This version is still in development and is not considered stable yet. For the latest snapshot version, please use Spring AI 1.0.0-SNAPSHOT!spring-doc.cn

MCP Server Boot Starter

The Spring AI MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server Boot Starter provides auto-configuration for setting up an MCP server in Spring Boot applications. It enables seamless integration of MCP server capabilities with Spring Boot’s auto-configuration system.spring-doc.cn

The MCP Server Boot Starter offers:spring-doc.cn

Starters

Choose one of the following starters based on your transport requirements:spring-doc.cn

Standard MCP Server

Full MCP Server features support with STDIO server transport.spring-doc.cn

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ai</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-ai-mcp-server-spring-boot-starter</artifactId>
</dependency>

The starter activates the McpServerAutoConfiguration auto-configuration responsible for:spring-doc.cn

WebMVC Server Transport

Full MCP Server features support with SSE (Server-Sent Events) server transport based on Spring MVC and an optional STDIO transport.spring-doc.cn

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ai</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-ai-mcp-server-webmvc-spring-boot-starter</artifactId>
</dependency>

The starter activates the McpWebMvcServerAutoConfiguration and McpServerAutoConfiguration auto-configurations to provide:spring-doc.cn

  • HTTP-based transport using Spring MVC (WebMvcSseServerTransport)spring-doc.cn

  • Automatically configured SSE endpointsspring-doc.cn

  • Optional STDIO transport (enabled by setting spring.ai.mcp.server.stdio=true)spring-doc.cn

  • Included spring-boot-starter-web and mcp-spring-webmvc dependenciesspring-doc.cn

WebFlux Server Transport

Full MCP Server features support with SSE (Server-Sent Events) server transport based on Spring WebFlux and an optional STDIO transport.spring-doc.cn

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ai</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-ai-mcp-server-webflux-spring-boot-starter</artifactId>
</dependency>

The starter activates the McpWebFluxServerAutoConfiguration and McpServerAutoConfiguration auto-configurations to provide:spring-doc.cn

  • Reactive transport using Spring WebFlux (WebFluxSseServerTransport)spring-doc.cn

  • Automatically configured reactive SSE endpointsspring-doc.cn

  • Optional STDIO transport (enabled by setting spring.ai.mcp.server.stdio=true)spring-doc.cn

  • Included spring-boot-starter-webflux and mcp-spring-webflux dependenciesspring-doc.cn

Configuration Properties

All properties are prefixed with spring.ai.mcp.server:spring-doc.cn

Property Description Default

enabledspring-doc.cn

Enable/disable the MCP serverspring-doc.cn

truespring-doc.cn

stdiospring-doc.cn

Enable/disable stdio transportspring-doc.cn

falsespring-doc.cn

namespring-doc.cn

Server name for identificationspring-doc.cn

mcp-serverspring-doc.cn

versionspring-doc.cn

Server versionspring-doc.cn

1.0.0spring-doc.cn

typespring-doc.cn

Server type (SYNC/ASYNC)spring-doc.cn

SYNCspring-doc.cn

resource-change-notificationspring-doc.cn

Enable resource change notificationsspring-doc.cn

truespring-doc.cn

tool-change-notificationspring-doc.cn

Enable tool change notificationsspring-doc.cn

truespring-doc.cn

prompt-change-notificationspring-doc.cn

Enable prompt change notificationsspring-doc.cn

truespring-doc.cn

sse-message-endpointspring-doc.cn

SSE endpoint path for web transportspring-doc.cn

/mcp/messagespring-doc.cn

Sync/Async Server Types

  • Synchronous Server - The default server type implemented using McpSyncServer. It is designed for straightforward request-response patterns in your applications. To enable this server type, set spring.ai.mcp.server.type=SYNC in your configuration. When activated, it automatically handles the configuration of synchronous tool registrations.spring-doc.cn

  • Asynchronous Server - The asynchronous server implementation uses McpAsyncServer and is optimized for non-blocking operations. To enable this server type, configure your application with spring.ai.mcp.server.type=ASYNC. This server type automatically sets up asynchronous tool registrations with built-in Project Reactor support.spring-doc.cn

Transport Options

The MCP Server supports three transport mechanisms, each with its dedicated starter:spring-doc.cn

  • Standard Input/Output (STDIO) - spring-ai-mcp-server-spring-boot-starterspring-doc.cn

  • Spring MVC (Server-Sent Events) - spring-ai-mcp-server-webmvc-spring-boot-starterspring-doc.cn

  • Spring WebFlux (Reactive SSE) - spring-ai-mcp-server-webflux-spring-boot-starterspring-doc.cn

Features and Capabilities

The MCP Server Boot Starter allows servers to expose tools, resources, and prompts to clients. It automatically converts custom capability handlers registered as Spring beans to sync/async registrations based on server type:spring-doc.cn

Tools

Allows servers to expose tools that can be invoked by language models. The MCP Server Boot Starter provides:spring-doc.cn

  • Change notification supportspring-doc.cn

  • Tools are automatically converted to sync/async registrations based on server typespring-doc.cn

  • Automatic tool registration through Spring beans:spring-doc.cn

@Bean
public ToolCallbackProvider myTools(...) {
    List<ToolCallback> tools = ...
    return ToolCallbackProvider.from(tools);
}

or using the low-level API:spring-doc.cn

@Bean
public List<McpServerFeatures.SyncToolRegistration> myTools(...) {
    List<McpServerFeatures.SyncToolRegistration> tools = ...
    return tools;
}

Resource Management

Provides a standardized way for servers to expose resources to clients.spring-doc.cn

@Bean
public List<McpServerFeatures.SyncResourceRegistration> myResources(...) {
    var systemInfoResource = new McpSchema.Resource(...);
    var resourceRegistration = new McpServerFeatures.SyncResourceRegistration(systemInfoResource, request -> {
        try {
            var systemInfo = Map.of(...);
            String jsonContent = new ObjectMapper().writeValueAsString(systemInfo);
            return new McpSchema.ReadResourceResult(
                    List.of(new McpSchema.TextResourceContents(request.uri(), "application/json", jsonContent)));
        }
        catch (Exception e) {
            throw new RuntimeException("Failed to generate system info", e);
        }
    });

    return List.of(resourceRegistration);
}

Prompt Management

Provides a standardized way for servers to expose prompt templates to clients.spring-doc.cn

@Bean
public List<McpServerFeatures.SyncPromptRegistration> myPrompts() {
    var prompt = new McpSchema.Prompt("greeting", "A friendly greeting prompt",
        List.of(new McpSchema.PromptArgument("name", "The name to greet", true)));

    var promptRegistration = new McpServerFeatures.SyncPromptRegistration(prompt, getPromptRequest -> {
        String nameArgument = (String) getPromptRequest.arguments().get("name");
        if (nameArgument == null) { nameArgument = "friend"; }
        var userMessage = new PromptMessage(Role.USER, new TextContent("Hello " + nameArgument + "! How can I assist you today?"));
        return new GetPromptResult("A personalized greeting message", List.of(userMessage));
    });

    return List.of(promptRegistration);
}

Root Change Consumers

When roots change, clients that support listChanged send a Root Change notification.spring-doc.cn

@Bean
public Consumer<List<McpSchema.Root>> rootsChangeConsumer() {
    return roots -> {
        logger.info("Registering root resources: {}", roots);
    };
}

Usage Examples

Standard STDIO Server Configuration

# Using spring-ai-mcp-server-spring-boot-starter
spring:
  ai:
    mcp:
      server:
        name: stdio-mcp-server
        version: 1.0.0
        type: SYNC

WebMVC Server Configuration

# Using spring-ai-mcp-server-webmvc-spring-boot-starter
spring:
  ai:
    mcp:
      server:
        name: webmvc-mcp-server
        version: 1.0.0
        type: SYNC
        sse-message-endpoint: /mcp/messages

WebFlux Server Configuration

# Using spring-ai-mcp-server-webflux-spring-boot-starter
spring:
  ai:
    mcp:
      server:
        name: webflux-mcp-server
        version: 1.0.0
        type: ASYNC  # Recommended for reactive applications
        sse-message-endpoint: /mcp/messages

Creating a Spring Boot Application with MCP Server

@Service
public class WeatherService {

    @Tool(description = "Get weather information by city name")
    public String getWeather(String cityName) {
        // Implementation
    }
}

@SpringBootApplication
public class McpServerApplication {

    private static final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(McpServerApplication.class);

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(McpServerApplication.class, args);
    }

	@Bean
	public ToolCallbackProvider weatherTools(WeatherService weatherService) {
		return MethodToolCallbackProvider.builder().toolObjects(weatherService).build();
	}
}

The auto-configuration will automatically register the tool callbacks as MCP tools. You can have multiple beans producing ToolCallbacks. The auto-configuration will merge them.spring-doc.cn

Example Applications

Additional Resources