server-watch-mcp/README.md

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for watching and monitoring server resources

# server-watch-mcp

A straight-forward CLI wrapper that monitors and captures output from any running command and exposes it as an MCP server. Perfect for development workflows where you need to access server logs, build output, or any process output.

![Run server](./assets/run_server.png)

![Claude Code](./assets/ask_claude.png)

## Features

- **HTTP-based MCP server** - Run as a standalone service that clients can connect to
- **Real-time log capture** - Captures stdout and stderr from any command
- **Circular buffer storage** - Maintains last 5000 log entries in memory
- **Two MCP tools**:
  - `get_logs` - Retrieve recent logs with optional filtering by stream type
  - `search_logs` - Search through logs with case-insensitive substring matching

## Installation

```bash
npm install -g server-watch-mcp
# or
pnpm add -g server-watch-mcp
# or in your project
pnpm add -D server-watch-mcp
```

## Usage

### 1. Add the MCP server to Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add -s user -t sse server-watch-mcp http://localhost:6280/sse
```

Which should configure it like this:

```jsonc
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-watch-mcp": {
      "type": "sse", // Even though SSE is deprecated, Claude Code only supports SSE 
      "url": "http://localhost:6280/sse"
    }
  }
}
```

### 2. Start the MCP server with your command

#### option 1: wrap the command when calling it
```bash
# Monitor a development server
server-watch-mcp npm run dev

# Monitor a build process
server-watch-mcp npm run build:watch

# Monitor any command
server-watch-mcp python app.py
```

#### option 2: wrap the command in your package.json (or script file)
```jsonc
// In your package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "server-watch-mcp next dev --turbo",
  }
}
```

The server will:
- Start an HTTP server on port `6280` (or `SERVER_WATCH_MCP_PORT` environment variable)
- Execute your command as a child process
- Capture all output from the command
- Continue running even if the child process exits

### 3. Use the tools in Claude

Once connected, you can use these tools:

- **Get recent logs**: "Show me the last 50 logs from stderr"
- **Search logs**: "Search for any errors in the logs"
- **Monitor output**: "What's happening with my dev server?"

## Environment Variables

`SERVER_WATCH_MCP_PORT` - Override the default port (6280)
```bash
SERVER_WATCH_MCP_PORT=6281 server-watch-mcp npm run dev
```

## Development

```bash
# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build
pnpm run build

# Run tests
pnpm test

# Run in development
pnpm run dev
```

## License

ISC