FTC Platform MCP Server

A standalone Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the FTC Platform that provides AI tools by proxying requests to the main platform's REST API.

Architecture

This MCP server runs independently from the main Next.js application and communicates with it via HTTP API calls:

┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Claude AI     │───▶│  MCP Server     │───▶│  Vercel API     │
│   (MCP Client)  │    │  (This App)     │    │  (ftc-platform) │
└─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘

Why Separate Deployment?

• Vercel Limitations: Vercel Functions don't support WebSocket servers required for MCP
• Long-lived Connections: MCP sessions are persistent and bidirectional
• Independent Scaling: MCP server can scale separately from the main app
• Clean Architecture: Separation of concerns between web app and AI tools

Available Tools

1. test_connection - Verify MCP server and API connectivity
2. get_event_applications - Fetch all applications for an event with complete data
3. get_event_evaluations - Get completed evaluations with scores and statistics
4. get_evaluation_criteria - Get scoring criteria categorized for AI understanding
5. get_application_questions - Get application question structure and metadata

Environment Variables

Create a .env file from .env.example:

cp .env.example .env

Required variables:

• VERCEL_API_BASE_URL - Base URL of your deployed FTC Platform API
• MASTRA_API_KEY - API key for authenticating with the Vercel API

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• Access to the FTC Platform API endpoints

Local Development

1. Install dependencies:

npm install

2. Set up environment variables:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your actual values

3. Start development server:

npm run dev

4. Test the connection:

# In another terminal, test via stdio
echo '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/list"}' | npm run dev

Deployment

Fly.io (Recommended)

1. Install Fly CLI:

curl -L https://fly.io/install.sh | sh

2. Login and create app:

fly auth login
fly apps create ftc-platform-mcp

3. Set environment variables:

fly secrets set VERCEL_API_BASE_URL="https://your-app.vercel.app/api/mastra"
fly secrets set MASTRA_API_KEY="your-secret-key"

4. Deploy:

fly deploy

Docker (Alternative)

# Build
docker build -t ftc-platform-mcp .

# Run locally
docker run -p 3001:3001 \
  -e VERCEL_API_BASE_URL="https://your-app.vercel.app/api/mastra" \
  -e MASTRA_API_KEY="your-secret-key" \
  ftc-platform-mcp

Claude Configuration

After deploying, configure Claude to use your MCP server:

// .mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ftc-platform": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "ssh",
      "args": [
        "your-server.fly.dev",
        "node",
        "/app/dist/server.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NODE_ENV": "production"
      }
    }
  }
}

API Authentication

The MCP server authenticates with the Vercel API using the same MASTRA_API_KEY that the main platform uses. This provides:

• Reuse of existing auth - No changes needed to Vercel API
• Server-to-server security - API key is stored securely on the MCP server
• Access control - Same permissions as the main platform

Project Structure

src/
├── server.ts           # Main MCP server implementation
├── lib/
│   └── api-client.ts   # HTTP client for Vercel API calls
└── types/
    └── index.ts        # TypeScript type definitions

# Deployment configs
├── Dockerfile          # Docker container definition
├── fly.toml           # Fly.io deployment config
└── README.md          # This file

Monitoring

Health Checks

• HTTP endpoint: http://your-app:3001/health
• Fly.io automatically monitors and restarts unhealthy instances

Logs

# Fly.io logs
fly logs

# Docker logs
docker logs container-id

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Connection Failed

   • Check VERCEL_API_BASE_URL is correct and accessible
   • Verify MASTRA_API_KEY is valid

2. Tool Execution Errors

   • Check Vercel API is responding correctly
   • Verify eventId parameters are valid UUIDs

3. MCP Client Issues

   • Ensure Claude has the correct MCP server configuration
   • Check stdio communication is working properly

Debug Mode

Set environment variable for verbose logging:

NODE_ENV=development npm run dev