Build an MCP client

docs/2024-11-05/develop/build-client New page · 2510 lines, new page

# Build an MCP client ## Next steps

A whole new page. There's nothing to diff it against, so here is what it says.

# Build an MCP client

> Get started building your own client that can integrate with all MCP servers.

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to build an LLM-powered chatbot client that connects to MCP servers.

Before you begin, it helps to have gone through our [Build an MCP Server](/docs/2024-11-05/develop/build-server) tutorial so you can understand how clients and servers communicate.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Python">
    [You can find the complete code for this tutorial here.](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/quickstart-resources/tree/main/mcp-client-python)

    ## System Requirements

    Before starting, ensure your system meets these requirements:

    * Mac or Windows computer
    * Latest Python version installed
    * Latest version of `uv` installed

    ## Setting Up Your Environment

    First, create a new Python project with `uv`:

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash macOS/Linux theme={null}
      # Create project directory
      uv init mcp-client
      cd mcp-client

      # Create virtual environment
      uv venv

      # Activate virtual environment
      source .venv/bin/activate

      # Install required packages
      uv add mcp anthropic python-dotenv

      # Remove boilerplate files
      rm main.py

      # Create our main file
      touch client.py
      ```

      ```powershell Windows theme={null}
      # Create project directory
      uv init mcp-client
      cd mcp-client

      # Create virtual environment
      uv venv

      # Activate virtual environment
      .venv\Scripts\activate

      # Install required packages
      uv add mcp anthropic python-dotenv

      # Remove boilerplate files
      del main.py

      # Create our main file
      new-item client.py
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    ## Setting Up Your API Key

    You'll need an Anthropic API key from the [Anthropic Console](https://console.anthropic.com/settings/keys).

    Create a `.env` file to store it:

    ```bash theme={null}
    echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key-goes-here" > .env
    ```

    Add `.env` to your `.gitignore`:

    ```bash theme={null}
    echo ".env" >> .gitignore
    ```

    <Warning>
      Make sure you keep your `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` secure!
    </Warning>

    ## Creating the Client

    ### Basic Client Structure

    First, let's set up our imports and create the basic client class:

    ```python theme={null}
    import asyncio
    from typing import Optional
    from contextlib import AsyncExitStack

    from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
    from mcp.client.stdio import stdio_client

    from anthropic import Anthropic
    from dotenv import load_dotenv

    load_dotenv()  # load environment variables from .env

    class MCPClient:
        def __init__(self):
            # Initialize session and client objects
            self.session: Optional[ClientSession] = None
            self.exit_stack = AsyncExitStack()
            self.anthropic = Anthropic()
        # methods will go here
    ```

    ### Server Connection Management

    Next, we'll implement the method to connect to an MCP server:

    ```python theme={null}
    async def connect_to_server(self, server_script_path: str):
        """Connect to an MCP server

        Args:
            server_script_path: Path to the server script (.py or .js)
        """
        is_python = server_script_path.endswith('.py')
        is_js = server_script_path.endswith('.js')
        if not (is_python or is_js):
            raise ValueError("Server script must be a .py or .js file")

        command = "python" if is_python else "node"
        server_params = StdioServerParameters(
            command=command,
            args=[server_script_path],
            env=None
        )

        stdio_transport = await self.exit_stack.enter_async_context(stdio_client(server_params))
        self.stdio, self.write = stdio_transport
        self.session = await self.exit_stack.enter_async_context(ClientSession(self.stdio, self.write))

        await self.session.initialize()

        # List available tools
        response = await self.session.list_tools()
        tools = response.tools
        print("\nConnected to server with tools:", [tool.name for tool in tools])
    ```

    ### Query Processing Logic

    Now let's add the core functionality for processing queries and handling tool calls:

    ```python theme={null}
    async def process_query(self, query: str) -> str:
        """Process a query using Claude and available tools"""
        messages = [
            {
                "role": "user",
                "content": query
            }
        ]

        response = await self.session.list_tools()
        available_tools = [{
            "name": tool.name,
            "description": tool.description,
            "input_schema": tool.inputSchema
        } for tool in response.tools]

        # Initial Claude API call
        response = self.anthropic.messages.create(
            model="claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
            max_tokens=1000,
            messages=messages,
            tools=available_tools
        )

        # Process response and handle tool calls
        final_text = []

        assistant_message_content = []
        for content in response.content:
            if content.type == 'text':
                final_text.append(content.text)
                assistant_message_content.append(content)
            elif content.type == 'tool_use':
                tool_name = content.name
                tool_args = content.input

                # Execute tool call
                result = await self.session.call_tool(tool_name, tool_args)
                final_text.append(f"[Calling tool {tool_name} with args {tool_args}]")

                assistant_message_content.append(content)
                messages.append({
                    "role": "assistant",
                    "content": assistant_message_content
                })
                messages.append({
                    "role": "user",
                    "content": [
                        {
                            "type": "tool_result",
                            "tool_use_id": content.id,
                            "content": result.content
                        }
                    ]
                })

                # Get next response from Claude
                response = self.anthropic.messages.create(
                    model="claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
                    max_tokens=1000,
                    messages=messages,
                    tools=available_tools
                )

                final_text.append(response.content[0].text)

        return "\n".join(final_text)
    ```

    ### Interactive Chat Interface

    Now we'll add the chat loop and cleanup functionality:

    ```python theme={null}
    async def chat_loop(self):
        """Run an interactive chat loop"""
        print("\nMCP Client Started!")
        print("Type your queries or 'quit' to exit.")

        while True:
            try:
                query = input("\nQuery: ").strip()

                if query.lower() == 'quit':
                    break

                response = await self.process_query(query)
                print("\n" + response)

            except Exception as e:
                print(f"\nError: {str(e)}")

    async def cleanup(self):
        """Clean up resources"""
        await self.exit_stack.aclose()
    ```

    ### Main Entry Point

    Finally, we'll add the main execution logic:

    ```python theme={null}
    async def main():
        if len(sys.argv) < 2:
            print("Usage: python client.py <path_to_server_script>")
            sys.exit(1)

        client = MCPClient()
        try:
            await client.connect_to_server(sys.argv[1])
            await client.chat_loop()
        finally:
            await client.cleanup()

    if __name__ == "__main__":
        import sys
        asyncio.run(main())
    ```

    You can find the complete `client.py` file [here](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/quickstart-resources/blob/main/mcp-client-python/client.py).

    ## Key Components Explained

    ### 1. Client Initialization

    * The `MCPClient` class initializes with session management and API clients
    * Uses `AsyncExitStack` for proper resource management
    * Configures the Anthropic client for Claude interactions

    ### 2. Server Connection

    * Supports both Python and Node.js servers
    * Validates server script type
    * Sets up proper communication channels
    * Initializes the session and lists available tools

    ### 3. Query Processing

    * Maintains conversation context
    * Handles Claude's responses and tool calls
    * Manages the message flow between Claude and tools
    * Combines results into a coherent response

    ### 4. Interactive Interface

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