YAML2MCP

# 🔄⚙️ YAML2MCP

A VS Code extension that helps you manage MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers using YAML configuration files. This extension provides a user-friendly interface to start, stop, and monitor MCP servers, automatically transpiling your YAML configuration to the JSON format required by IDEs.

Features

• 📝 YAML Configuration: Manage your MCP servers using a clean, readable YAML format instead of JSON
• 🚀 Dynamic Server Management: Start and stop MCP servers on-demand through the VS Code UI
• 🔄 Auto-Sync: Automatically transpiles YAML to mcp.json format for IDE compatibility
• 👀 Visual Status: See server status (running/stopped/error) at a glance in the sidebar
• 📊 Multiple Configurations: Manage multiple MCP server configurations in a single YAML file
• 🔍 File Watching: Automatically detects changes to your YAML configuration file

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Open the project in VS Code
3. Run npm install to install dependencies
4. Press F5 to launch a new Extension Development Host window
5. In the new window, the extension will be active

Configuration

YAML Configuration Format

Create a mcp.yaml file in your workspace root (or configure a custom path):

version: "1.0"
servers:
  - name: my-mcp-server
    command: node
    args:
      - server.js
    env:
      NODE_ENV: production
      API_KEY: your-api-key
    cwd: ./server-directory

  - name: another-server
    command: python
    args:
      - -m
      - mcp_server
    env:
      PYTHONPATH: /path/to/python

Configuration Fields

• name (required): Unique identifier for the server
• command (required): Command to execute (e.g., node, python, npm)
• args (optional): Array of command-line arguments
• env (optional): Environment variables as key-value pairs
• cwd (optional): Working directory for the server process

VS Code Settings

You can customize the paths in VS Code settings:

{
  "yaml2mcp.configPath": "${workspaceFolder}/mcp.yaml",
  "yaml2mcp.mcpJsonPath": "${workspaceFolder}/.vscode/mcp.json"
}

Usage

Starting a Server

1. Open the MCP Servers view (click the YAML2MCP icon in the Activity Bar)
2. Right-click on a stopped server
3. Select Start MCP Server

The server will start, and the mcp.json file will be automatically updated to include it.

Stopping a Server

1. In the MCP Servers view, right-click on a running server
2. Select Stop MCP Server

The server will be stopped, and it will be removed from mcp.json.

Refreshing the View

Click the refresh icon in the MCP Servers view header to reload the configuration.

Opening Configuration

Click the config icon in the MCP Servers view header to open or create the YAML configuration file.

How It Works

1. YAML Configuration: You define all your MCP servers in a YAML file (mcp.yaml)
2. Runtime Management: The extension manages server processes independently
3. JSON Transpilation: Only running servers are included in the generated mcp.json file
4. IDE Compatibility: Your IDE reads the mcp.json file as usual, but you manage it through YAML

Project Structure

yaml2mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts          # Main extension entry point
│   ├── types.ts              # TypeScript type definitions
│   ├── configParser.ts       # YAML configuration parser
│   ├── jsonTranspiler.ts     # YAML to JSON transpiler
│   ├── processManager.ts     # Process management (start/stop)
│   └── treeDataProvider.ts   # Tree view UI provider
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md

Development

Building

npm run compile

Watching for Changes

npm run watch

Testing

1. Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host
2. Test the extension in the new window

Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

• Check that the command and arguments are correct in your YAML config
• Verify that the command is available in your PATH
• Check the VS Code Output panel for error messages

Configuration Not Loading

• Ensure the YAML file is valid (check for syntax errors)
• Verify the file path in VS Code settings matches your actual file location
• Try refreshing the view or reloading the window

JSON Not Updating

• Make sure you have write permissions to the directory containing mcp.json
• Check that the path in settings is correct
• Look for errors in the VS Code Output panel

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.