One-Line Summary: Create the MCP server entry point with STDIO transport — the minimal wiring that makes Claude discover your server.

Prerequisites: Database layer from Step 3

The Entry Point

Create src/index.ts — this is the file Claude will launch when it starts your server:

// src/index.ts
// ==========================================
// Bookmark MCP Server — Entry Point
// ==========================================
 
import { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js';
import { StdioServerTransport } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js';
import { registerTools } from './tools.js';
import { registerResources } from './resources.js';
import { registerPrompts } from './prompts.js';
 
// ------------------------------------------
// 1. Create the MCP Server
// ------------------------------------------
const server = new McpServer({
  name: 'bookmark-mcp',
  version: '1.0.0',
});
 
// ------------------------------------------
// 2. Register Capabilities
// ------------------------------------------
registerTools(server);
registerResources(server);
registerPrompts(server);
 
// ------------------------------------------
// 3. Connect via STDIO
// ------------------------------------------
async function main() {
  const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
  await server.connect(transport);
}
 
main().catch((error) => {
  console.error('Server failed to start:', error);
  process.exit(1);
});

What is happening here:

  1. McpServer is the core object from the MCP SDK. It manages tool/resource/prompt registration and handles the JSON-RPC protocol.
  2. StdioServerTransport reads from stdin and writes to stdout. Claude Desktop launches your server as a child process and communicates over these streams.
  3. Registration functions (defined in the next steps) add tools, resources, and prompts to the server. Separating them into modules keeps the code organized.
  4. No HTTP, no ports, no auth — STDIO transport is the simplest way to connect to Claude. It just works.

Create Placeholder Modules

We will fill these in over the next three steps. For now, create empty placeholders so TypeScript compiles:

src/tools.ts:

// src/tools.ts
import type { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js';
 
export function registerTools(server: McpServer): void {
  // Tools will be added in Step 5
}

src/resources.ts:

// src/resources.ts
import type { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js';
 
export function registerResources(server: McpServer): void {
  // Resources will be added in Step 6
}

src/prompts.ts:

// src/prompts.ts
import type { McpServer } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js';
 
export function registerPrompts(server: McpServer): void {
  // Prompts will be added in Step 7
}

Build and Verify

npx tsc

If this compiles without errors, your server skeleton is ready. The server will not do anything useful yet — we need to add tools, resources, and prompts — but the wiring is complete.

← Database Layer | Next: Step 5 - Adding Tools →