RESTful Service Interaction Module for MCP

This utility furnishes an MCP-compliant backend server, constructed with TypeScript, enabling developers to execute and scrutinize HTTP requests against external RESTful endpoints via command-line interface (Cline) operations.

Deployment Instructions

Automatic Integration via Smithery

For streamlined, automated deployment into your Claude Desktop environment using Smithery, execute the following command:

npx -y @smithery/cli install dkmaker-mcp-rest-api --client claude

Manual Installation Steps

1. Install the published package globally on your system:

npm install -g dkmaker-mcp-rest-api

1. Update Cline's Configuration Directives:

To enable Cline's language model to invoke this server module effectively, inject the subsequent directives into Cline's Custom Instructions panel (accessible via Settings > Custom Instructions):

# HTTP Request Utility Configuration

The `test_request` function is the exposed interface for conducting tests, debugging interactions, and querying any external RESTful resource. It yields granular data concerning the request execution and manages security credential injection automatically.

## Appropriate Use Cases

- Validating specific API entry points.
- Analyzing raw response payloads and metadata.
- Confirming backend service behavior.
- Benchmarking endpoint latency.
- Schema validation of input/output structures.
- Interfacing with local/staging API infrastructure.
- Testing complex, chained API interactions.
- Assessing error handling responses (e.g., 4xx, 5xx).

## Core Capabilities

- Full support for all primary HTTP verbs: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH.
- Seamless integration of security credentials (Basic Auth, Bearer Tokens, Custom API Keys).
- Endpoint path normalization.
- Rich output detailing status codes, headers, and response content.
- Optional configuration for SSL certificate validation and response payload size caps.

## Reference Documentation

Consult these supplementary guides for deeper technical knowledge:

- examples: Demonstrations of common usage patterns.
- response-format: Schema definition for the returned data structure.
- config: Comprehensive list of environment variables for server customization.

These resources illuminate usage paradigms, output specifications, and setup parameters.

## Critical Operational Notes

- Always cross-reference expected API behavior against observed outcomes.
- Exercise caution when handling sensitive data transmitted via this utility.
- Be mindful of target API rate restrictions.
- Server configuration changes require a restart of the hosting client/service for activation.

1. Integrate the Server Definition into MCP Settings:

While the above instructions target Cline, the server itself is platform-agnostic. Configure its invocation details based on your operating environment:

Windows Environment Setup

⚠️ ATTENTION: Owing to known complexities with environment variable path expansion on Windows (see issue #40), users must specify the absolute file system path rather than utilizing shorthand variables like %APPDATA%.

Modify the configuration file located at C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rest-api": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:/Users/<YourUsername>/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/dkmaker-mcp-rest-api/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "REST_BASE_URL": "https://api.example.com",
        // Basic Authentication Configuration
        "AUTH_BASIC_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "AUTH_BASIC_PASSWORD": "your-password",
        // OR Bearer Token Configuration
        "AUTH_BEARER": "your-token",
        // OR Custom API Key Configuration
        "AUTH_APIKEY_HEADER_NAME": "X-API-Key",
        "AUTH_APIKEY_VALUE": "your-api-key",
        // SSL Verification Control (Default: True)
        "REST_ENABLE_SSL_VERIFY": "false", // Disable for self-signed certificates
        // Response Size Cap (Default: 10000 bytes)
        "REST_RESPONSE_SIZE_LIMIT": "10000", // Max bytes allowed in response body
        // Specific Request Headers (Prefix HEADER_)
        "HEADER_X-API-Version": "2.0",
        "HEADER_Custom-Client": "my-client",
        "HEADER_Accept": "application/json"
      }
    }
  }
}

macOS/Linux Environment Setup

Update the configuration file located at ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rest-api": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "dkmaker-mcp-rest-api"
      ],
      "env": {
        "REST_BASE_URL": "https://api.example.com",
        // Basic Auth
        "AUTH_BASIC_USERNAME": "your-username",
        "AUTH_BASIC_PASSWORD": "your-password",
        // OR Bearer Token
        "AUTH_BEARER": "your-token",
        // OR API Key
        "AUTH_APIKEY_HEADER_NAME": "X-API-Key",
        "AUTH_APIKEY_VALUE": "your-api-key",
        // SSL Verification
        "REST_ENABLE_SSL_VERIFY": "false", 
        // Custom Headers
        "HEADER_X-API-Version": "2.0",
        "HEADER_Custom-Client": "my-client",
        "HEADER_Accept": "application/json"
      }
    }
  }
}

Crucial Note: Select only a single authentication schema for environment variable configuration: 1. Basic Credentials (Highest precedence) 2. Bearer Token (If Basic is absent) 3. API Key (If both Basic and Bearer are unset)

Operational Features Summary

• Execution of REST interactions utilizing GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, and PATCH methods.
• Comprehensive data capture: HTTP status, response headers, and payload body.
• Header Injection Flexibility:
• Custom headers defined via environment variables prefixed with HEADER_.
• Case-insensitive recognition of the HEADER_ prefix (e.g., header_, HeAdEr_).
• Header names are preserved case-sensitively in the outgoing request.
• Precedence hierarchy: Request Arguments > Authentication Headers > Globally Defined Custom Headers.
• Native payload management for mutation methods (POST/PUT).
• Response Body Size Governance:
• Inherent safeguard against excessively large responses (default: 10,000 octets).
• Adjustable limit using the REST_RESPONSE_SIZE_LIMIT environment variable.
• Metadata indicating truncation is included if the limit is breached.

• Structural integrity of the response wrapper is maintained, only the body payload is curtailed.

• Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate Integrity:

• Secure verification is active by default for production safety.
• Deactivatable via REST_ENABLE_SSL_VERIFY for development scenarios (e.g., self-signed certificates).
• Versatile Authentication Modalities:
• Basic username/password scheme.
• Bearer Token authorization.
• API Key injection into a specified HTTP header.

Example Execution Flow

Upon successful setup, invoke the adapter within Cline operations:

// Querying a collection resource (GET)
use_mcp_tool('rest-api', 'test_request', {
  "method": "GET",
  "endpoint": "/data/records"
});

// Submitting data (POST) with a structured payload
use_mcp_tool('rest-api', 'test_request', {
  "method": "POST",
  "endpoint": "/data/records",
  "body": {
    "record_id": 55,
    "payload": "new_entry"
  }
});

// Specifying unique request headers
use_mcp_tool('rest-api', 'test_request', {
  "method": "GET",
  "endpoint": "/metadata",
  "headers": {
    "Accept-Encoding": "gzip",
    "X-Request-Source": "cli-tool"
  }
});

Developer Contribution Guide

1. Obtain the source code repository:

git clone https://github.com/zenturacp/mcp-rest-api.git
cd mcp-rest-api

1. Resolve all required module dependencies:

npm install

1. Compile the TypeScript sources into distributable JavaScript:

npm run build

For continuous integration during development (automatic rebuild on source change):

npm run watch

Licensing Information

This software is distributed under the terms of the MIT License. Full details are available in the accompanying LICENSE file.

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