Expo MCP Server

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Expo.dev that enables programmatic interaction with Expo projects and EAS (Expo Application Services).

Overview

This MCP server provides comprehensive tools for managing Expo/React Native projects, including:

• Project Management: Initialize projects, install packages, configure apps
• Development Workflow: Run diagnostics and health checks
• EAS Build: Create, monitor, and manage cloud builds for iOS and Android
• EAS Update: Publish over-the-air updates and manage update channels
• EAS Submit: Submit builds to App Store and Google Play
• Documentation Access: Direct links to official Expo and React Native documentation

Features

Tools

Project Management:

• expo_init_project - Create new Expo projects with templates
• expo_install_packages - Install packages with automatic version validation
• expo_get_config - View and validate app configuration
• expo_prebuild - Generate native iOS/Android project directories

Development:

• expo_doctor - Run comprehensive project diagnostics

EAS Build:

• eas_build_create - Trigger cloud builds for iOS, Android, or both
• eas_build_list - List recent builds with filtering
• eas_build_status - Get detailed build status and logs
• eas_build_cancel - Cancel in-progress builds

EAS Update (OTA):

• eas_update_publish - Publish over-the-air updates to branches/channels
• eas_update_list - List published updates
• eas_channel_create - Create update channels for distribution

EAS Submit:

• eas_submit_ios - Submit iOS builds to App Store Connect/TestFlight
• eas_submit_android - Submit Android builds to Google Play Console

Information:

• expo_whoami - Check authentication status
• eas_project_info - Get EAS project configuration and metadata

Resources

The server exposes documentation resources that link to official Expo and React Native docs:

Expo Documentation:

• expo://docs/llms - Complete Expo documentation (LLM-optimized)
• expo://docs/eas-build - EAS Build guide
• expo://docs/eas-update - EAS Update guide
• expo://docs/eas-submit - EAS Submit guide
• expo://docs/cli-reference - Expo CLI reference
• expo://docs/development-builds - Development builds guide
• expo://docs/programmatic-access - Authentication and API access
• expo://docs/config-plugins - Config plugins guide
• expo://docs/debugging - Debugging guide

React Native Documentation:

• expo://docs/react-native/llms - React Native docs (LLM-optimized)
• expo://docs/react-native/troubleshooting - Troubleshooting guide
• expo://docs/react-native/debugging - Debugging guide

Installation

Using Smithery (Recommended)

npx @smithery/cli install expo-mcp-server

From Source

git clone <repository-url>
cd expo-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

Authentication

The server requires an Expo access token for EAS operations. You can provide it in two ways:

1. Environment Variable (recommended):

export EXPO_TOKEN=your_token_here

2. Server Configuration:

{
  "expoToken": "your_token_here",
  "defaultFormat": "markdown"
}

To create an access token:

1. Visit https://expo.dev/settings/access-tokens
2. Create a new token
3. Set it as EXPO_TOKEN environment variable

MCP Client Configuration

Add to your MCP client settings (e.g., Claude Code):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "expo-dev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "expo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "EXPO_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Create a New Expo Project

// Use the expo_init_project tool
{
  "projectName": "my-awesome-app",
  "template": "blank-typescript",
  "format": "markdown"
}

Trigger a Production Build

// Use the eas_build_create tool
{
  "platform": "all",
  "profile": "production",
  "format": "markdown"
}

Publish an OTA Update

// Use the eas_update_publish tool
{
  "branch": "production",
  "message": "Fix critical authentication bug",
  "format": "markdown"
}

Check Build Status

// Use the eas_build_status tool
{
  "buildId": "abc-123-def-456",
  "format": "markdown"
}

Output Formats

All tools support two output formats:

• markdown (default): Human-readable tables and formatted text
• json: Structured data for programmatic processing

Error Handling

The server provides actionable error messages with:

• Clear descriptions of what went wrong
• Suggested next steps for resolution
• Links to relevant documentation resources
• Context-specific troubleshooting guidance

Common errors include:

• Authentication errors: Points to programmatic access documentation
• Build failures: Links to EAS Build troubleshooting
• Configuration errors: Suggests config validation steps
• React Native errors: Links to RN troubleshooting guides

Requirements

• Node.js: 18.0.0 or higher
• Expo Account: Required for EAS operations
• Access Token: For programmatic API access

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the server
npm run build

# Run in development mode with Smithery playground
npm run dev

Architecture

The server is built with:

• TypeScript: Type-safe implementation
• MCP SDK: Official Model Context Protocol SDK
• Zod: Runtime schema validation
• execa: CLI command execution

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts              # Main server entry point
├── types.ts              # Shared types and schemas
├── resources/
│   └── documentation.ts  # Documentation resource registrations
├── tools/
│   ├── project.ts        # Project management tools
│   ├── development.ts    # Development workflow tools
│   ├── build.ts          # EAS Build tools
│   ├── update.ts         # EAS Update tools
│   ├── submit.ts         # EAS Submit tools
│   └── info.ts           # Information tools
└── utils/
    ├── cli.ts            # CLI execution utilities
    ├── format.ts         # Response formatting
    ├── parse.ts          # Output parsing
    └── errors.ts         # Error handling

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Resources

• Expo Documentation
• EAS Documentation
• Model Context Protocol
• Smithery Registry

Support

For issues and questions:

• GitHub Issues: [Create an issue]
• Expo Forums: https://forums.expo.dev/
• Expo Discord: https://chat.expo.dev/