MCP Deployment¶

This document explains how to run Base Coat as a deployable MCP server.

Purpose¶

The Base Coat MCP server exposes the packaged standards catalog through a read-only stdio server so AI clients can discover and retrieve approved Base Coat assets without granting write access.

Architecture References¶

docs/diagrams/basecoat-mcp-topology-and-extension-surface.md — component topology for the catalog server, metrics server, and extension HTTP surface
docs/diagrams/basecoat-mcp-and-metrics-data-flow.md — asset inventory/read/search flow plus the metrics fetch path
docs/diagrams/mcp-metrics-build-and-deploy-flow.md — CI validation, GHCR publish, and Azure Container Apps deployment for the metrics service

Included Package¶

mcp/package.json
mcp/index.js
mcp/Dockerfile
mcp/README.md

Deployment Modes¶

Local Node Runtime¶

Extract the published Base Coat release artifact.
Change into mcp/.
Run npm install.
Start the server with npm start.

Container Runtime¶

Build the image from repository root:

docker build -f mcp/Dockerfile -t basecoat-mcp .

Run the container with stdio attached:

docker run --rm -i basecoat-mcp

Usage Guidance¶

Use `basecoat-mcp` for the read-only catalog¶

Choose the root mcp/ package when the client needs packaged BaseCoat assets only:

basecoat_inventory for the release inventory
basecoat_search_assets for path discovery
basecoat_read_asset for approved file reads

This server is stdio-only and intentionally limited to allowlisted repo content.

Use `basecoat-metrics` for shared metrics access¶

Choose mcp/basecoat-metrics/ when the client needs live or historical adoption data:

Local stdio for VS Code or Copilot CLI development
Remote HTTP for a shared deployed endpoint backed by Azure Container Apps
REPO_DIR only when you also want the optional asset-discovery tools exposed by the metrics server

Keep the extension surface separate¶

mcp/basecoat-extension/ is an HTTP application for authenticated Copilot Extension workflows. It is not the same runtime as the read-only catalog server and should be used only when you need the extension-specific endpoints and guarded write-tool flow.

Available Tools¶

basecoat_inventory
basecoat_read_asset
basecoat_search_assets

Security Notes¶

The server is read-only.
Asset access is restricted to approved Base Coat directories and top-level files.
Secrets and credentials are not required for the default local deployment model.
For production use, pin the container image digest or release artifact version.

Validation¶

Run the package self-test:

cd mcp
npm install
npm run self-test