Simple Animal Data MCP Server

A basic Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides static information about animals (cats, dogs, and birds) for use with Claude Desktop.

Installation

Clone or download this project
Create a virtual environment and install dependencies:

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Running the Server

source venv/bin/activate
python server.py

Available Tools

The server provides three tools:

get_cat_info: Returns information about cats
get_dog_info: Returns information about dogs
get_bird_info: Returns information about birds

Claude Desktop Configuration

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop, you need to create or edit the MCP configuration file:

Configuration File Location

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Creating the Configuration File

If the file doesn't exist, create it with the following content:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "animal-data": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/Users/james/Work/mcp/simple/server.py"],
      "cwd": "/Users/james/Work/mcp/simple",
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/Users/james/Work/mcp/simple/venv/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternative: Using Claude Desktop Settings

You can also configure this through Claude Desktop:

Open Claude Desktop
Go to Settings (Cmd+, on macOS or Ctrl+, on Windows)
Navigate to the "Developer" tab
Click "Edit Config" to open the configuration file
Add the MCP server configuration as shown above

Important:

Replace /Users/james/Work/mcp/simple with your actual project directory path
Restart Claude Desktop after making configuration changes

Example Usage in Claude Desktop

Once configured, you can ask Claude Desktop to use the animal data tools:

Example Queries

"Tell me about cats"

Claude will use the get_cat_info tool and return: "Cats are independent, agile domestic animals known for their hunting skills and affectionate nature."

"What information do you have about dogs?"

Claude will use the get_dog_info tool and return: "Dogs are loyal, social companion animals known for their intelligence and strong bond with humans."

"Give me bird information"

Claude will use the get_bird_info tool and return: "Birds are feathered, winged animals capable of flight, known for their diverse songs and nesting behaviors."

"Compare cats, dogs, and birds"

Claude will use all three tools to gather information and provide a comparison.

HTTP Server Version

For remote deployment, use the HTTP server version:

Running the HTTP Server

# Install HTTP dependencies
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements-http.txt

# Start the HTTP server
python http_server.py

The server will start on http://localhost:8000 and accept MCP requests via HTTP POST to /mcp.

HTTP Server Configuration

For HTTP deployment, use the alternative configuration file claude_desktop_config_http.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "animal-data-http": {
      "command": "curl",
      "args": [
        "-X", "POST",
        "http://your-server.com:8000/mcp",
        "-H", "Content-Type: application/json",
        "-d", "@-"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace http://your-server.com:8000 with your actual server URL.

Deployment Options

Local HTTP: Run on localhost:8000 for local HTTP testing
Remote Server: Deploy to cloud services like Heroku, AWS, Google Cloud
Docker: Containerize for easy deployment

Docker Deployment (Optional)

Create a Dockerfile:

FROM python:3.11-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements-http.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements-http.txt
COPY http_server.py .
EXPOSE 8000
CMD ["python", "http_server.py"]

Project Structure

simple/
├── server.py                      # Local MCP server (stdio transport)
├── http_server.py                 # HTTP MCP server (http transport)
├── requirements.txt               # Dependencies for local server
├── requirements-http.txt          # Dependencies for HTTP server
├── claude_desktop_config_http.json # HTTP server configuration example
├── venv/                          # Virtual environment (created after setup)
└── README.md                      # This documentation

Dependencies

fastmcp: Framework for building MCP servers with Python

Troubleshooting

Server won't start: Ensure the virtual environment is activated and dependencies are installed
Claude Desktop can't connect: Verify the configuration file path and server path are correct
Tools not available: Restart Claude Desktop after updating the configuration file