ALPS Writer

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that helps you write ALPS (PRD) interactively with AI. Guides you through 9 structured sections with templates, conversation guides, and document management.

Features

• 9-section ALPS (PRD) template with structured XML templates and conversation guides
• Interactive Q&A workflow — AI asks focused questions, never auto-generates
• Document management — create, save, load, and export as clean Markdown
• Section dependency tracking — ensures referenced sections are reviewed first
• Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Kiro, and any MCP-compatible client

Quick Start

No installation required — just add the MCP config to your client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alps-writer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "alps-writer"]
    }
  }
}

Client Setup

| Client | Config location | | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Claude Desktop | Settings > Developer > Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json) | | Claude Code | claude mcp add alps-writer -- npx -y alps-writer | | Cursor | Settings > Features > MCP Servers > + Add new global MCP server | | Kiro | Cmd+Shift+P > "Kiro: Open user MCP config (JSON)" (~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json) |

Environment Variables

| Variable | Description | Default | | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | | ALPS_OUTPUT_DIR | Directory for document files (.alps.xml, exported markdown) | Current working directory |

Config example with ALPS_OUTPUT_DIR:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alps-writer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "alps-writer"],
      "env": {
        "ALPS_OUTPUT_DIR": "~/Documents/alps"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Template Tools

| Tool | Description | | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------ | | get_alps_overview | Get the ALPS template overview with conversation guide | | list_alps_sections | List all available template sections | | get_alps_section | Get a specific template section by number (1-9) | | get_alps_full_template | Get the complete template with all sections | | get_alps_section_guide | Get conversation guide for writing a section |

Document Management Tools

| Tool | Description | | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | init_alps_document | Create a new ALPS document (.alps.xml) | | load_alps_document | Load an existing document to resume editing | | save_alps_section | Save content to a specific subsection | | read_alps_section | Read current content of a section | | get_alps_document_status | Get status of all sections | | export_alps_markdown | Export as clean Markdown |

Workflow

The server guides AI through a structured workflow:

1. Initialize — init_alps_document() or load_alps_document()
2. Overview — get_alps_overview() to get the conversation guide
3. For each section (1-9):
   • get_alps_section_guide(N) — get questions and criteria
   • get_alps_section(N) — get the template structure
   • Ask focused questions (1-2 at a time)
   • save_alps_section(N, ...) — save after user confirmation
4. Export — export_alps_markdown() for the final document

ALPS Sections

| # | Section | Dependencies | | --- | --------------------------- | ------------ | | 1 | Overview | — | | 2 | MVP Goals and Key Metrics | — | | 3 | Demo Scenario | Section 2 | | 4 | High-Level Architecture | — | | 5 | Design Specification | Section 6 | | 6 | Requirements Summary | — | | 7 | Feature-Level Specification | Section 6 | | 8 | MVP Metrics | Section 2, 6 | | 9 | Out of Scope | — |

Development

Running from Source

git clone https://github.com/haandol/alps-writer-mcp.git
cd alps-writer-mcp
pnpm install
pnpm build

Then configure your MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alps-writer": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/alps-writer-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Commands

pnpm install    # Install dependencies
pnpm dev        # Run with tsx (watch mode)
pnpm build      # Build for production
pnpm start      # Run built version

License

Apache-2.0