Allow to auto-start MCP servers on frontend start-up (#14736)

* Allow to auto-start MCP servers on frontend start-up fixed #14692 Signed-off-by: Jonas Helming <[email protected]>
eclipse-theia · Jan 20, 2025 · 998bf47 · 998bf47
1 parent f9f4fce
commit 998bf47
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Showing 3 changed files with 38 additions and 14 deletions.
diff --git a/packages/ai-mcp/src/browser/mcp-frontend-application-contribution.ts b/packages/ai-mcp/src/browser/mcp-frontend-application-contribution.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 //
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: EPL-2.0 OR GPL-2.0-only WITH Classpath-exception-2.0
 // *****************************************************************************
+
 import { FrontendApplicationContribution, PreferenceProvider, PreferenceService } from '@theia/core/lib/browser';
 import { inject, injectable } from '@theia/core/shared/inversify';
 import { MCPServerDescription, MCPServerManager } from '../common';
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ interface MCPServersPreferenceValue {
     command: string;
     args?: string[];
     env?: { [key: string]: string };
+    autostart?: boolean;
 };
 
 interface MCPServersPreference {
@@ -35,7 +37,8 @@ namespace MCPServersPreference {
         return !!obj && typeof obj === 'object' &&
             'command' in obj && typeof obj.command === 'string' &&
             (!('args' in obj) || Array.isArray(obj.args) && obj.args.every(arg => typeof arg === 'string')) &&
-            (!('env' in obj) || !!obj.env && typeof obj.env === 'object' && Object.values(obj.env).every(value => typeof value === 'string'));
+            (!('env' in obj) || !!obj.env && typeof obj.env === 'object' && Object.values(obj.env).every(value => typeof value === 'string')) &&
+            (!('autostart' in obj) || typeof obj.autostart === 'boolean');
     }
 }
 
@@ -72,8 +75,9 @@ export class McpFrontendApplicationContribution implements FrontendApplicationCo
                 MCP_SERVERS_PREF,
                 {}
             ));
-            this.syncServers(servers);
             this.prevServers = this.convertToMap(servers);
+            this.syncServers(this.prevServers);
+            this.autoStartServers(this.prevServers);
 
             this.preferenceService.onPreferenceChanged(event => {
                 if (event.preferenceName === MCP_SERVERS_PREF) {
@@ -84,6 +88,17 @@ export class McpFrontendApplicationContribution implements FrontendApplicationCo
         this.frontendMCPService.registerToolsForAllStartedServers();
     }
 
+    protected async autoStartServers(servers: Map<string, MCPServerDescription>): Promise<void> {
+        const startedServers = await this.frontendMCPService.getStartedServers();
+        for (const [name, serverDesc] of servers) {
+            if (serverDesc && serverDesc.autostart) {
+                if (!startedServers.includes(name)) {
+                    await this.frontendMCPService.startServer(name);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     protected handleServerChanges(newServers: MCPServersPreference): void {
         const oldServers = this.prevServers;
         const updatedServers = this.convertToMap(newServers);
@@ -116,20 +131,17 @@ export class McpFrontendApplicationContribution implements FrontendApplicationCo
         this.prevServers = updatedServers;
     }
 
-    protected syncServers(servers: MCPServersPreference): void {
-        const updatedServers = this.convertToMap(servers);
+    protected syncServers(servers: Map<string, MCPServerDescription>): void {
 
-        for (const [, description] of updatedServers) {
+        for (const [, description] of servers) {
             this.manager.addOrUpdateServer(description);
         }
 
         for (const [name] of this.prevServers) {
-            if (!updatedServers.has(name)) {
+            if (!servers.has(name)) {
                 this.manager.removeServer(name);
             }
         }
-
-        this.prevServers = updatedServers;
     }
 
     protected convertToMap(servers: MCPServersPreference): Map<string, MCPServerDescription> {

diff --git a/packages/ai-mcp/src/browser/mcp-preferences.ts b/packages/ai-mcp/src/browser/mcp-preferences.ts
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ export const McpServersPreferenceSchema: PreferenceSchema = {
         [MCP_SERVERS_PREF]: {
             type: 'object',
             title: 'MCP Servers Configuration',
-            markdownDescription: 'Configure MCP servers with command, arguments and optionally environment variables. Each server is identified by a unique key, such as\
-            "brave-search" or "filesystem".\
+            markdownDescription: 'Configure MCP servers with command, arguments, optionally environment variables, and autostart.\
+            Each server is identified by a unique key, such as "brave-search" or "filesystem".\
             To start a server, use the "MCP: Start MCP Server" command, which enables you to select the desired server.\
             To stop a server, use the "MCP: Stop MCP Server" command.\
             \n\
@@ -40,17 +40,18 @@ export const McpServersPreferenceSchema: PreferenceSchema = {
                 ],\n\
                 "env": {\n\
                   "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"\n\
-                }\n\
+                },\n\
+                "autostart": true\n\
               },\n\
               "filesystem": {\n\
                 "command": "npx",\n\
                 "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Desktop"],\n\
                 "env": {\n\
                   "CUSTOM_ENV_VAR": "custom-value"\n\
-                }\n\
+                },\n\
+                "autostart": false\n\
               }\n\
-            }\
-            ```',
+            }\n            ```',
             additionalProperties: {
                 type: 'object',
                 properties: {
@@ -74,6 +75,12 @@ export const McpServersPreferenceSchema: PreferenceSchema = {
                         additionalProperties: {
                             type: 'string'
                         }
+                    },
+                    autostart: {
+                        type: 'boolean',
+                        title: 'Autostart',
+                        markdownDescription: 'Automatically start this server when the frontend starts. Newly added servers are not immediatly auto stated.',
+                        default: false
                     }
                 },
                 required: ['command', 'args']

diff --git a/packages/ai-mcp/src/common/mcp-server-manager.ts b/packages/ai-mcp/src/common/mcp-server-manager.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,11 @@ export interface MCPServerDescription {
      * Optional environment variables to set when starting the server.
      */
     env?: { [key: string]: string };
+
+    /**
+     * Flag indicating whether the server should automatically start when the application starts.
+     */
+    autostart?: boolean;
 }
 
 export const MCPServerManager = Symbol('MCPServerManager');