MCP Tools (v1.0.0)

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server providing AI-powered tools and components for managing BookWorm catalog data and operations

Service MCP Server JSON-RPC Server-Sent Events AI-Powered OpenAPI V1

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Overview

The MCP Tools Service is a specialized integration service within the BookWorm ecosystem that implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server specification. This service serves as a bridge between AI-powered applications and the BookWorm catalog system, providing structured access to book data and catalog operations through a standardized protocol.

Built following our microservices architecture principles, this service encapsulates the complexities of AI tool integration while maintaining clean boundaries between the Integration subdomain and other bounded contexts.

Key Responsibilities

  • MCP Protocol Implementation: HTTP-based MCP server using ModelContextProtocol.AspNetCore
  • Tool Registry Management: Auto-discovery of MCP tools from assembly attributes
  • Catalog Integration: HTTP API integration with BookWorm Catalog Service
  • AI Assistant Support: Pre-defined prompts for customer service interactions
  • OpenAPI Documentation: Self-documenting API with MCP-specific extensions

MCP Protocol Features

The service implements the Model Context Protocol with the following capabilities:

  • Tools: Exposes BookWorm catalog search operations as MCP tools
  • Prompts: Pre-defined prompts for AI customer service interactions
  • HTTP Transport: Stateless HTTP transport for MCP communication
  • OpenAPI Integration: Self-documenting API with MCP extensions

Domain Model

The MCP Tools service is structured around the following key domain models:

  • Book: Core entity with properties like Id, Name, Description, Price, Category, Publisher, Authors, and ratings
  • Author: Entity representing book authors
  • Category: Entity for book categorization
  • Publisher: Entity for book publishers
  • MCP Tool: Attribute-decorated methods exposed as MCP tools
  • MCP Prompt: Pre-defined AI conversation templates

Available Tools

The service exposes the following tools for BookWorm integration:

Tool NameDescriptionCapabilities
SearchCatalogSearch for books in the BookWorm catalogHybrid search by book description

Available Prompts

The service provides pre-defined prompts for AI interactions:

Prompt NameDescriptionPurpose
SystemPromptBookWorm customer service assistant promptProvides AI assistant context and behavior

Core Features

FeatureDescription
Tool DiscoveryAuto-discovery of MCP tools via assembly attributes and reflection
Catalog SearchFull-text search of BookWorm catalog by book description
AI Assistant PromptsPre-defined system prompts for customer service AI interactions
HTTP TransportStateless HTTP transport following MCP protocol specification
OpenAPI IntegrationSelf-documenting API with MCP-specific extensions
Model SerializationEfficient JSON serialization with source generators

Architecture Diagram

External Dependencies

The MCP Tools Service integrates with:

  • Catalog Service: Primary data source for book information via HTTP/REST API
  • AI Clients: External applications that consume MCP tools (Claude, OpenAI assistants, etc.)
  • BookWorm Service Defaults: Shared infrastructure components and configurations
  • OpenTelemetry: For distributed tracing and metrics collection

Technology Stack

  • .NET 9: Core runtime and web framework
  • ModelContextProtocol.AspNetCore: MCP server implementation library
  • Refit: Type-safe HTTP client for Catalog service integration
  • Source Generators: Efficient JSON serialization
  • OpenAPI: API documentation and specification with MCP extensions
  • Docker: Containerization and deployment

Integration Patterns

The service follows several key integration patterns:

  • Attribute-Based Discovery: Uses .NET attributes to automatically register MCP tools and prompts
  • HTTP Client Pattern: Leverages Refit for type-safe HTTP communication with Catalog service
  • Stateless Design: HTTP transport is configured as stateless for better scalability
  • Source Generation: Uses JSON source generators for efficient serialization
  • Health Checks: Integrates with ASP.NET Core health check system
  • Observability: Built-in OpenTelemetry integration for metrics and tracing
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