Development Environment MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides intelligent environment detection and command syntax assistance for cross-platform development workflows.

Features

• Automatic Environment Detection: Detects Windows, Linux, macOS, and Raspberry Pi environments
• Shell-Aware Command Syntax: Provides correct terminal command syntax for PowerShell, Bash, Zsh
• VS Code Integration: Seamless integration with GitHub Copilot and VS Code tasks
• Cross-Platform: Works across Windows, Linux, and macOS development environments
• Extensible: Easy to extend with new tools and environment detection logic

Quick Start

Installation

# Install from PyPI (when published)
pip install dev-environment-mcp

# Or install from source
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/dev-environment-mcp.git
cd dev-environment-mcp
pip install -e .

Standalone Usage

# Run as standalone script
dev-env-mcp --help

# Get environment summary
dev-env-mcp detect-environment --format summary

# Get command syntax for specific operation
dev-env-mcp get-command-syntax --operation test --format shell

MCP Server Mode

# Run as MCP server (stdio transport)
dev-env-mcp --mcp-mode

# Run as HTTP server
dev-env-mcp --mcp-mode --transport http --port 8080

VS Code Integration

Method 1: Direct MCP Integration

Add to .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "dev-environment": {
      "command": "dev-env-mcp",
      "args": ["--mcp-mode"],
      "transport": "stdio"
    }
  }
}

Method 2: Task Integration

Add to .vscode/tasks.json:

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "detect-environment",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "dev-env-mcp",
      "args": ["detect-environment", "--format", "copilot"],
      "group": "build"
    }
  ]
}

Method 3: Extension Integration

Install the companion VS Code extension:

1. Open VS Code Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
2. Search for "Development Environment MCP"
3. Install and reload VS Code

Copilot Integration

The server provides context-aware assistance for:

• Terminal Commands: Automatically formats commands for your OS/shell
• Environment Variables: Correct syntax for setting env vars
• File Operations: Platform-appropriate file manipulation commands
• Development Workflows: Context-aware suggestions for common dev tasks

Example Usage with Copilot

User: "Run the tests"
Copilot: (detects Windows PowerShell) "python -m pytest test/"

User: "Run the tests" 
Copilot: (detects Linux) "python3 -m pytest test/"

User: "Set environment variable"
Copilot: (Windows) "$env:PYTHONPATH = 'c:\dev\project'"
Copilot: (Linux) "export PYTHONPATH=/home/user/project"

Available Tools

The MCP server exposes these tools:

detect_environment

Detects current OS, shell, hardware, and provides environment context.

Parameters:

• format (string): Output format - "json", "summary", "copilot"

get_command_syntax

Provides correct command syntax for the current environment.

Parameters:

• operation (string): Operation type - "test", "build", "deploy", "install"
• target (string, optional): Target environment - "local", "remote", "pi"
• format (string): Output format - "shell", "explanation", "examples"

format_command

Formats a generic command for the current environment.

Parameters:

• command_template (string): Template command with placeholders
• variables (object): Variables to substitute in template

get_project_context

Analyzes current project structure and provides relevant context.

Parameters:

• include_files (boolean): Include file listing in output
• analyze_dependencies (boolean): Analyze package.json/requirements.txt

Configuration

Environment Variables

• DEV_ENV_MCP_CONFIG: Path to custom configuration file
• DEV_ENV_MCP_LOG_LEVEL: Logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR)
• DEV_ENV_MCP_CACHE_TTL: Cache TTL for environment detection (seconds)

Custom Configuration

Create a dev-env-mcp.json config file:

{
  "detection": {
    "cache_ttl": 300,
    "enable_hardware_detection": true,
    "custom_environments": {
      "my-docker": {
        "detect_command": "cat /.dockerenv",
        "shell": "bash",
        "python_cmd": "python3"
      }
    }
  },
  "commands": {
    "custom_operations": {
      "my-build": {
        "windows": "msbuild /p:Configuration=Release",
        "linux": "make build",
        "macos": "xcodebuild -configuration Release"
      }
    }
  }
}

Development

Setting Up Development Environment

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/dev-environment-mcp.git
cd dev-environment-mcp
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Running Tests

pytest test/

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

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

Related Projects

• Model Context Protocol - Official MCP specification
• VS Code MCP Extension - VS Code MCP support
• GitHub Copilot - AI pair programmer integration

Support

• 📚 Documentation
• 🐛 Issue Tracker
• 💬 Discussions