Descope MCP Express SDK

Drop‑in Express middleware and helpers to add secure auth to your Model Context Protocol (MCP) server with Descope. Ship an authenticated /mcp endpoint and register tools in minutes.

Table of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Creating Authenticated Tools
• Which API should I use?
• Features
• OAuth Implementation
• Advanced Usage
  • Legacy Authorization Server Mode (not recommended)
  • Verify Token Options
• Migrating from an existing MCP server
• Migration from v0.0.x
• Attribution
• License

Prerequisites

• A Descope project
• An Express app
• Node.js 18+

Installation

npm install @descope/mcp-express

Quick Start

1. Create .env

DESCOPE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
SERVER_URL=http://localhost:3000

2. Minimal server

import "dotenv/config";
import express from "express";
import { descopeMcpAuthRouter, defineTool, DescopeMcpProvider } from "@descope/mcp-express";
import { z } from "zod";

const app = express();
// Required: so /mcp can read JSON bodies
app.use(express.json());

// Optional: explicit provider config (env work out of the box)
const provider = new DescopeMcpProvider({
  projectId: process.env.DESCOPE_PROJECT_ID,
  serverUrl: process.env.SERVER_URL,
  baseUrl: process.env.DESCOPE_BASE_URL, // optional
});

// Define an authenticated tool (requires 'openid')
const hello = defineTool({
  name: "hello",
  description: "Say hello to the authenticated user",
  input: {
    name: z.string().describe("Name to greet").optional(),
  },
  scopes: ["openid"],
  handler: async (args, extra) => {
    const result = {
      message: `Hello ${args.name || "there"}!`,
      authenticatedUser: extra.authInfo.clientId,
    };
    return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(result, null, 2) }] };
  },
});

// Wire the MCP router and register your tools
app.use(
  descopeMcpAuthRouter((server) => {
    hello(server);
  }, provider),
);

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log("MCP endpoint: POST http://localhost:3000/mcp");
});

Pro tips

• Send Content-Type: application/json to /mcp.
• /mcp requires a valid Bearer token.
• Metadata endpoints are always on. The /mcp handler is wired only when you pass a toolRegistration function.

Creating Authenticated Tools

Pick your flavor: the ergonomic defineTool or the flexible registerAuthenticatedTool.

• defineTool (with input)

import { defineTool } from "@descope/mcp-express";
import { z } from "zod";

const getUser = defineTool({
  name: "get_user",
  description: "Get user information",
  input: { userId: z.string().describe("The user ID to fetch") },
  scopes: ["profile", "email"],
  handler: async (args, extra) => {
    return {
      content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify({ userId: args.userId, scopes: extra.authInfo.scopes }, null, 2) }],
    };
  },
});

• registerAuthenticatedTool
  • With input

import { registerAuthenticatedTool } from "@descope/mcp-express";
import { z } from "zod";

const getUser = registerAuthenticatedTool(
  "get_user",
  {
    description: "Get user information",
    inputSchema: { userId: z.string().describe("The user ID to fetch") },
  },
  async (args, extra) => {
    return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify({ userId: args.userId }, null, 2) }] };
  },
  ["profile", "email"],
);

• Without input

const whoami = registerAuthenticatedTool(
  "whoami",
  { description: "Return authenticated identity info" },
  async (extra) => {
    const result = {
      clientId: extra.authInfo.clientId,
      scopes: extra.authInfo.scopes || [],
    };
    return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(result, null, 2) }] };
  },
  ["openid"],
);

Which API should I use?

Short answer: choose defineTool for brevity and great type inference; choose registerAuthenticatedTool if you prefer explicit overloads and a closer-to-the-metal API.

• Same capabilities
  • defineTool is a thin wrapper over registerAuthenticatedTool.
  • Both support input (Zod shape), optional output schema, annotations, and scopes.
• Why defineTool
  • Concise, single-object config.
  • Cleaner TypeScript inference for (args, extra) when you provide input.
• Why registerAuthenticatedTool
  • Lower-level, mirrors the underlying MCP registerTool shape.
  • Two overloads (with/without input) if you like explicit control.

There isn’t anything you can do with one that you can’t do with the other. Pick the style you prefer.

Features

MCP 2025‑06‑18 compliant Resource Server.

• Protected Resource Metadata (RFC 8705)
• Authorization Server Metadata (RFC 8414)
• /mcp endpoint with bearer token authentication
• Resource Indicator support (RFC 8707)

Optional (Authorization Server)

• /authorize endpoint (disabled by default)
• Dynamic Client Registration (disabled by default)
• Token and revocation are provided by Descope

OAuth Implementation

Resource Server (always enabled)

• RFC 8705: OAuth 2.0 Protected Resource Metadata
• RFC 8414: OAuth 2.0 Authorization Server Metadata
• RFC 8707: Resource Indicators for OAuth 2.0

Authorization Server (optional)

• RFC 7591: OAuth 2.0 Dynamic Client Registration
• RFC 7009: OAuth 2.0 Token Revocation (served by Descope)

All OAuth schemas use Zod for runtime validation.

Advanced Usage

Legacy Authorization Server Mode (not recommended)

By default, this SDK runs as a Resource Server only. That’s the recommended path and aligns with the MCP 2025‑06‑18 spec. The features below are for legacy compatibility and testing. Enabling them exposes additional endpoints (/authorize, /register). Consider the added surface area before turning them on.

Requirements

• DESCOPE_PROJECT_ID and SERVER_URL
• DESCOPE_MANAGEMENT_KEY (required only when enabling Authorization Server features)

Example .env

DESCOPE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
SERVER_URL=http://localhost:3000
DESCOPE_MANAGEMENT_KEY=your_management_key

Configuration example

import { DescopeMcpProvider } from "@descope/mcp-express";

const provider = new DescopeMcpProvider({
  projectId: process.env.DESCOPE_PROJECT_ID,
  serverUrl: process.env.SERVER_URL,
  authorizationServerOptions: {
    isDisabled: false, // enable Authorization Server mode
    enableAuthorizeEndpoint: true, // expose /authorize
    enableDynamicClientRegistration: true, // optionally expose /register
  },
  // Only needed if you enable dynamic client registration
  dynamicClientRegistrationOptions: {
    authPageUrl: `https://api.descope.com/login/${process.env.DESCOPE_PROJECT_ID}?flow=consent`,
    permissionScopes: [
      { name: "get-schema", description: "Allow getting the SQL schema" },
      { name: "run-query", description: "Allow executing a SQL query", required: false },
    ],
    nonConfidentialClient: true,
  },
});

Notes

• Dynamic Client Registration is a sub-feature of Legacy Authorization Server mode and is disabled by default. Only set enableDynamicClientRegistration: true and provide dynamicClientRegistrationOptions if you want to expose /register.

Verify Token Options

import { DescopeMcpProvider } from "@descope/mcp-express";

const provider = new DescopeMcpProvider({
  verifyTokenOptions: {
    requiredScopes: ["get-schema", "run-query"],
    // resourceIndicator: "your-resource", // optional
    // audience: "your-audience", // optional (single value supported currently)
  },
});

Migrating from an existing MCP server

Already have a plain MCP server using server.registerTool? Here’s the simplest path:

1. Put your MCP behind Express

• Add JSON parsing: app.use(express.json()).
• Use descopeMcpAuthRouter((server) => { /* register tools */ }, provider).
• The router exposes the required metadata endpoints and wires POST /mcp with bearer auth when you provide a registration function.

2. Wrap each existing tool

• Before (plain MCP):

server.registerTool("whoami", { description: "Return identity" }, async (_args, _extra) => {
  const data = { ok: true };
  return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(data) }] };
});

• After (defineTool):

const whoami = defineTool({
  name: "whoami",
  description: "Return identity",
  scopes: ["openid"],
  handler: async (extra) => {
    const data = { ok: true };
    return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(data) }] };
  },
});

app.use(
  descopeMcpAuthRouter((server) => {
    whoami(server);
  }, provider),
);

• After (registerAuthenticatedTool, without input):

const whoami = registerAuthenticatedTool(
  "whoami",
  { description: "Return identity" },
  async (extra) => {
    const data = { ok: true };
    return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(data) }] };
  },
  ["openid"],
);

3. Remove custom wiring

• You no longer need to manage StreamableHTTPServerTransport or your own /.well-known/* endpoints. The router handles them.

4. Update handler signatures and return type as needed

• With input: (args, extra) => CallToolResult.
• Without input: (extra) => CallToolResult.
• Return CallToolResult as { content: [{ type: "text", text: "..." }] }.

5. Optional: call external APIs on behalf of the user

• Use extra.getOutboundToken(appId, scopes?) to fetch outbound tokens.

If you can’t use the router, the lower-level pieces exist (descopeMcpBearerAuth and createMcpServerHandler on POST /mcp), but the router is the simplest and safest path.

Migration from v0.0.x

• /mcp now uses StreamableHTTPServerTransport from the official MCP SDK.
• Tools are registered via descopeMcpAuthRouter.
• Authorization Server endpoints are disabled by default for security.

Attribution

This SDK adapts code from the Model Context Protocol TypeScript SDK (MIT).

License

MIT