Less MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for interacting with Less - an Infrastructure from Code tool that automates the creation and deployment of serverless REST APIs, WebSockets, Pub/Sub systems, CRON jobs, cloud functions, and more to AWS.

View the Less documentation to learn more.

About Less

Less is an Infrastructure from Code tool that inspects your file structure and automatically provisions and deploys your code and serverless AWS cloud infrastructure.

MCP Server Features

This MCP server provides comprehensive tools for:

Project Management

• Deploy projects to AWS
• Run cloud projects locally
• Manage projects
• View deployment logs and function logs

Resource Creation & Management

• REST APIs: Create HTTP routes with dynamic paths and middleware support
• WebSockets: Create real-time sockets with custom channels
• Topics/Subscribers: Build event-driven pub/sub systems with fault tolerance
• CRON Jobs: Schedule recurring tasks with CRON expressions
• Cloud Functions: Create serverless functions callable via SDK or REST API

Multi-Language Support

All resources support JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python, with more languages coming soon.

Installation for Users

VS Code with Claude Desktop

1. Install Claude Desktop from Anthropic's website

2. Install the MCP server from npm:

   npm install -g @less-ifc/mcp

3. Configure Claude Desktop by editing the configuration file:

   On macOS:

   code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

   On Windows:

   code %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

4. Add the MCP server configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "less": {
         "command": "less",
         "args": []
       }
     }
   }

5. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect

6. Verify installation by asking Claude: "What Less tools are available?"

Other IDEs

For other IDEs that support MCP (like Cursor, Zed, etc.), refer to their specific documentation for MCP server configuration. The general process involves:

1. Installing the server: npm install -g @less-ifc/mcp
2. Configuring the IDE to use the less command as an MCP server
3. Restarting the IDE

Example Workflows

Building a REST API with Pub/Sub

Ask Claude: "Create a user registration API with email notifications"

1. Claude will use create-route to create POST /users endpoint
2. Claude will use create-topic to create user_created topic
3. Claude will use create-subscribers to add email notification subscriber
4. Claude will use deploy-project to deploy everything to the cloud

Creating a Real-time Chat Application

Ask Claude: "Build a WebSocket chat system with multiple rooms"

1. Claude will use create-socket to create chat WebSocket
2. Claude will add channels for join_room, leave_room, send_message
3. Claude will use create-route for REST API to manage chat history
4. Claude will use view-logs to help debug connection issues

Setting up Scheduled Data Processing

Ask Claude: "Create a daily report generator that processes user data"

1. Claude will use create-cron to create the scheduled job
2. Claude will use create-cloud-function for data processing logic
3. Claude will use create-route to expose report access API
4. Claude will help configure CRON schedule via environment variables

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• npm or yarn
• TypeScript knowledge

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd less-mcp

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

Development Workflow

Building the Project

Build the TypeScript source code:

npm run build

This will:

• Compile TypeScript files from src/ to build/
• Make the output executable

Development Mode

Run the compiler in watch mode for automatic rebuilds:

npm run dev

This will watch for changes in the src/ directory and automatically recompile.

Running the Server

After building, you can run the server directly:

node build/index.js

Or use the binary:

./build/index.js

Inspecting the Server

Use the MCP Inspector to test and debug your server:

npm run inspect

This will start the MCP Inspector, which provides a web interface for testing MCP tools and resources.

Testing with Claude Desktop

1. Build the project: npm run build
2. Update your Claude Desktop configuration to point to the local build:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "less": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/path/to/less-mcp/build/index.js"]
       }
     }
   }

3. Restart Claude Desktop
4. Test your changes

Understanding Less Project Structure

When you use the MCP tools to create Less resources, they follow a specific folder structure that Less uses to automatically provision infrastructure:

my-less-project/
├── less/
│   ├── apis/                    # REST APIs
│   │   └── store/              # API name
│   │       ├── products/       # Route path
│   │       │   ├── get.js      # GET /products
│   │       │   └── post.js     # POST /products
│   │       └── orders/
│   │           └── {id}/       # Dynamic route parameter
│   │               └── get.js  # GET /orders/{id}
│   │
│   ├── sockets/                # WebSockets
│   │   └── chat/              # Socket name
│   │       ├── connect/       # Connection handler
│   │       ├── disconnect/    # Disconnection handler
│   │       └── send_message/  # Custom channel
│   │
│   ├── topics/                 # Pub/Sub Topics
│   │   └── user_created/      # Topic name
│   │       ├── send_email/    # Subscriber
│   │       └── update_analytics/ # Another subscriber
│   │
│   ├── crons/                  # Scheduled jobs
│   │   └── daily_report/      # CRON job name
│   │
│   ├── functions/              # Cloud functions
│   │   └── calculate_tax/     # Function name
│   │
│   └── shared/                 # Shared modules
│       └── database/          # Module name
│
├── less.config                 # Environment variables
└── package.json

Key Concepts

• File-based routing: Your folder structure becomes your API routes
• Automatic provisioning: Less reads your structure and creates cloud resources
• Environment variables: Configure via less.config and environment exports
• Multi-language support: Mix JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python in the same project
• Built-in services: Every deployment gets KVS, file storage, and pub/sub automatically

Project Structure

less-mcp/
├── src/
│   └── index.ts          # Main MCP server implementation
├── build/                # Compiled JavaScript output
├── package.json          # Project configuration
├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration
└── README.md            # This file

Adding New Tools

To add a new tool to the MCP server:

1. Define the tool in src/index.ts:

   server.tool(
     "tool-name",
     "Tool description",
     {
       // Zod schema for parameters
       param1: z.string().describe("Parameter description"),
     },
     async (args) => {
       // Tool implementation
       return {
         content: [
           {
             type: "text",
             text: "Tool response",
           },
         ],
       };
     }
   );

2. Build and test your changes:

   npm run build
   npm run inspect

Best Practices

Working with Claude and the MCP Server

1. Be Specific About Requirements

   ❌ "Create an API"
   ✅ "Create a REST API for user management with GET /users, POST /users, and PUT /users/{id} endpoints"

2. Specify the Programming Language

   ❌ "Create a WebSocket for chat"
   ✅ "Create a WebSocket for chat using TypeScript with channels for join_room and send_message"

3. Ask for Complete Workflows

   ✅ "Create a user registration system with email verification using pub/sub"
   - Claude will create the registration API endpoint
   - Set up email verification topic with subscribers
   - Deploy the entire system

4. Use Incremental Development

   ✅ Start simple: "Create a basic REST API for products"
   ✅ Then expand: "Add WebSocket notifications when products are updated"
   ✅ Then enhance: "Add a CRON job to update product prices daily"

5. Leverage Built-in Features

   • Always ask Claude to use Less's built-in KVS for simple data storage
   • Use topics/subscribers instead of direct API calls for loose coupling
   • Take advantage of automatic HTTPS, scaling, and CDN features

Publishing to npm

Prerequisites

• npm account
• Proper permissions for the @less-ifc organization

Publishing Steps

1. Ensure all changes are committed:

   git status
   git add .
   git commit -m "Your commit message"

2. Update version in package.json:

   npm version patch  # or minor, major

3. Build the project:

   npm run build

4. Test the build:

   npm run inspect

5. Publish to npm:

   npm publish

6. Tag the release:

   git push origin main --tags

Version Management

• Patch (1.0.0 → 1.0.1): Bug fixes
• Minor (1.0.0 → 1.1.0): New features, backwards compatible
• Major (1.0.0 → 2.0.0): Breaking changes

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "less command not found"

   • Ensure the package is installed globally: npm install -g @less-ifc/mcp
   • Check your PATH includes npm's global bin directory
   • On macOS, you may need to restart your terminal after installation

2. "Less CLI not found" when using MCP tools

   • Install the Less CLI: npm install -g @chuva.io/less-cli
   • Verify installation: npx @chuva.io/less-cli --version
   • Make sure you're authenticated: npx @chuva.io/less-cli login

3. Authentication errors with Less CLI

   • Run npx @chuva.io/less-cli login to authenticate
   • Check your Less account status at less.chuva.io
   • Verify you have permission to deploy to the specified organization

4. TypeScript compilation errors

   • Check Node.js version (18+ required)
   • Verify TypeScript is installed: npm list typescript
   • Clear build cache: rm -rf build && npm run build

5. MCP Inspector not working

   • Ensure the project is built: npm run build
   • Check that the server starts without errors: node build/index.js
   • Try running the inspector with: npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node ./build/index.js

6. Claude Desktop not recognizing the server

   • Verify the configuration file path:
     • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
     • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   • Check JSON syntax in the configuration
   • Restart Claude Desktop after making changes
   • Test the command manually: less (should start the MCP server)

7. Permission denied errors on deployment

   • Check that you have access to the project/organization
   • Verify your Less CLI authentication is current
   • Try re-running the login: npx @chuva.io/less-cli login

Getting Help

• Less Documentation: docs.less.chuva.io
• Less Community Discord: discord.gg/XcYDcjbDRS
• MCP Documentation: modelcontextprotocol.io
• Report Issues: File issues in the project repository
• Less Support: [email protected]

License

ISC