Apache Camel MCP Component

Apache Camel 4 extension that speaks the Model Context Protocol (MCP) over JSON-RPC so agents and automations can call your Camel routes as tools.

Project Home: https://github.com/dscope-io/dscope-camel-mcp#readme

🏷 Repository Metadata

Description: Apache Camel MCP component enabling Model Context Protocol client/server routes over HTTP/WebSocket.
Topics: ai-integration, apache-camel, camel-component, java, json-rpc, mcp, model-context-protocol

Note: These values mirror the GitHub repository settings (Description, Topics, Homepage). Keep both in sync when updating project metadata.

📦 Versions

Channel	Version	Maven Coordinate	Notes
Latest Release	1.4.1	`io.dscope.camel:camel-mcp:1.4.1`	Recommended for production use
Development Snapshot	1.4.1	`io.dscope.camel:camel-mcp:1.4.1`	Build from source (`mvn install`) to track `main`

Maven Central:

📋 Requirements

Java 21+
Maven 3.9+
Apache Camel 4.15.0+

🚀 Features

Producer (client) mode: Send MCP JSON-RPC requests to remote servers via to("mcp:http://host/mcp?method=tools/list").
Consumer (server) mode: Expose MCP endpoints with from("mcp:http://0.0.0.0:3000/mcp") — built-in request validation, JSON-RPC parsing, rate limiting, and response serialization.
Implements core MCP methods: initialize, ping, resources/list, resources/read, resources/get, tools/list, tools/call, health, and stream.
MCP Apps Bridge support: ui/initialize, ui/message, ui/update-model-context, and ui/tools/call for embedded UI integration.
Notifications: notifications/initialized, notifications/cancelled, notifications/progress.
HTTP and WebSocket transports for both producer and consumer modes.
Ships 20+ registry processors for JSON-RPC envelopes, tool catalogs, resource catalogs, and notification workflows.
Apache Karavan integration: Generated visual designer metadata for drag-and-drop MCP route building.
Camel tooling support: @UriEndpoint-based component descriptor generation (mcp.json) for IDE autocompletion and documentation.
Two sample projects and Postman collections to exercise MCP flows end-to-end.

📖 Development Guide - Learn how to build your own MCP services with YAML and Java routes.

🛠 Installation

Maven Dependency (Release)

<dependency>
  <groupId>io.dscope.camel</groupId>
  <artifactId>camel-mcp</artifactId>
  <version>1.4.1</version>
</dependency>

Gradle Dependency (Release)

dependencies {
  implementation "io.dscope.camel:camel-mcp:1.4.1"
}

Build From Source (Snapshot)

git clone https://github.com/dscope-io/dscope-camel-mcp.git
cd dscope-camel-mcp
mvn clean install

🔧 Configuration

URI Format

Producer (Client) Mode:

mcp:http://host:port/mcp?method=tools/list
mcp:camel:direct:localMcpRoute?method=tools/list

Consumer (Server) Mode:

mcp:http://host:port/path
mcp:http://host:port/path?websocket=true

Configuration Options

Option	Default	Mode	Purpose
`method`	`tools/list`	Producer	MCP JSON-RPC method to invoke when producing
`websocket`	`false`	Consumer	Enable WebSocket transport instead of HTTP
`sendToAll`	`false`	Consumer	Broadcast WebSocket messages to all clients
`allowedOrigins`	`*`	Consumer	CORS allowed origins for WebSocket
`httpMethodRestrict`	`POST`	Consumer	Restrict HTTP methods (e.g., POST, GET)

Producer Mode

The exchange body should be a Map representing MCP params. The producer enriches it with jsonrpc, id, and the configured method before invoking the downstream HTTP endpoint.

You can override the endpoint method per message with header CamelMcpMethod.

For local MCP services exposed as Camel routes, use the URI prefix camel: after mcp:. Dispatch is selected by endpoint URI structure:

mcp:camel:<camel-endpoint-uri> -> local Camel route dispatch (in-process)
mcp:http://... / mcp:https://... -> remote JSON transport dispatch

Example local dispatch from Java routes:

from("direct:start")
  .setBody(constant(Map.of("clientInfo", Map.of("name", "local-client", "version", "1.0.0"))))
  .to("mcp:camel:direct:localMcpService?method=initialize")
  .log("${body}");

Remote vs Local Producer (YAML)

Remote MCP producer route:

- route:
    id: remote-mcp-client
    from:
      uri: "direct:remoteMcp"
      steps:
        - setBody:
            constant:
              clientInfo:
                name: "camel-client"
                version: "1.0.0"
        - to:
            uri: "mcp:http://localhost:8080/mcp?method=initialize"
        - setBody:
            simple: "${body[result]}"

Local MCP producer route + local service route:

- route:
    id: local-mcp-client
    from:
      uri: "direct:localMcpClient"
      steps:
        - setBody:
            constant:
              probe: true
        - to:
            uri: "mcp:camel:direct:localMcpService?method=ping"
        - setBody:
            simple: "${body[result]}"

- route:
    id: local-mcp-service
    from:
      uri: "direct:localMcpService"
      steps:
        - setBody:
            simple: |
              {
                "jsonrpc": "2.0",
                "id": "${body[id]}",
                "result": {
                  "method": "${body[method]}",
                  "pong": true,
                  "local": true
                }
              }
        - unmarshal:
            json:
              library: Jackson

Java Helper API

Use io.dscope.camel.mcp.McpClient for Java-friendly calls that return MCP result payloads directly:

ProducerTemplate template = camelContext.createProducerTemplate();
String endpoint = "mcp:http://localhost:8080/mcp?method=initialize";

Object pingResult = McpClient.pingResult(template, endpoint);
Object toolsResult = McpClient.toolsListResult(template, endpoint);
JsonNode pingJson = McpClient.pingResultJson(template, endpoint);
JsonNode toolsJson = McpClient.toolsListResultJson(template, endpoint);

Object initializeResult = McpClient.callResult(
  template,
  endpoint,
  "initialize",
  Map.of("clientInfo", Map.of("name", "java-client", "version", "1.0.0"))
);

JsonNode initializeJson = McpClient.callResultJson(
  template,
  endpoint,
  "initialize",
  Map.of("clientInfo", Map.of("name", "java-client", "version", "1.0.0"))
);

Consumer Mode

The consumer creates an HTTP or WebSocket server endpoint that:

Validates incoming requests (headers, content-type)
Parses JSON-RPC envelopes
Extracts method and parameters to exchange properties
Routes to your processor
Serializes responses to JSON

Exchange properties set by the consumer:

mcp.jsonrpc.type - REQUEST, NOTIFICATION, or RESPONSE
mcp.jsonrpc.id - Request ID for responses
mcp.jsonrpc.method - The MCP method being called
mcp.tool.name - Tool name (for tools/call)

� WebSocket Transport

The component supports WebSocket connections for persistent, bidirectional MCP sessions. This is ideal for:

Long-running agent sessions
Streaming responses
Real-time notifications

Endpoints

Protocol	Endpoint	Purpose
HTTP	`http://localhost:8080/mcp`	Request/response style
WebSocket	`ws://localhost:8090/mcp`	Persistent bidirectional

WebSocket Route Configuration

The sample service configures WebSocket via Undertow:

- route:
    id: mcp-service-ws
    from:
      uri: "undertow:ws://0.0.0.0:8090/mcp?sendToAll=false&allowedOrigins=*&exchangePattern=InOut"

Option	Default	Purpose
`sendToAll`	`false`	Send response only to originating client
`allowedOrigins`	`*`	CORS allowed origins (use specific domains in production)
`exchangePattern`	`InOut`	Enable request/response pattern

Connecting with wscat

# Install wscat (one-time)
npm install -g wscat

# Connect to MCP WebSocket
npx wscat -c ws://localhost:8090/mcp

Alternative WebSocket Clients

websocat: websocat ws://localhost:8090/mcp
VS Code: Install "WebSocket Client" extension
Postman: Import WebSocket collection from samples/mcp-service/postman/
Python: Use websockets library
JavaScript: Native WebSocket API or ws package

Python Example

import asyncio
import websockets
import json

async def mcp_client():
    async with websockets.connect('ws://localhost:8090/mcp') as ws:
        # Initialize session
        await ws.send(json.dumps({
            "jsonrpc": "2.0",
            "id": "1",
            "method": "initialize",
            "params": {
                "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
                "clientInfo": {"name": "python-client", "version": "1.0.0"}
            }
        }))
        print(await ws.recv())
        
        # List tools
        await ws.send(json.dumps({
            "jsonrpc": "2.0",
            "id": "2",
            "method": "tools/list"
        }))
        print(await ws.recv())

asyncio.run(mcp_client())

JavaScript/Node.js Example

const WebSocket = require('ws');
const ws = new WebSocket('ws://localhost:8090/mcp');

ws.on('open', () => {
    // Initialize session
    ws.send(JSON.stringify({
        jsonrpc: "2.0",
        id: "1",
        method: "initialize",
        params: {
            protocolVersion: "2024-11-05",
            clientInfo: { name: "node-client", version: "1.0.0" }
        }
    }));
});

ws.on('message', (data) => {
    console.log('Received:', JSON.parse(data));
});

�📚 Usage Examples

Calling MCP Methods via curl

All MCP methods use JSON-RPC 2.0 format. Here's how to call each supported method:

`initialize` - Start an MCP session

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "1",
    "method": "initialize",
    "params": {
      "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
      "clientInfo": {
        "name": "my-client",
        "version": "1.0.0"
      },
      "capabilities": {}
    }
  }' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

`ping` - Health check

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "2", "method": "ping"}' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

`tools/list` - List available tools

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "3", "method": "tools/list"}' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

`resources/list` - List available resources

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "4", "method": "resources/list"}' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

`tools/call` - Execute a tool

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "4",
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": {
      "name": "echo",
      "arguments": {
        "message": "Hello from MCP!"
      }
    }
  }' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

`resources/get` - Fetch a resource

# JSON resource
curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "5",
    "method": "resources/get",
    "params": {
      "resource": "example-resource"
    }
  }' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

# Binary resource (returns base64)
curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": "6", "method": "resources/get", "params": {"resource": "sample-image.jpg"}}' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

MCP Apps Bridge (UI Methods)

The component supports the MCP Apps Bridge specification for embedding interactive UIs within AI agent workflows.

`ui/initialize` - Start a UI session

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "ui-1",
    "method": "ui/initialize",
    "params": {
      "clientInfo": {"name": "my-ui", "version": "1.0.0"},
      "resourceUri": "mcp://resource/chart-editor.html",
      "toolName": "chart-editor"
    }
  }' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

Response includes a sessionId for subsequent UI calls:

{
  "result": {
    "sessionId": "abc123-...",
    "hostInfo": {"name": "camel-mcp", "version": "1.4.1"},
    "capabilities": ["tools/call", "ui/message", "ui/update-model-context"]
  }
}

`ui/tools/call` - Execute a tool from UI context

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "ui-2",
    "method": "ui/tools/call",
    "params": {
      "sessionId": "<sessionId-from-ui-initialize>",
      "name": "echo",
      "arguments": {"text": "Hello from UI!"}
    }
  }' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

`ui/message` - Send messages from embedded UI

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "ui-3",
    "method": "ui/message",
    "params": {
      "sessionId": "<sessionId>",
      "type": "user-action",
      "payload": {"action": "button-clicked"}
    }
  }' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

`ui/update-model-context` - Update AI model context

curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": "ui-4",
    "method": "ui/update-model-context",
    "params": {
      "sessionId": "<sessionId>",
      "context": {"chartConfig": {"type": "bar", "data": [1,2,3]}},
      "mode": "merge"
    }
  }' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp | jq '.'

Calling MCP Methods via WebSocket

npx wscat -c ws://localhost:8090/mcp

# Initialize
> {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"1","method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","clientInfo":{"name":"ws-client","version":"1.0.0"}}}

# Ping
> {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"2","method":"ping"}

# List tools
> {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"3","method":"tools/list"}

# Call a tool
> {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"4","method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"echo","arguments":{"message":"Hello"}}}

# Get a resource
> {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"5","method":"resources/get","params":{"resource":"example-resource"}}

Minimal YAML Client (Camel Route)

- route:
    id: example-mcp-client
    from:
      uri: "timer://runOnce?repeatCount=1"
      steps:
        - setBody:
            constant: |
              {
                "method": "initialize",
                "params": {
                  "clientInfo": {
                    "name": "camel-mcp",
                    "version": "1.0.0"
                  }
                }
              }
        - unmarshal:
            json:
              library: Jackson
        - to:
            uri: "mcp:http://localhost:8080/mcp?method=initialize"
        - log:
            message: "MCP Response: ${body}"

Resources/Get With Sample Service

The resources/get method supports automatic content type detection:

Binary (images, PDFs, fonts) → returned as base64 blob
Text (html, css, js, md) → returned as text with MIME type
JSON (no extension) → returned as structured data

- route:
    id: example-resources-client
    from:
      uri: "timer://resources?repeatCount=1"
      steps:
        - setBody:
            constant: |
              {
                "params": {
                  "resource": "example-resource"
                }
              }
        - unmarshal:
            json:
              library: Jackson
        - to:
            uri: "mcp:http://localhost:8080/mcp?method=resources/get"
        - log:
            message: "Resource payload: ${body[result]}"

MCP Server (Consumer) Examples

The MCP consumer allows you to create MCP protocol servers that listen for incoming JSON-RPC requests.

Basic HTTP Server

from("mcp:http://localhost:8080/mcp")
    .process(exchange -> {
        // Your custom MCP request processing
        String method = exchange.getProperty("mcp.jsonrpc.method", String.class);
        Map<String, Object> params = exchange.getIn().getBody(Map.class);
        
        // Process request and set response
        Map<String, Object> response = Map.of(
            "jsonrpc", "2.0",
            "id", exchange.getProperty("mcp.jsonrpc.id"),
            "result", Map.of("status", "ok")
        );
        exchange.getMessage().setBody(response);
    });

WebSocket Server

from("mcp:http://localhost:8090/mcp?websocket=true")
    .process(exchange -> {
        // Process MCP requests over WebSocket
        // Response automatically serialized to JSON
    });

YAML-Based Server

- route:
    id: mcp-server
    from:
      uri: "mcp:http://0.0.0.0:8080/mcp"
      steps:
        - choice:
            when:
              - simple: "${exchangeProperty.mcp.jsonrpc.method} == 'ping'"
                steps:
                  - setBody:
                      constant:
                        jsonrpc: "2.0"
                        result: {}
              - simple: "${exchangeProperty.mcp.jsonrpc.method} == 'tools/list'"
                steps:
                  - setBody:
                      constant:
                        jsonrpc: "2.0"
                        result:
                          tools:
                            - name: "echo"
                              description: "Echo the input"

The consumer automatically:

Validates HTTP headers (Content-Type, Accept)
Parses JSON-RPC envelopes
Extracts method and parameters as exchange properties
Applies rate limiting and request size guards
Serializes response bodies to JSON

🤖 MCP Tooling

AbstractMcpRequestProcessor and AbstractMcpResponseProcessor provide templates for custom tool handlers.
McpResourcesGetProcessor handles resource loading with automatic content type detection and helper methods:
- isBinaryResource(name) / isTextResource(name) — check content type
- getMimeType(name) — resolve MIME type from extension
- blobResource(uri, mimeType, bytes) — create binary response
- textResource(uri, mimeType, content) — create text response
- jsonResource(uri, data) — create JSON response
McpNotificationProcessor normalizes JSON-RPC notifications and exchange properties.
Tool catalogs load from classpath:mcp/methods.yaml and feed tools/list responses automatically.

🧪 Testing

mvn clean install

The integration test boots a mock MCP server defined in src/test/resources/routes via Camel Main.

🧰 Samples

mcp-service (Kamelet/YAML routes)

Full-featured MCP server with Kamelet-based routing, UI Bridge, resource catalog, and OpenAPI generation.

mvn -f samples/mcp-service/pom.xml exec:java
# HTTP: http://localhost:8080/mcp  |  WebSocket: ws://localhost:8090/mcp

mcp-consumer (Direct consumer URI)

Minimal MCP server demonstrating the from("mcp:...") consumer approach — pure Java, no YAML needed.

mvn -f samples/mcp-consumer/pom.xml exec:java
# HTTP: http://localhost:3000/mcp  |  WebSocket: ws://localhost:3001/mcp

See samples/mcp-consumer/README.md for details and curl examples.

Core component smoke test

mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass=org.apache.camel.main.Main

When the sample is running you can exercise the MCP HTTP endpoint:

# JSON resource (no extension)
curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"1","method":"resources/get","params":{"resource":"example-resource"}}' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp

# HTML resource
curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"2","method":"resources/get","params":{"resource":"sample.html"}}' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp

# Binary image resource
curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"3","method":"resources/get","params":{"resource":"sample-image.jpg"}}' \
  http://localhost:8080/mcp

HTTP endpoints listen on http://localhost:8080; WebSocket helpers are available on ws://localhost:8090/mcp. Generated OpenAPI definitions live under samples/mcp-service/target/openapi/. Postman collections are bundled in samples/mcp-service/postman/ for interactive exploration.

🔌 IDE & Tooling Integration

Camel Component Descriptor

The build generates a standard Camel component descriptor at src/generated/resources/META-INF/io/dscope/camel/mcp/mcp.json. This enables:

IDE autocompletion for mcp: URIs in YAML / Java routes
Auto-generated option tables in documentation
Property validation via McpEndpointConfigurer and McpComponentConfigurer

Additional Camel-standard properties are exposed automatically: bridgeErrorHandler, lazyStartProducer, exceptionHandler, exchangePattern, autowiredEnabled.

Apache Karavan Integration

Generate visual designer metadata for Apache Karavan:

mvn -Pkaravan-metadata compile exec:java

This produces metadata under src/main/resources/karavan/metadata/:

File	Purpose
`component/mcp.json`	Component descriptor with all properties and method enums
`mcp-methods.json`	Catalog of 13 request methods + 3 notification methods
`kamelet/mcp-rest-service.json`	REST kamelet descriptor (port 8080)
`kamelet/mcp-ws-service.json`	WebSocket kamelet descriptor (port 8090)
`model-labels.json`	Human-friendly labels for methods and kamelets

Regenerate after adding new MCP methods or changing component properties.

🧱 Project Layout

io.dscope.camel.mcp/
├── McpComponent        # Camel component entry point
├── McpEndpoint         # Holds configuration, creates producer/consumer (@UriEndpoint, Category.AI)
├── McpConfiguration    # URI path/param bindings with Camel annotations
├── McpProducer         # Sends MCP JSON-RPC requests to remote servers (client mode)
├── McpConsumer         # Receives MCP requests via HTTP/WebSocket (server mode)
├── processor/          # 20+ built-in processors for JSON-RPC, tools, resources, UI, notifications
├── catalog/            # McpMethodCatalog + McpResourceCatalog (loaded from YAML)
├── service/            # McpUiSessionRegistry, McpWebSocketNotifier
├── model/              # Jackson POJOs: requests, responses, resources, UI sessions, notifications
└── tools/karavan/      # McpKaravanMetadataGenerator for Karavan visual designer

samples/
├── mcp-service/        # Full-featured MCP server using Kamelets/YAML routes (port 8080/8090)
└── mcp-consumer/       # Minimal MCP server using direct consumer URI (port 3000/3001)

src/generated/          # Auto-generated component descriptors (mcp.json, configurers, URI factory)
src/main/resources/karavan/metadata/  # Generated Karavan metadata (component, kamelets, labels)
src/main/docs/mcp-component.adoc      # AsciiDoc component documentation for Camel tooling

📄 License

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE for the full text.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 41 Commits
.github		.github
docs		docs
samples		samples
src		src
.gitignore		.gitignore
CAMEL_MCP_APPS_BRIDGE_PLAN.md		CAMEL_MCP_APPS_BRIDGE_PLAN.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
pom.xml		pom.xml

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Apache Camel MCP Component

🏷 Repository Metadata

📦 Versions

📋 Requirements

🚀 Features

🛠 Installation

Maven Dependency (Release)

Gradle Dependency (Release)

Build From Source (Snapshot)

🔧 Configuration

URI Format

Configuration Options

Producer Mode

Remote vs Local Producer (YAML)

Java Helper API

Consumer Mode

� WebSocket Transport

Endpoints

WebSocket Route Configuration

Connecting with wscat

Alternative WebSocket Clients

Python Example

JavaScript/Node.js Example

�📚 Usage Examples

Calling MCP Methods via curl

initialize - Start an MCP session

ping - Health check

tools/list - List available tools

resources/list - List available resources

tools/call - Execute a tool

resources/get - Fetch a resource

MCP Apps Bridge (UI Methods)

ui/initialize - Start a UI session

ui/tools/call - Execute a tool from UI context

ui/message - Send messages from embedded UI

ui/update-model-context - Update AI model context

Calling MCP Methods via WebSocket

Minimal YAML Client (Camel Route)

Resources/Get With Sample Service

MCP Server (Consumer) Examples

Basic HTTP Server

WebSocket Server

YAML-Based Server

🤖 MCP Tooling

🧪 Testing

🧰 Samples

mcp-service (Kamelet/YAML routes)

mcp-consumer (Direct consumer URI)

Core component smoke test

🔌 IDE & Tooling Integration

Camel Component Descriptor

Apache Karavan Integration

🧱 Project Layout

📄 License

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`initialize` - Start an MCP session

`ping` - Health check

`tools/list` - List available tools

`resources/list` - List available resources

`tools/call` - Execute a tool

`resources/get` - Fetch a resource

`ui/initialize` - Start a UI session

`ui/tools/call` - Execute a tool from UI context

`ui/message` - Send messages from embedded UI

`ui/update-model-context` - Update AI model context

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