lifespan=db_lifespan | cache_lifespan)
3.2 Implement Tools
For each tool in the inventory, follow this pattern:
python
from typing import Annotated
from pydantic import Field
from fastmcp import Context
from fastmcp.exceptions import ToolError
@mcp.tool(
annotations={
"readOnlyHint": True,
"openWorldHint": True,
},
)
async def search_items(
query: Annotated[str, Field(description="Search term to find items.", min_length=1)],
limit: Annotated[int, Field(description="Max results to return.", ge=1, le=100)] = 10,
ctx: Context | None = None,
) -> dict:
"""Search for items matching a query.
Use this tool when you need to find items by keyword. Returns a list of
matching items with their IDs and titles. Use the limit parameter to
control result count. Does not search archived items.
Returns a dictionary with 'items' list and 'total' count.
"""
if ctx:
await ctx.info(f"Searching for: {query}")
try:
results = await do_search(query, limit)
return {"items": results, "total": len(results)}
except ServiceError as e:
raise ToolError(f"Search failed: {e}")
Key rules for every tool:
Annotated[type, Field(description=...)]
on EVERY parameter.
- Verbose docstring: WHAT, WHEN to use, WHEN NOT, WHAT it returns.
- for expected failures (always visible to client).
- dict on every tool — at minimum .
ctx: Context | None = None
for testability without MCP runtime.
See
references/tool-design.md
§9 for 8 complete tool patterns (sync, async+Context, stateful, external API, data processing, dependency-injected, sampling, elicitation).
3.3 Implement Resources
python
import json
@mcp.resource("config://settings", mime_type="application/json")
async def get_settings() -> str:
"""Current server configuration."""
return json.dumps(settings)
@mcp.resource("users://{user_id}/profile")
async def get_user_profile(user_id: str) -> str:
"""User profile by ID."""
return json.dumps(await fetch_profile(user_id))
See
references/fastmcp-v3-api.md
§6 for URI templates, query params, wildcards, and class-based resources.
3.4 Implement Prompts
python
from fastmcp.prompts import Message
@mcp.prompt
def summarize_pr(pr_number: int, detail_level: str = "brief") -> list[Message]:
"""Generate a prompt to summarize a pull request."""
return [Message(
role="user",
content=f"Summarize PR #{pr_number} at {detail_level} detail level.",
)]
3.5 Composition (if applicable)
For large servers, split into domain modules and compose. See
references/server-composition.md
.
python
from fastmcp import FastMCP
from .issues import issues_server
from .repos import repos_server
mcp = FastMCP("github")
mcp.mount(issues_server, namespace="issues")
mcp.mount(repos_server, namespace="repos")
3.6 Auth (if applicable)
Load
references/auth-and-security.md
when implementing authentication.
- stdio transport: No MCP-level auth. Use env vars for backend API keys.
- HTTP transport: OAuth 2.1 via , , or .
- Per-tool auth:
@mcp.tool(auth=require_scopes("admin"))
.
- Dual-mode pattern: with shared tools, separate auth/no-auth entry points.
Phase 4: Test
Goal: Verify all components work correctly with deterministic tests.
Load: (patterns, 18-item checklist)
4.1 Write Tests
Use the in-memory
— no network, no subprocess:
python
import pytest
from fastmcp import Client
from server import mcp
@pytest.fixture
async def client():
async with Client(mcp) as c:
yield c
async def test_search_items(client):
result = await client.call_tool("search_items", {"query": "test"})
assert result.data is not None
assert not result.is_error
async def test_list_tools(client):
tools = await client.list_tools()
names = [t.name for t in tools]
assert "search_items" in names
4.2 Test Categories
Cover all 8 categories from
:
- Discovery — , , return expected names.
- Happy path — Each tool with valid input returns expected output.
- Error handling — Invalid input produces , not crashes.
- Edge cases — Empty strings, boundary values, Unicode, large inputs.
- Resources — returns correct content and MIME type.
- Prompts — returns expected messages.
- Integration — Tool chains, lifespan setup/teardown.
- Concurrent — Multiple simultaneous calls don't interfere.
4.3 Interactive Testing
bash
# MCP Inspector (browser-based)
fastmcp dev inspector mcp/<name>/server.py
# CLI testing
fastmcp list mcp/<name>/server.py
fastmcp call mcp/<name>/server.py search_items '{"query": "test"}'
4.4 Run Tests
bash
cd mcp/<name> && uv run pytest -v
Phase 5: Deploy & Configure
Goal: Make the server available to MCP clients.
Load: (transports, client configs, Docker)
5.1 Select Transport
| Scenario | Transport | Command |
|---|
| Local / Claude Desktop | stdio | |
| Remote / multi-client | Streamable HTTP | fastmcp run server.py --transport http --port 8000
|
| Development | Inspector | fastmcp dev inspector server.py
|
5.2 Generate Client Config
Add to client config (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor):
json
{
"mcpServers": {
"server-name": {
"command": "uv",
"args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/mcp/<name>", "fastmcp", "run", "server.py"]
}
}
}
See
§7 for complete configs per client.
5.3 Validate
MCP server validation (wagents validate does NOT check MCP servers):
bash
# Import check
uv run python -c "from server import mcp; print(mcp.name)"
# List registered components
fastmcp list mcp/<name>/server.py
# Interactive inspection
fastmcp dev inspector mcp/<name>/server.py
5.4 Quality Checklist
Before declaring the server complete:
Reference File Index
Load these files on demand during the relevant phase. Do NOT load all at once.
| File | Content | Load during |
|---|
references/fastmcp-v3-api.md
| Complete v3 API surface: constructor, decorators, Context, return types, resources, prompts, providers, transforms, 14 middleware, background tasks, visibility, v2→v3 changes | Phase 3 |
references/tool-design.md
| LLM-optimized naming, descriptions, parameters, annotations, error handling, 8 tool patterns, structured output, response patterns, anti-patterns | Phase 1, 3 |
references/server-composition.md
| mount(), import_server(), proxy, FileSystemProvider, OpenAPI (OpenAPIProvider + from_openapi), FastAPI conversion, custom providers, transforms, gateway pattern, DRY registration | Phase 1, 3 |
| In-memory Client, pytest setup, conftest.py template, 8 test categories, MCP Inspector, CLI testing, 18-item checklist | Phase 4 |
references/auth-and-security.md
| OAuth 2.1, JWTVerifier, per-component auth, custom auth checks, session-based visibility, custom route auth bypass, SSRF prevention, dual-mode pattern, 15 security rules | Phase 3 |
| Transports, FastMCP CLI, ASGI, custom routes, client configs, fastmcp.json schema, Docker, background task workers, production checklist | Phase 5 |
references/resources-and-prompts.md
| Resources (static, dynamic, binary), prompts (single/multi-message), resource vs tool guidance, testing patterns | Phase 3 |
references/common-errors.md
| 34 errors: symptom → cause → v3-updated fix, quick-fix lookup table | Debug mode |
references/quick-reference.md
| Minimal examples: server, tool, resource, prompt, lifespan, test, run | Quick start |
Critical Rules
These are non-negotiable. Violating any of these produces broken MCP servers.
-
No stdout. Never use
or write to stdout in tools/resources/prompts. Stdout is the MCP transport. Use
,
,
for logging.
-
ToolError for expected failures. Always
raise ToolError("message")
for user-facing errors. Standard exceptions are masked by
in production.
-
Verbose descriptions. Every tool needs a 3-5 sentence docstring. Every parameter needs
. LLMs cannot use tools they don't understand.
-
Annotations on every tool. Set
,
,
,
. Clients use these for confirmation flows and retry logic.
-
No or . MCP requires a fixed JSON schema for tool inputs. Dynamic signatures break schema generation.
-
Async state access. In v3,
and
are async — always
them.
-
URI schemes required. Every resource URI must have a scheme (
,
,
). Bare paths fail.
-
Test deterministically. Use in-memory
, not manual prompting. Tests must be repeatable and automated.
-
Module-level variable. The
instance must be importable at module level.
imports
by default.
-
Secrets in env vars only. Never hardcode API keys. Never accept tokens as tool parameters. Load from environment, validate on startup.
Quick Reference
Load
references/quick-reference.md
for the complete quick reference with minimal examples for server, tool, resource, prompt, lifespan, test, and run commands.
Canonical Vocabulary
Use these terms consistently. Do not invent synonyms.
| Canonical term | Meaning | NOT |
|---|
| tool | A callable MCP function exposed to clients | "endpoint", "action", "command" |
| resource | URI-addressed read-only data exposed to clients | "asset", "file", "data source" |
| prompt | Reusable message template guiding LLM behavior | "instruction", "system message" |
| provider | Dynamic component source (e.g., , ) | "plugin", "adapter" |
| transform | Middleware that modifies components at mount time | "filter", "interceptor" |
| middleware | Request/response processing hook in the server pipeline | "handler", "decorator" |
| lifespan | Async context manager for shared server resources | "startup hook", "init" |
| mount | Attach a child server with a namespace prefix | "register", "include" |
| namespace | Prefix added to component names during mount | "scope", "prefix" |
| Context | Runtime object passed to tools for logging, state, sampling | "request", "session" |
| ToolError | Exception class for user-visible error messages | "raise Exception" |
| annotation | Tool metadata hints (, , etc.) | "tag", "label" |
| transport | Communication layer: stdio or Streamable HTTP | "protocol", "channel" |