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io.github.isucorp-taimiralain/stackguide-mcp

Dynamic context loading for AI assistants with TDD workflow and AST analysis

Automation & WorkflowTypeScriptv4.1.3

StackGuide MCP Server

Dynamic context + active engineering workflow for AI coding assistants in Cursor, VS Code, and other MCP clients.

npm version license mcp registry

What It Does

@stackguide/mcp-server helps teams standardize implementation quality with:

  • project-aware rule/context loading
  • code review and health scoring
  • auto-detected setup and stack scaffolding
  • active agent workflow that executes real work (intake, plan, verify, release)
  • adaptive TDD preferences per project (model + token profile)
  • Jira ticket creation from strict MAIN DESCRIPTION templates
  • tracker + VCS + test orchestration for delivery flow

This server is built for real team usage, not just prompt templates.

What's New In v4.x

Full history: CHANGELOG.md.

  • v4.3.1 - Update notifier: StackGuide checks npm once a day in the background and tells you once per session when a newer version exists, with a safe update command. Disable with STACKGUIDE_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1.
  • v4.3.0 - Team mode:
    • setup wizard:true asks stack, architecture, methodology, conventions and tracker, then writes a shared stackguide.config.json at the repo root. Commit it so every teammate gets the same context.
    • On startup StackGuide finds that file (also from subfolders) and loads it without running setup or re-detecting the project. context returns one guidance line per architecture and methodology.
    • Optional ruleCategories limits which rules are loaded (saves tokens). Existing healthWeights in the file are preserved.
    • Multi-agent roles that follow the IDE you are using (detected from the MCP client). Defaults: Claude Code opus / haiku / haiku; Cursor inherit (your selected model, e.g. Composer or Grok) / fast / fast; other IDEs inherit. The wizard asks which model each role should use (recommended default, your most used models first, or type any id your IDE lists); answer with models:{planner,implementer,verifier} or models:{} to accept the defaults. Choices are saved per IDE in stackguide.config.json, so mixed teams do not clash.
    • agent action:"plan" returns a delegation block for the current IDE, and the wizard writes stackguide-implementer.md / stackguide-verifier.md into .claude/agents/ and .cursor/agents/. Edited files are kept; only their model: line is refreshed.
    • Re-running setup wizard:true edits the saved config; .stackguide/ stays local and guarded.
  • Added active agent tool (execution-first workflow).
  • init now generates .stackguide/config.json automatically.
  • Added tracker service support for GitHub, GitLab, and Jira.
  • Added VCS service for branch checks, commit parsing, CI status, and PR/MR creation.
  • Added test runner service for structured test/lint/build execution.
  • Updated TDD prompts to use active tool calls instead of large passive markdown payloads.
  • Hardened local persistence:
    • .stackguide artifacts removed from version control
    • repository guard blocks accidental tracking of local artifacts
    • cache and health history include integrity validation and safer writes

Install By IDE

Cursor

  • File (workspace): .cursor/mcp.json
  • File (global): ~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stackguide": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@stackguide/mcp-server@latest"]
    }
  }
}

JetBrains (IntelliJ, WebStorm, PhpStorm, etc.)

  • Open Settings | Tools | AI Assistant | Model Context Protocol (MCP).
  • Click Add and paste JSON config.
  • Recommended: set it as Project-level unless you want global scope.
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stackguide": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@stackguide/mcp-server@latest"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code

  • Requirement: GitHub Copilot Chat with MCP enabled.
  • File (workspace): .vscode/mcp.json
  • VS Code MCP schema uses servers as root key.
{
  "servers": {
    "stackguide": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@stackguide/mcp-server@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Visual Studio (Windows, 2022 17.14+ / 2026+)

  • Enable GitHub Copilot Agent mode.
  • Supported config locations include:
    • %USERPROFILE%\\.mcp.json (global)
    • <solution>\\.mcp.json (repo-scoped)
    • <solution>\\.vs\\mcp.json (solution/user-scoped)
  • Visual Studio MCP schema uses servers as root key.
{
  "servers": {
    "stackguide": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@stackguide/mcp-server@latest"]
    }
  }
}

How To Use (Any IDE)

  1. Restart the IDE after adding the MCP configuration.
  2. Open AI chat in agent/tool mode.
  3. Call setup to detect project context.
  4. Call init action:"full" to scaffold .stackguide/ and defaults.
  5. Use agent actions (intake, create_ticket, plan, verify, release) for delivery flow.

Quick Start

Team setup (once per project, then commit stackguide.config.json):

setup wizard:true
setup wizard:true type:"nextjs" architecture:"clean" methodology:"tdd" conventions:["Use named exports"] tracker:"jira"

Personal setup:

  1. Configure your project:
setup type:"react-typescript" enableAdaptiveTdd:true model:"gpt-5" integrations:["jira","github"] tokenMode:"compact"
init action:"full" model:"gpt-5" tokenMode:"compact" integrations:["jira","github"] mcpSyncTargets:["cursor","root"] applyMcpTemplates:true
  1. Check generated setup:
init action:"status"
agent action:"status"
  1. Run active TDD workflow:
agent action:"intake" ticket:"PROJ-123"
agent action:"create_ticket" mainDescription:"<MAIN DESCRIPTION>" projectKey:"PROJ"
agent action:"plan" brief:"<brief-from-intake>"
agent action:"verify"
agent action:"release" version:"v1.2.0"

Tools (16)

Core

  • setup: configure StackGuide context for project type
  • context: show currently loaded context
  • rules: list/search/get/select rule sets
  • knowledge: list/search/get knowledge files
  • review: analyze files/URLs/project code quality

Utility

  • cursor: browse/import community rules
  • docs: fetch/search/list documentation
  • config: save/load/export/import configurations
  • custom_rule: create/update/delete/list project custom rules
  • help: usage help by topic

Advanced

  • generate: boilerplate generation (component/hook/service/test/api/model/util)
  • health: project health score and recommendations
  • analyze: project intelligence (structure/config/dependency/generate/apply)

Workflow

  • workflow: lazy-load raw workflow assets (agents/skills/hooks/commands)
  • init: scaffold .stackguide with stack-aware defaults
  • agent: active workflow executor (status, intake, create_ticket, plan, verify, release)

Active Workflow Details

agent action:"intake"

  • reads ticket from configured tracker
  • returns normalized brief + gaps
  • proposes branch name convention
  • can optionally create a Jira ticket first (createFromDescription:true)

agent action:"create_ticket"

  • creates Jira issues using strict MAIN DESCRIPTION format
  • uses project defaults from .stackguide/config.json (projectKey, issueType)
  • derives summary from first line of MAIN DESCRIPTION when omitted

agent action:"plan"

  • inspects conventions + project shape
  • creates vertical-slice plan
  • returns exactly 3 target tests in structured format

agent action:"verify"

  • executes configured tests/lint/build per layer
  • checks branch naming + commit convention + TDD test budget
  • returns blocker list and final pass/fail report

agent action:"release"

  • checks CI status
  • parses commits since last tag
  • suggests semver impact (major / minor / patch)
  • can create tag and PR/MR (when enabled)

Local Data And Security

init generates:

  • .stackguide/config.json (project workflow config)

Runtime/local artifacts:

  • .stackguide/analysis-cache.json
  • .stackguide/health-history.json

These are machine-local and must not be committed.

Repository Guard

pnpm lint includes:

pnpm run guard:repo

The guard fails if .stackguide artifacts are tracked.

Integrity Hardening

Cache/history persistence includes:

  • boundary/symlink checks
  • file size and entry limits
  • atomic write strategy
  • checksum validation
  • optional HMAC signature using:
STACKGUIDE_INTEGRITY_KEY=<long-random-secret>

For teams, configure STACKGUIDE_INTEGRITY_KEY in local/dev and CI environments for stronger tamper resistance.

Supported Stacks

python-django, python-fastapi, python-flask, react-node, react-typescript, vue-node, nextjs, express, nestjs, laravel, rails, golang, rust, custom.

Development

Use pnpm for all commands.

pnpm install
pnpm lint
pnpm test
pnpm build
pnpm dev

Release And Version Policy

  • Current secure baseline: 4.1.2+
  • Versions from 3.0.0 up to 4.1.1 are deprecated in npm due to local artifact hygiene issues.
  • Use the latest 4.x release in all environments.

Registry Identifiers

  • npm package: @stackguide/mcp-server
  • MCP Registry server: io.github.isucorp-taimiralain/stackguide-mcp

License

GPL-3.0

Installation

Source-derived launch command. Check the maintainer’s required arguments and credentials before running:

bash
npx -y @stackguide/mcp-server

Set up in your AI client

Merge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-github-isucorp-taimiralain-stackguide-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@stackguide/mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.

Claude Desktop setup reference

Package

@stackguide/mcp-servernpm

Compatible MCP Clients

io.github.isucorp-taimiralain/stackguide-mcp works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.

  • Claude Desktop~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.
  • Cursor~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect.
  • VS Code.vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.
  • Windsurf~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect.
  • Claude Code.mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.

Learn More