Create MCP App

Build interactive UIs that run inside MCP-enabled hosts like Claude Desktop. An MCP App combines an MCP tool with an HTML resource to display rich, interactive content.

Core Concept: Tool + Resource

Every MCP App requires two parts linked together:

1. Tool - Called by the LLM/host, returns data
2. Resource - Serves the bundled HTML UI that displays the data
3. Link - The tool's _meta.ui.resourceUri references the resource

Host calls tool → Server returns result → Host renders resource UI → UI receives result

Quick Start Decision Tree

Framework Selection

Framework	SDK Support	Best For
React	useApp hook provided	Teams familiar with React
Vanilla JS	Manual lifecycle	Simple apps, no build complexity
Vue/Svelte/Preact/Solid	Manual lifecycle	Framework preference

Project Context

Adding to existing MCP server:

• Import registerAppTool, registerAppResource from SDK
• Add tool registration with _meta.ui.resourceUri
• Add resource registration serving bundled HTML

Creating new MCP server:

• Set up server with transport (stdio or HTTP)
• Register tools and resources
• Configure build system with vite-plugin-singlefile

Getting Reference Code

Clone the SDK repository for working examples and API documentation:

git clone --branch "v$(npm view @modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps version)" --depth 1 https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps.git /tmp/mcp-ext-apps

Framework Templates

Learn and adapt from /tmp/mcp-ext-apps/examples/basic-server-{framework}/:

Template	Key Files
basic-server-vanillajs/	server.ts, src/mcp-app.ts, mcp-app.html
basic-server-react/	server.ts, src/mcp-app.tsx (uses useApp hook)
basic-server-vue/	server.ts, src/App.vue
basic-server-svelte/	server.ts, src/App.svelte
basic-server-preact/	server.ts, src/mcp-app.tsx
basic-server-solid/	server.ts, src/mcp-app.tsx

Each template includes:

• Complete server.ts with registerAppTool and registerAppResource
• Client-side app with all lifecycle handlers
• vite.config.ts with vite-plugin-singlefile
• package.json with all required dependencies
• .gitignore excluding node_modules/ and dist/

API Reference (Source Files)

Read JSDoc documentation directly from /tmp/mcp-ext-apps/src/:

File	Contents
src/app.ts	App class, handlers (ontoolinput, ontoolresult, onhostcontextchanged, onteardown), lifecycle
src/server/index.ts	registerAppTool, registerAppResource, tool visibility options
src/spec.types.ts	All type definitions: McpUiHostContext, CSS variable keys, display modes
src/styles.ts	applyDocumentTheme, applyHostStyleVariables, applyHostFonts
src/react/useApp.tsx	useApp hook for React apps
src/react/useHostStyles.ts	useHostStyles, useHostStyleVariables, useHostFonts hooks

Advanced Examples

Example	Pattern Demonstrated
examples/shadertoy-server/	Streaming partial input + visibility-based pause/play (best practice for large inputs)
examples/wiki-explorer-server/	callServerTool for interactive data fetching
examples/system-monitor-server/	Polling pattern with interval management
examples/video-resource-server/	Binary/blob resources
examples/sheet-music-server/	ontoolinput - processing tool args before execution completes
examples/threejs-server/	ontoolinputpartial - streaming/progressive rendering
examples/map-server/	updateModelContext - keeping model informed of UI state
examples/transcript-server/	updateModelContext + sendMessage - background context updates + user-initiated messages
examples/basic-host/	Reference host implementation using AppBridge

Critical Implementation Notes

Adding Dependencies

Use npm install to add dependencies rather than manually writing version numbers:

npm install @modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps @modelcontextprotocol/sdk zod

This lets npm resolve the latest compatible versions. Never specify version numbers from memory.

TypeScript Server Execution

Use tsx as a devDependency for running TypeScript server files:

npm install -D tsx

"scripts": {
  "serve": "tsx server.ts"
}

Note: The SDK examples use bun but generated projects should use tsx for broader compatibility.

Handler Registration Order

Register ALL handlers BEFORE calling app.connect():

const app = new App({ name: "My App", version: "1.0.0" });

// Register handlers first
app.ontoolinput = (params) => { /* handle input */ };
app.ontoolresult = (result) => { /* handle result */ };
app.onhostcontextchanged = (ctx) => { /* handle context */ };
app.onteardown = async () => { return {}; };

// Then connect
await app.connect();

Tool Visibility

Control who can access tools via _meta.ui.visibility:

// Default: visible to both model and app
_meta: { ui: { resourceUri, visibility: ["model", "app"] } }

// UI-only (hidden from model) - for refresh buttons, form submissions
_meta: { ui: { resourceUri, visibility: ["app"] } }

// Model-only (app cannot call)
_meta: { ui: { resourceUri, visibility: ["model"] } }

Host Styling Integration

Vanilla JS - Use helper functions:

import { applyDocumentTheme, applyHostStyleVariables, applyHostFonts } from "@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps";

app.onhostcontextchanged = (ctx) => {
  if (ctx.theme) applyDocumentTheme(ctx.theme);
  if (ctx.styles?.variables) applyHostStyleVariables(ctx.styles.variables);
  if (ctx.styles?.css?.fonts) applyHostFonts(ctx.styles.css.fonts);
};

React - Use hooks:

import { useApp, useHostStyles } from "@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/react";

const { app } = useApp({ appInfo, capabilities, onAppCreated });
useHostStyles(app); // Injects CSS variables to document, making var(--*) available

Using variables in CSS - After applying, use var():

.container {
  background: var(--color-background-secondary);
  color: var(--color-text-primary);
  font-family: var(--font-sans);
  border-radius: var(--border-radius-md);
}
.code {
  font-family: var(--font-mono);
  font-size: var(--font-text-sm-size);
  line-height: var(--font-text-sm-line-height);
  color: var(--color-text-secondary);
}
.heading {
  font-size: var(--font-heading-lg-size);
  font-weight: var(--font-weight-semibold);
}

Key variable groups: --color-background-*, --color-text-*, --color-border-*, --font-sans, --font-mono, --font-text-*-size, --font-heading-*-size, --border-radius-*. See src/spec.types.ts for full list.

Safe Area Handling

Always respect safeAreaInsets:

app.onhostcontextchanged = (ctx) => {
  if (ctx.safeAreaInsets) {
    const { top, right, bottom, left } = ctx.safeAreaInsets;
    document.body.style.padding = `${top}px ${right}px ${bottom}px ${left}px`;
  }
};

Streaming Partial Input

For large tool inputs, use ontoolinputpartial to show progress during LLM generation. The partial JSON is healed (always valid), enabling progressive UI updates.

Spec: ui/notifications/tool-input-partial

app.ontoolinputpartial = (params) => {
  const args = params.arguments; // Healed partial JSON - always valid, fields appear as generated
  // Use args directly for progressive rendering
};

app.ontoolinput = (params) => {
  // Final complete input - switch from preview to full render
};

Use cases:

Pattern	Example
Code preview	Show streaming code in <pre>, render on complete (examples/shadertoy-server/)
Progressive form	Fill form fields as they stream in
Live chart	Add data points to chart as array grows
Partial render	Render incomplete structured data (tables, lists, trees)

Simple pattern (code preview):

app.ontoolinputpartial = (params) => {
  codePreview.textContent = params.arguments?.code ?? "";
  codePreview.style.display = "block";
  canvas.style.display = "none";
};
app.ontoolinput = (params) => {
  codePreview.style.display = "none";
  canvas.style.display = "block";
  render(params.arguments);
};

Visibility-Based Resource Management

Pause expensive operations (animations, WebGL, polling) when view scrolls out of viewport:

const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => {
  entries.forEach((entry) => {
    if (entry.isIntersecting) {
      animation.play(); // or: startPolling(), shaderToy.play()
    } else {
      animation.pause(); // or: stopPolling(), shaderToy.pause()
    }
  });
});
observer.observe(document.querySelector(".main"));

Fullscreen Mode

Request fullscreen via app.requestDisplayMode(). Check availability in host context:

let currentMode: "inline" | "fullscreen" = "inline";

app.onhostcontextchanged = (ctx) => {
  // Check if fullscreen available
  if (ctx.availableDisplayModes?.includes("fullscreen")) {
    fullscreenBtn.style.display = "block";
  }
  // Track current mode
  if (ctx.displayMode) {
    currentMode = ctx.displayMode;
    container.classList.toggle("fullscreen", currentMode === "fullscreen");
  }
};

async function toggleFullscreen() {
  const newMode = currentMode === "fullscreen" ? "inline" : "fullscreen";
  const result = await app.requestDisplayMode({ mode: newMode });
  currentMode = result.mode;
}

CSS pattern - Remove border radius in fullscreen:

.main { border-radius: var(--border-radius-lg); overflow: hidden; }
.main.fullscreen { border-radius: 0; }

See examples/shadertoy-server/ for complete implementation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Handlers after connect() - Register ALL handlers BEFORE calling app.connect()
2. Missing single-file bundling - Must use vite-plugin-singlefile
3. Forgetting resource registration - Both tool AND resource must be registered
4. Missing resourceUri link - Tool must have _meta.ui.resourceUri
5. Ignoring safe area insets - Always handle ctx.safeAreaInsets
6. No text fallback - Always provide content array for non-UI hosts
7. Hardcoded styles - Use host CSS variables for theme integration
8. No streaming for large inputs - Use ontoolinputpartial to show progress during generation

Testing

Using basic-host

Test MCP Apps locally with the basic-host example:

# Terminal 1: Build and run your server
npm run build && npm run serve

# Terminal 2: Run basic-host (from cloned repo)
cd /tmp/mcp-ext-apps/examples/basic-host
npm install
SERVERS='["http://localhost:3001/mcp"]' npm run start
# Open http://localhost:8080

Configure SERVERS with a JSON array of your server URLs (default: http://localhost:3001/mcp).

Debug with sendLog

Send debug logs to the host application (rather than just the iframe's dev console):

await app.sendLog({ level: "info", data: "Debug message" });
await app.sendLog({ level: "error", data: { error: err.message } });