project-mcp

v3.3.0

Published

21 days ago

Intent-based MCP server for project documentation search. Maps natural language queries to the right sources automatically—no configuration needed. The standard for AI agent documentation search.

project-mcp

Intent-based MCP server for project documentation — Maps natural language to the right sources automatically

When users say "project", "docs", or "todos", project-mcp automatically searches the right directories—no configuration needed. It understands intent, not just directory names.

⚡ Quick Start

Install

npm install project-mcp

Configure

Add to .mcp.json:

{
	"mcpServers": {
		"project": {
			"command": "npx",
			"args": ["-y", "project-mcp"]
		}
	}
}

That's it. The server automatically finds and indexes:

.project/ — Operational truth (plans, todos, status)
Root markdown files — README.md, DEVELOPMENT.md, etc.
docs/ — Reference documentation

🎯 Why project-mcp?

The Problem: AI agents need to search project documentation, but:

Users say "project" not ".project/"
Different queries need different sources
Manual source mapping is error-prone
No standard way to organize project knowledge

The Solution: Intent-based search that maps language to sources automatically:

| User Says | Searches | | --------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | "project" / "the project" | .project/ + root files + docs/ | | "docs" / "documentation" | Only docs/ | | "plan" / "todos" / "roadmap" / "status" | Only .project/ |

🛠️ Available Tools (37)

Search Tools

| Tool | Description | Use When | | ------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | search_project | Intent-based search across all sources | User says "project" or asks about status/plans | | search_docs | Search reference documentation only | User specifically asks for "docs" | | get_doc | Get full file content | You know the exact file path | | list_docs | List all documentation files | Browsing available docs | | get_doc_structure | Get directory structure | Understanding organization |

Project Management Tools

| Tool | Description | Use When | | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | | init_project | Initialize .project/ with all standard files | Starting a new project | | manage_project_file | Smart create/update based on content analysis | Auto-detect which file to update | | create_or_update_roadmap | Create or update ROADMAP.md | Planning milestones and phases | | create_or_update_todo | Create or update TODO.md | Managing project-wide todos | | create_or_update_status | Create or update STATUS.md | Tracking project health | | create_or_update_index | Create or update index.md (contract file) | Defining source mappings | | create_or_update_decisions | Create or update DECISIONS.md | Recording architecture decisions | | check_project_state | Check which project files exist | Before making changes |

Backlog Tools

| Tool | Description | Use When | | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | add_to_backlog | Add single item to BACKLOG.md | Quick task creation | | get_backlog | Read backlog with filtering/sorting | Viewing queued work | | update_backlog_item | Update priority, title, tags, phase | Adjusting backlog items | | remove_from_backlog | Delete item without promoting | Removing cancelled work | | import_tasks | Parse plan/roadmap and bulk add to BACKLOG.md | Populating from roadmap | | promote_task | Move task from BACKLOG to active work (creates YAML) | Starting work on a backlog item |

Task Management Tools

| Tool | Description | Use When | | ----------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | | create_task | Create active task directly (bypass backlog) | Urgent/immediate work | | get_task | Read specific task by ID with full details | Viewing task details | | update_task | Update any task field, transition status | Modifying existing tasks | | delete_task | Permanently remove a task (with confirmation) | Removing cancelled tasks | | search_tasks | Search tasks by keyword in title/content | Finding specific tasks | | get_next_task | Get dependency-aware next task(s) to work on | Determining what to do | | list_tasks | List/filter tasks with summary dashboard | Reviewing all tasks | | sync_todo_index | Generate TODO.md dashboard from active tasks | Updating the overview |

Archive Tools

| Tool | Description | Use When | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------- | | archive_task | Move completed task to archive/ | Cleaning up done work | | list_archived_tasks | List tasks in archive with filtering | Reviewing completed history | | unarchive_task | Restore task from archive to active | Reopening completed work |

Decision & Status Tools

| Tool | Description | Use When | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | | add_decision | Record ADR with structured format | Documenting architecture choices | | get_decision | Read specific decision by ADR ID | Viewing decision details | | list_decisions | List/filter architecture ADRs | Reviewing past decisions | | update_project_status | Quick timestamped status update | Reporting progress | | add_roadmap_milestone | Add milestone with deliverables | Planning future work | | get_roadmap | Read roadmap content | Viewing planned work |

Quality Tools

| Tool | Description | Use When | | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | | lint_project_docs | Validate documentation against standards | Before commits, ensuring quality |

📋 Task Management System

Tasks flow from planning → backlog → active → archive. Only active tasks (10-30 items) are YAML files.

Workflow

ROADMAP.md ──→ import_tasks ──→ BACKLOG.md ──→ promote_task ──→ todos/*.md ──→ archive_task ──→ archive/
  (plan)        (extract)         (queue)        (activate)      (work)        (complete)       (history)
               hundreds ok      hundreds ok     10-30 files     YAML files

| Stage | Files | Purpose | | -------- | -------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | Planning | ROADMAP.md | Phases, milestones, high-level | | Backlog | BACKLOG.md | Prioritized queue, hundreds of items OK | | Active | todos/*.md | YAML files with full metadata, 10-30 items | | Archive | archive/*.md | Completed work history |

Task File Format (Active Tasks)

---
id: AUTH-001
title: Implement OAuth authentication
project: AUTH
priority: P0
status: todo
owner: cursor
depends_on:
  - AUTH-002
blocked_by: []
tags:
  - security
  - feature
estimate: 2d
due: 2025-01-15
created: 2025-12-29
updated: 2025-12-29
---

# AUTH-001: Implement OAuth authentication

## Description

Implement OAuth 2.0 authentication flow...

## Subtasks

- [ ] Set up OAuth provider
- [ ] Implement callback handler
- [x] Configure environment variables

## Notes

Agent Execution Loop

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. promote_task(task_id: "AUTH-001")                       │
│     → Creates todos/AUTH-001.md from BACKLOG.md             │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                     │
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  2. get_next_task()                                         │
│     → Returns AUTH-001 (dependencies met, highest priority) │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                     │
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  3. update_task(id: "AUTH-001", status: "in_progress")      │
│     → Agent works on the task                               │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                     │
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  4. update_task(id: "AUTH-001", status: "done")             │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                     │
                     ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  5. archive_task(task_id: "AUTH-001")                       │
│     → Moves to archive/, keeps todos/ small                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Features

Backlog-first: Plan hundreds of items in BACKLOG.md, promote to active as needed
Small active queue: Only 10-30 YAML task files at a time, not hundreds
Stable IDs: {PROJECT}-{NNN} format (e.g., AUTH-001, API-042)
Dependencies: depends_on array - task won't appear in get_next_task until deps are done
Priority Sorting: P0 (critical) → P3 (low) in all views
Status Workflow: todo → in_progress → blocked | review → done
Archive history: Completed work preserved in archive/ for reference

🏗️ Project Structure Guide

Recommended Directory Structure

my-project/
├── .project/                    # Operational truth (current state)
│   ├── index.md                 # Contract file (defines source mappings)
│   ├── BACKLOG.md               # Prioritized work queue (hundreds of items OK)
│   ├── TODO.md                  # Task dashboard (auto-generated)
│   ├── ROADMAP.md               # Project roadmap and milestones
│   ├── STATUS.md                # Current project status
│   ├── DECISIONS.md             # Architecture and design decisions
│   ├── todos/                   # Active tasks (10-30 YAML files)
│   │   ├── AUTH-001.md
│   │   └── AUTH-002.md
│   └── archive/                 # Completed tasks (history)
│       └── AUTH-000.md
│
├── docs/                        # Reference truth (long-form docs)
│   ├── README.md
│   ├── architecture/
│   └── guides/
│
├── README.md                    # Project overview
└── CONTRIBUTING.md              # Contribution guidelines

What Goes Where?

`.project/` — Operational Truth

Purpose: Current state, plans, decisions, and active work.

| File | Purpose | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | | index.md | Contract file (defines how agents interpret sources) | | BACKLOG.md | Prioritized work queue (future tasks, hundreds OK) | | TODO.md | Task dashboard (auto-generated by sync_todo_index) | | ROADMAP.md | Future plans, milestones, upcoming features | | STATUS.md | Current project status, recent changes, health | | DECISIONS.md | Architecture decisions, trade-offs, rationale | | todos/ | Active task files (10-30 items, YAML frontmatter) | | archive/ | Completed tasks (history, reference) |

`docs/` — Reference Truth

Purpose: Long-form documentation, guides, and reference materials.

Architecture documentation
API references
How-to guides
Technical specifications

🎨 Intent Mapping

The server uses intent detection to route queries to the right sources:

User Query
    │
    ├─ "project" / "the project"
    │  └─→ Searches: .project/ + root files + docs/
    │
    ├─ "docs" / "documentation"
    │  └─→ Searches: docs/ only
    │
    ├─ "plan" / "todos" / "roadmap" / "status"
    │  └─→ Searches: .project/ only
    │
    └─ Default
       └─→ Searches: All sources

How It Works

User query: "What's the project status?"
Intent detection: Keywords "status" → intent plan
Source mapping: plan → searches only .project/
Results: Returns .project/STATUS.md, .project/TODO.md, etc.

📝 Documentation Examples

Example: `.project/index.md` (Contract File)

# Project Knowledge Index

## Contract for AI Agents

When a user says **"project"**, the canonical sources of truth are:

1. **`.project/`** — Current state, plans, todos, decisions
2. **Root markdown files** — README.md, DEVELOPMENT.md, etc.
3. **`docs/`** — Long-form reference documentation

## Principles

- **Natural language stays natural** - Users say "project" not ".project/"
- **Agents don't guess** - Explicit mappings defined here
- **Intent over structure** - Language maps to intent, not directory names

Example: Task Creation

{
	"tool": "create_task",
	"arguments": {
		"title": "Implement OAuth authentication",
		"project": "AUTH",
		"priority": "P0",
		"owner": "cursor",
		"description": "Add OAuth 2.0 support for Google and GitHub",
		"depends_on": ["AUTH-002"],
		"estimate": "2d",
		"tags": ["security", "feature"]
	}
}

Example: Getting Next Task

{
	"tool": "get_next_task",
	"arguments": {
		"owner": "cursor",
		"limit": 3
	}
}

Returns tasks sorted by priority where all dependencies are complete.

Example: Initialize Project

{
	"tool": "init_project",
	"arguments": {
		"project_name": "My App",
		"project_description": "A web application for task management"
	}
}

Creates .project/ with all standard files: index.md, TODO.md, ROADMAP.md, STATUS.md, DECISIONS.md, and todos/ directory.

Example: Import Tasks to Backlog

{
	"tool": "import_tasks",
	"arguments": {
		"source": ".project/ROADMAP.md",
		"project": "APP",
		"dry_run": true
	}
}

Parses the roadmap and adds tasks to BACKLOG.md. Use dry_run: true to preview first.

Example: Promote Task to Active Work

{
	"tool": "promote_task",
	"arguments": {
		"task_id": "APP-001",
		"owner": "cursor",
		"estimate": "2h"
	}
}

Moves task from BACKLOG.md to todos/APP-001.md with full YAML frontmatter.

Example: Archive Completed Task

{
	"tool": "archive_task",
	"arguments": {
		"task_id": "APP-001"
	}
}

Moves completed task from todos/ to archive/ to keep active queue small.

⚙️ Configuration

Custom Documentation Directory

{
	"mcpServers": {
		"project": {
			"command": "npx",
			"args": ["-y", "project-mcp"],
			"env": {
				"DOCS_DIR": "/path/to/documentation"
			}
		}
	}
}

Custom Working Directory

{
	"mcpServers": {
		"project": {
			"command": "npx",
			"args": ["-y", "project-mcp"],
			"cwd": "/path/to/project/root"
		}
	}
}

🧪 Development

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/pouyanafisi/project-mcp.git
cd project-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
npm test

# Test the server
node src/index.js

📚 Documentation

Examples — Usage examples and patterns
Contributing — How to contribute
Security — Security policy
Changelog — Version history
Release Notes v2.0.0 — Latest release

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Get Started • Documentation • Examples • Report Issue

Published

Vulnerabilities

Links

Maintainers

Keywords

Readme

project-mcp

⚡ Quick Start

Install

Configure

Table of Contents

🎯 Why project-mcp?

🛠️ Available Tools (37)

Search Tools

Project Management Tools

Backlog Tools

Task Management Tools

Archive Tools

Decision & Status Tools

Quality Tools

📋 Task Management System

Workflow

Task File Format (Active Tasks)

Agent Execution Loop

Key Features

🏗️ Project Structure Guide

Recommended Directory Structure

What Goes Where?

.project/ — Operational Truth

docs/ — Reference Truth

🎨 Intent Mapping

How It Works

📝 Documentation Examples

Example: .project/index.md (Contract File)

Example: Task Creation

Example: Getting Next Task

Example: Initialize Project

Example: Import Tasks to Backlog

Example: Promote Task to Active Work

Example: Archive Completed Task

⚙️ Configuration

Custom Documentation Directory

Custom Working Directory

🧪 Development

📚 Documentation

🤝 Contributing

📄 License

`.project/` — Operational Truth

`docs/` — Reference Truth

Example: `.project/index.md` (Contract File)