Mcp Discovery

What is Mcp Discovery about?

Mcp Discovery provides a CLI that queries MCP Servers to retrieve their tools, resources, and capabilities, then formats the data for human consumption or documentation purposes.

How to use Mcp Discovery?

• Install the binary following the project documentation (pre‑built binaries, Cargo install, or via GitHub releases).
• Run the default print subcommand to view capabilities in the terminal:

  mcp-discovery -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything
  

• Generate a file with a specific format using the create subcommand:

  mcp-discovery create -f capabilities.md -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything
  

• Update an existing documentation file by inserting capabilities between render markers with the update subcommand.
• Choose built‑in templates (md, md-plain, html, txt) via -t/--template or supply a custom Handlebars template using -p/--template-file or -s/--template-string.
• Integrate the CLI as a GitHub Action using the companion mcp-discovery-action repository for automated documentation updates.

Key features of Mcp Discovery

• Multi‑format output: Markdown, HTML, plain text, JSON, or custom Handlebars templates.
• Subcommands: print (default), create, and update for flexible workflows.
• Automatic template selection based on file extension when no template is specified.
• Inline template support within update markers for highly customized rendering.
• GitHub Action: Seamless CI/CD integration to keep documentation current.
• Built on rust-mcp-sdk for reliable MCP communication.

Use cases of Mcp Discovery

• Developer documentation: Auto‑generate up‑to‑date README sections that list server capabilities.
• CI pipelines: Run as a GitHub Action to refresh documentation on every push or release.
• Tooling integration: Combine with other Rust or Node.js tools that expose MCP Servers, ensuring their capabilities are visible to users.
• Audit & compliance: Export capabilities to JSON for downstream analysis or verification.

FAQ

Q: Do I need a Rust toolchain to use Mcp Discovery? A: Only if you plan to build from source. Pre‑compiled binaries are available for major platforms.

Q: Can I use Mcp Discovery with any MCP Server? A: Yes, as long as the server complies with the Model Context Protocol and is reachable by the CLI.

Q: How does the update subcommand locate the insertion points? A: It looks for comment markers mcp-discovery-render and mcp-discovery-render-end (or their equivalents in other file types) and replaces the content between them.

Q: What if I need a format not supported out of the box? A: Supply a custom Handlebars template via --template-file or --template-string to define any output structure.

Q: How do I configure the CLI as a GitHub Action? A: Add the rust-mcp-stack/mcp-discovery-action to your workflow and specify the target file and template options as action inputs.

MCP Discovery

A command-line tool written in Rust for discovering and documenting MCP Server capabilities.

It supports outputting the results in the terminal or saving them to files in Markdown, HTML, plain text, JSON, or a custom template defined by you.

Check the project documentation for instructions and command examples.

Features 💡

• Display MCP Details: Output MCP Server information, including tools, resources, and capabilities, directly to the terminal.
• Generate Files: Create files in Markdown (.md), HTML (.html), or plain text (.txt) formats with MCP Server details and capabilities.
• Update Files: Modify existing Markdown, HTML, or text files by adding MCP Server capabilities within specified markers, enabling MCP Server developers to automatically maintain up-to-date documentation and repository README files.
• Flexible Output Customization: Choose from built-in templates (md, md-plain, html, txt) or supply custom Handlebars templates for personalized output.
• MCP Discovery GitHub Action: Integrate the mcp-discovery CLI as a GitHub Action to automate and maintain up-to-date MCP Server documentation in your development workflow.

This open-source project leverages the rust-mcp-sdk for seamless interaction with MCP Servers.

🌐 Check out the rust-mcp-filesystem capabilities page for a sample output.

Installation ⬇️

Running as CLI

Check the project documentation for instructions on installing the tool on different platforms.

GitHub Action

The easiest way to automate and maintain up-to-date MCP Server documentation , is to use mcp-discovery as a GitHub action. Please see rust-mcp-stack/mcp-discovery-action for installation and configuration instructions.

Subcommands

• print: Displays MCP Server capabilities in the terminal.
• create: Creates a new file with MCP Server capability details.
• update: Updates an existing file by inserting MCP Server capabilities between specified markers.

👉 Note: If no subcommand is provided, the print subcommand will be used by default.

Options ⚙️

• -f, --filename <FILENAME>: Used with create and update commands to specify the output file to generate or modify.
• -t, --template <TEMPLATE>: Choose a built-in output template. Options: md, md-plain, html, txt.
• -p, --template-file <TEMPLATE_FILE>: Path to a custom Handlebars template file.
• -s, --template-string <TEMPLATE_STRING>: Inline Handlebars template provided as a string.
• -h, --help: Display help information.
• -V, --version: Display the version of mcp-discovery.

👉 Note: If no template is provided, mcp-discovery will automatically select the most suitable built-in template based on the file extension.

Built-in Templates 🧬

The CLI supports the following built-in output templates:

• md: Formatted Markdown that presents MCP Server capabilities in a table format.
• md-plain: Minimalist Markdown for straightforward output, using plain text instead of tables.
• html: Structured HTML with basic styling.
• txt: Plain text for raw, unformatted output.

Custom Templates 🧩

You can provide custom Handlebars templates in different ways:

1. Use the --template-file flag to provide a custom template file.
2. Use the --template-string flag to provide a raw Handlebars template directly as a string.
3. To use an inline template, define it in a file for the update command only — this will not function with print or create.

Inline templates must be enclosed within designated marker annotations.

Examples

Print MCP Server capabilities to the terminal:

mcp-discovery -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything

Create a HTML file with MCP Server capabilities:

mcp-discovery create -f capabilities.html -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything

📄 Click here to view generated html file

Create a MD file with MCP Server capabilities:

mcp-discovery create -f capabilities.md -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything

Use a custom Handlebars template:

mcp-discovery create -f capabilities.md  --template-file=custom_template.hbs -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything

💡 See the Command Examples section in the project documentation for additional CLI usage examples.

Defining Update Regions with Markers

When using the update subcommand, mcp-discovery places capabilities between designated markers in the target file, which vary by file format and are typically comment lines. The update command simplifies the process for developers and maintainers to keep documentation current effortlessly. Run the mcp-discovery update command anytime to refresh the file with the latest MCP Server capabilities.

Marker Annotations

• Render Block Start : mcp-discovery-render
• Render Block End : mcp-discovery-render-end

👉 The mcp-discovery-render marker supports template and template-file properties as well. Check the examples below for details.

You can optionally include an inline template identifier within the render block, enclosed by:

• Template Block Start: mcp-discovery-template
• Template Block End: mcp-discovery-template-end

If a template annotation is detected within a render block, mcp-discovery will use it to render the output. This allows for customized templates without depending on built-in or external template files. Check the examples below for details:

Sample Markdown file annotated with render block:

# Server Info and Capabilities

<!-- mcp-discovery-render -->

Server Capabilities will be placed here...

<!-- mcp-discovery-render-end -->

Sample Markdown file, annotated with render block and template name:

# Server Info and Capabilities

<!-- mcp-discovery-render template=md-plain -->

Server Capabilities will be placed here...

<!-- mcp-discovery-render-end -->

Sample Markdown file, annotated with render block and custom template file:

# Server Info and Capabilities

<!-- mcp-discovery-render template=my-custom-template.hbs -->

Server Capabilities will be placed here...

<!-- mcp-discovery-render-end -->

Sample HTML file with annotations :

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <title>My MCP Server</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>MCP Server Details</h1>
    <div>
      <!-- mcp-discovery-render -->

      <!-- mcp-discovery-render-end -->
    </div>
  </body>
</html>

Sample HTML file with inline template :

<h1>MCP Server Details</h1>
<div>
  <!-- mcp-discovery-render -->
  <!-- mcp-discovery-template
    <b>Name: </b>{{name}}
    <br/>
    <b>Version: </b>{{version}}
    <br/>
    <b>Number of tools:</b> {{len tools}}
    <h2>Summary:</h2>
    {{> html-summary }}
    mcp-discovery-template-end -->
  <!-- mcp-discovery-render-end -->
</div>

Below is a screenshot showing the resulting HTML after the mcp-discovery update command is executed:

You can execute the mcp-discovery update command whenever you need to refresh the file with the latest MCP Server capabilities.

Contributing

We welcome everyone who wishes to contribute! Please refer to the contributing guidelines for more details.

All contributions, including issues and pull requests, must follow Rust's Code of Conduct.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any contribution you submit for inclusion in mcp-discovery is provided under the terms of the MIT License, without any additional conditions or restrictions.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. see the LICENSE file for details.