MCP Skills Server
MCP server that loads and serves skills from a mounted directory with hot reload.
Open source Open in the app JSON README (API)
About
MCP server that loads and serves skills from a mounted directory with hot reload.
Details
- Kind
- MCP servers
- Topic
- Files & documents
- Publisher
- srprasanna
- Origin
- official
- Category
- ferramentas
- Transport
- local
- Version
- 1.0.0
- Stars
- 12
- Forks
- 3
- Last push
- 2025-10-29T01:10:01Z
- Repository state
- ativo
- Language
- Python
- License
- MIT
- Added
- 2026-08-29 04:01:27
- Updated
- 2026-08-29 04:01:27
- Origin id
io.github.srprasanna/mcp-skills-server
README
# MCP Skills Server
[](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
[](https://python-poetry.org/)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
[](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers/io.github.srprasanna%2Fmcp-skill-hub/versions)
[](https://hub.docker.com/r/srprasanna/mcp-skill-hub)
[](https://hub.docker.com/r/srprasanna/mcp-skill-hub)
A production-ready [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server that dynamically loads and exposes skills from a mounted volume with hot-reloading support.
> 📦 **Available on [MCP Registry](https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers/io.github.srprasanna%2Fmcp-skill-hub/versions)** - Install with one command!
## Features
- **Dynamic Skill Loading**: Automatically discovers and loads skills from a directory
- **Hot-Reloading**: Detects changes to SKILL.md files and reloads without restart
- **Folder Structure Validation**: Enforces best practices with clear error messages
- **MCP Protocol Compliant**: Full implementation of resources and tools
- **Production Ready**: Comprehensive error handling, logging, and validation
- **Docker Support**: Run in containers with volume mounting
- **Type Safe**: Full type hints using Python 3.13 features
- **Well Tested**: >80% code coverage with comprehensive test suite
## Table of Contents
- [Skills Directory Structure](#skills-directory-structure)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Usage](#usage)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Skill File Format](#skill-file-format)
- [MCP Resources and Tools](#mcp-resources-and-tools)
- [Development](#development)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [License](#license)
## Skills Directory Structure
**CRITICAL REQUIREMENT**: Each skill MUST be in its own dedicated folder within the skills directory. The server will ONLY recognize skills that follow this structure.
### ✅ Valid Structure
```
your-skills-directory/
├── skill-one/
│ └── SKILL.md ← Required
├── skill-two/
│ ├── SKILL.md ← Required
│ └── examples/ ← Optional
│ └── example.py
└── skill-three/
├── SKILL.md
├── examples/
│ └── demo.py
└── templates/
└── template.txt
```
### ❌ Invalid Structures (Will Be Ignored)
```
your-skills-directory/
├── SKILL.md ❌ Not in a folder - WILL BE SKIPPED
├── random-file.txt ❌ Not a skill folder
├── .hidden-folder/ ❌ Hidden folder - WILL BE SKIPPED
│ └── SKILL.md
└── __pycache__/ ❌ System folder - WILL BE SKIPPED
└── SKILL.md
```
### Folder Naming Conventions
**Valid folder names:**
- Lowercase with hyphens: `my-skill-name`
- Lowercase with underscores: `excel_advanced`
- Alphanumeric: `skill-name-v2`
**Invalid (will be skipped):**
- Hidden folders starting with `.`
- Private folders starting with `_`
- System folders: `__pycache__`, `node_modules`, `.git`, etc.
## Quick Start
### Using Docker (Recommended)
1. **Create your skills directory:**
```bash
mkdir -p ~/claude-skills/my-first-skill
```
2. **Create a skill file:**
```bash
cat > ~/claude-skills/my-first-skill/SKILL.md << 'EOF'
---
name: "my-first-skill"
description: "My first Claude skill"
---
# My First Skill
This is my first skill for Claude!
## Usage
Simply describe what your skill does here.
EOF
```
3. **Run the server:**
```bash
docker run -i --rm \
-v ~/claude-skills:/skills:ro \
mcp-skill-hub
```
### Using Poetry (Development)
1. **Clone and install:**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/srprasanna/mcp-skill-hub.git
cd mcp-skill-hub
poetry install
```
2. **Create your skills directory:**
```bash
mkdir -p ~/claude-skills/my-first-skill
# Create SKILL.md as shown above
```
3. **Run the server:**
```bash
export MCP_SKILLS_DIR=~/claude-skills
poetry run mcp-skills
```
## Installation
### Prerequisites
- **Python 3.13+** (for development)
- **Poetry 1.7+** (for dependency management)
- **Docker** (optional, for containerized deployment)
### Install with Poetry
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/srprasanna/mcp-skill-hub.git
cd mcp-skill-hub
# Install dependencies
poetry install
# Verify installation
poetry run mcp-skills --help
```
### Build Docker Image
```bash
# Build the image
docker build -t mcp-skill-hub .
# Or use docker-compose
docker-compose build
```
## Usage
### Running Locally
```bash
# Set the skills directory
export MCP_SKILLS_DIR=/path/to/your/skills
# Run the server
poetry run mcp-skills
```
### Running with Docker
```bash
docker run -i --rm \
-v /path/to/your/skills:/skills:ro \
-e MCP_SKILLS_LOG_LEVEL=INFO \
mcp-skill-hub
```
### Running with Docker Compose
```bash
# Edit docker-compose.yml to set your skills directory path
docker-compose up mcp-skills
```
### Integrating with Claude Desktop
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (`claude_desktop_config.json`):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"skills": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"-v",
"${HOME}/claude-skills:/skills:ro",
"mcp-skill-hub"
]
}
}
}
```
**Or using Poetry:**
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"skills": {
"command": "poetry",
"args": ["run", "mcp-skills"],
"cwd": "/path/to/mcp-skill-hub",
"env": {
"MCP_SKILLS_DIR": "/path/to/your/skills"
}
}
}
}
```
**Important:** Make sure your `${HOME}/claude-skills` directory contains skill folders, not loose SKILL.md files!
## Configuration
Configuration is done via environment variables with the prefix `MCP_SKILLS_`:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| `MCP_SKILLS_DIR` | `/skills` | Root directory containing skill folders |
| `MCP_SKILLS_HOT_RELOAD` | `true` | Enable automatic reloading |
| `MCP_SKILLS_DEBOUNCE_DELAY` | `0.5` | Delay (seconds) before reload |
| `MCP_SKILLS_LOG_LEVEL` | `INFO` | Log level (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR) |
| `MCP_SKILLS_SCAN_DEPTH` | `1` | Scan depth (always 1) |
### Example .env File
```bash
MCP_SKILLS_DIR=/path/to/skills
MCP_SKILLS_HOT_RELOAD=true
MCP_SKILLS_DEBOUNCE_DELAY=0.5
MCP_SKILLS_LOG_LEVEL=INFO
```
## Skill File Format
Skills are defined in `SKILL.md` files with YAML frontmatter:
### Minimal Example
```markdown
---
name: "my-skill"
description: "Brief description"
---
# My Skill
Your skill content here in Markdown.
```
### Complete Example
```markdown
---
# Required fields
name: "excel-advanced"
description: "Advanced Excel automation techniques"
# Version and authorship
version: "1.2.0"
author: "Your Name"
created: "2025-01-15"
updated: "2025-10-23"
# Dependencies
dependencies:
python: ["openpyxl>=3.0.0", "pandas>=2.0.0"]
system: ["libreoffice"]
# Categorization
category: "office-automation"
tags: ["excel", "spreadsheet", "automation"]
complexity: "intermediate" # beginner|intermediate|advanced
# Usage guidance
when_to_use:
- "Automating Excel report generation"
- "Processing multiple Excel files"
- "Creating complex formulas programmatically"
# Relationships
related_skills: ["csv-processing", "data-analysis"]
# Examples
has_examples: true
example_files: ["examples/report_generator.py", "templates/report_template.xlsx"]
---
# Excel Advanced Automation
This skill covers advanced Excel automation techniques...
## Features
- Automated report generation
- Formula creation
- Bulk processing
## Examples
See `examples/report_generator.py` for a working example.
```
### Available Metadata Fields
**Required:**
- `name`: Unique identifier (kebab-case recommended)
- `description`: Brief description
**Optional:**
- `version`: Semantic version
- `author`: Creator name
- `created`, `updated`: ISO dates (YYYY-MM-DD)
- `dependencies`: Python packages or system tools
- `category`: Main category for grouping
- `tags`: Array of tags for search
- `complexity`: beginner, intermediate, or advanced
- `when_to_use`: Array of usage scenarios
- `related_skills`: Names of related skills
- `has_examples`: Boolean flag
- `example_files`: Paths to example files (relative to skill folder)
## MCP Resources and Tools
### Resources
The server exposes these MCP resources:
1. **`skill://catalog`** - JSON catalog of all skills with metadata
2. **`skill://{name}`** - Individual skill markdown content
### Tools
Four tools are available for interacting with skills:
#### 1. `search_skills`
Search for skills by query, category, tag, or complexity.
```json
{
"query": "excel",
"category": "office-automation",
"tag": "automation",
"complexity": "intermediate"
}
```
#### 2. `reload_skills`
Manually trigger a reload of all skills from the directory.
```json
{}
```
#### 3. `get_skill_info`
Get metadata for a specific skill without loading full content.
```json
{
"name": "excel-advanced"
}
```
#### 4. `list_skill_folders`
List all valid skill folders found in the skills directory.
```json
{}
```
## Development
### Setup Development Environment
```bash
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/srprasanna/mcp-skill-hub.git
cd mcp-skill-hub
# Install dependencies (including dev dependencies)
poetry install
# Activate virtual environment
poetry shell
```
### Running Tests
```bash
# Run all tests
poetry run pytest
# Run with coverage
poetry run pytest --cov=mcp_skills --cov-report=html
# Run specific test file
poetry run pytest tests/test_scanner.py
# Run with verbose output
poetry run pytest -v
```
### Code Quality
```bash
# Format code
poetry run black .
# Lint code
poetry run ruff check .
# Type checking
poetry run mypy src
# Run all quality checks
poetry run black . && poetry run ruff check . && poetry run mypy src
```
### Development Workflow
1. **Create a branch:**
```bash
git checkout -b feature/my-feature
```
2. **Make changes and test:**
```bash
poetry run pytest
poetry run mypy src
```
3. **Format and lint:**
```bash
poetry run black .
poetry run ruff check .
```
4. **Commit and push:**
```bash
git commit -m "Add feature: description"
git push origin feature/my-feature
```
### Project Structure
```
mcp-skill-hub/
├── src/mcp_skills/ # Source code
│ ├── models/ # Data models
│ ├── parsers/ # Skill parsers
│ ├── storage/ # Repository pattern
│ ├── scanner.py # Directory scanning
│ ├── watcher.py # Hot-reload watcher
│ ├── server.py # MCP server
│ ├── config.py # Configuration
│ └── __main__.py # CLI entry point
├── tests/ # Test suite
├── examples/ # Example skills
├── docs/ # Documentation
└── pyproject.toml # Poetry configuration
```
## Troubleshooting
### Common Issues
#### Skills Not Loading
**Problem:** No skills are loaded when the server starts.
**Solution:**
1. Check that your skills are in dedicated folders:
```
/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md ✓
/skills/SKILL.md ✗
```
2. Verify folder names don't start with `.` or `_`
3. Check logs for detailed error messages
#### Hot-Reload Not Working
**Problem:** Changes to SKILL.md files aren't detected.
**Solution:**
1. Ensure `MCP_SKILLS_HOT_RELOAD=true`
2. Check file is named exactly `SKILL.md`
3. Verify file is in a valid skill folder
4. Look for file watcher errors in logs
#### Parsing Errors
**Problem:** SKILL.md files fail to parse.
**Solution:**
1. Validate YAML frontmatter syntax
2. Ensure frontmatter is between `---` delimiters
3. Check required fields (`name`, `description`) are present
4. Use a YAML validator to check syntax
### Validation Command
Check your skills directory structure:
```bash
poetry run mcp-skills --validate
```
Expected output:
```
✓ /skills/excel-advanced: Valid skill
✓ /skills/python-automation: Valid skill
✗ /skills/SKILL.md: Error - Skills must be in folders
✗ /skills/.hidden: Skipped - Hidden folder
⚠ /skills/empty-folder: Warning - No SKILL.md found
Summary: 2 valid, 1 error, 1 warning, 1 skipped
```
### Logging
Enable debug logging for detailed information:
```bash
export MCP_SKILLS_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG
poetry run mcp-skills
```
Logs include:
- Folder structure validation messages
- Scan progress and results
- Parse successes and failures
- Hot-reload events
- Detailed error context
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
### Quick Contributing Guide
1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes with tests
4. Ensure all tests pass and code is formatted
5. Submit a pull request
### Code Standards
- **Python 3.13+** with type hints
- **Black** for formatting (88 char line length)
- **Ruff** for linting
- **Mypy** for type checking (strict mode)
- **Pytest** for testing (>80% coverage)
## Releases
This project uses automated releases via GitHub Actions.
### Creating a Release
1. Go to **Actions** → **Release** workflow
2. Click **Run workflow**
3. Choose version bump type:
- `patch` - Bug fixes (0.1.0 → 0.1.1)
- `minor` - New features (0.1.0 → 0.2.0)
- `major` - Breaking changes (0.1.0 → 1.0.0)
- Or specify exact version (e.g., `1.2.3`)
4. Select Docker registry (`docker.io` or `ghcr.io`)
5. Click **Run workflow**
The workflow will:
- ✅ Bump version in `pyproject.toml`
- ✅ Create Git tag and GitHub release
- ✅ Build and push Docker image
- ✅ Run tests to verify release
**Docker Images:**
- Docker Hub: `{username}/mcp-skill-hub:{version}`
- GitHub: `ghcr.io/{owner}/mcp-skill-hub:{version}`
See [RELEASING.md](docs/RELEASING.md) for detailed release documentation.
## License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
## Acknowledgments
- Built with [MCP Python SDK](https://github.com/anthropics/python-mcp-sdk)
- Inspired by the need for dynamic skill management in Claude
- Thanks to all contributors!
---
**Note:** This server makes it impossible to misunderstand the folder structure requirement through:
- Clear error messages with folder context
- Comprehensive logging
- Validation at multiple levels
- Detailed documentation
- Working examples
Each skill MUST be in its own folder. This design decision ensures clean organization, easy management, and unambiguous structure. 🎯