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MCP SERVER PROMPT
Have Claude write a small MCP server for one job you define,
then wire it into Claude Desktop.
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BEFORE YOU START
  Check the one-click list first. Claude Desktop has a directory
  of reviewed servers under Settings > Extensions > Browse
  extensions. If what you need is there, install it and stop.

  Build your own only when you want a procedure rather than a
  capability. Not "read my files", which already exists, but
  "check these notes for the term I give you and hand back the
  date and the line around it, newest first."

  You will need Node.js installed, and four terminal commands.


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STEP 1  SET UP THE FOLDER
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  Make a folder, for example Documents/my-mcp-server.

  In a terminal, type "cd " with the space, drag the folder onto
  the window, press enter. Then:

      npm init -y
      npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk


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STEP 2  THE PROMPT
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Paste this into Claude. Replace the bracketed parts.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Write me a complete MCP server in Node.js, using the official
@modelcontextprotocol/sdk package.

WHAT IT SHOULD DO
It exposes exactly one tool, called [tool_name].
The tool takes one input: [what the caller supplies].
It should [the one job, stated as a procedure].
It returns, for each result:
  - [field]
  - [field]
  - [field]
Sort by [order]. Cap it at [n] results.

CONSTRAINTS
- Read only. It must never write, move, or delete anything.
- If the source is missing or unreadable, return a clear message
  saying so rather than crashing.
- If nothing matches, say nothing matched. Don't return an empty
  result that looks like an error.
- Use stdio transport, so Claude Desktop can start it.
- One file. No build step, no TypeScript, no framework.

OUTPUT
Give me the complete contents of server.js, ready to save.
Then tell me, separately, the exact claude_desktop_config.json
entry I need, and the exact command to test it by hand first.
----------------------------------------------------------------

  The constraints block is where the quality comes from.
  "Read only" is the line that matters most, and stating it in
  the prompt beats hoping.

  Save the result as server.js in the folder you made.


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STEP 3  TEST IT BY HAND FIRST
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      node server.js

  Working looks like nothing much. A line saying it is running,
  or a cursor sitting there. A server waits to be spoken to, so
  silence is success. Ctrl-C to stop.

  Broken looks like a block of red text. Copy all of it, paste
  it back to Claude, say "this is the error, fix it."

  Do not skip this. Finding a typo here takes seconds. Finding
  it after wiring in takes twenty minutes in the wrong place.


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STEP 4  WIRE IT IN
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  Claude menu (top menu bar, not the in-window settings) >
  Settings > Developer > Edit Config.

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

  {
    "mcpServers": {
      "my-notes": {
        "command": "node",
        "args": ["/full/path/to/my-mcp-server/server.js"]
      }
    }
  }

  Full paths only. No ~, no relative paths, no trailing comma
  after the last entry.

  Quit Claude Desktop completely and reopen. Closing the window
  is not enough.

  Check under "Add files, connectors, and more" > Connectors >
  Manage connectors.


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STEP 5  PROVE IT
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  Ask three things you can verify by hand:

    1. A term you know appears.
    2. A term you know appears nowhere. You want a clean
       "nothing matched", not an error.
    3. A term in a file whose date you already know. Check the
       date it reports.

  The third is the real test. Anything can return results.
  The right date on the right file is what tells you it works.


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WHEN IT BREAKS
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  node not recognised
      Not installed, or the terminal predates the install.
      Open a new terminal.

  Cannot find module
      Wrong folder, or npm install didn't finish. Re-run it
      in the folder holding server.js.

  Runs by hand, invisible in Claude
      The path in the config. Full path, no shortcuts. Check
      for a trailing comma.

  Shows up, every call fails
      Read the log:
        macOS:   ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-NAME.log
        Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs
      Paste it back to Claude.

  Returns nothing when there is a match
      Usually the path in the code. Ask Claude to report how
      many files it scanned. Zero means wrong folder.

  Worked yesterday, not today
      Folder moved, renamed, or synced to a cloud drive that
      keeps files online rather than on disk.

  Three rounds and still broken
      Start a fresh conversation. Long threads patch instead
      of reconsidering.


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THE LIMITS, PLAINLY
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  It runs as you. Whatever you can open, it can open. Keep it
  read only and point it at your own working folders.

  It is not shareable. Your machine, your paths, no installer.

  It is not reviewed. The one-click directory has a check behind
  it. Yours has you. That is fine for a read-only tool over your
  own notes, and it is the reason to keep it read-only.

  If a team starts depending on it, hand it to someone who does
  this properly. Knowing where that line sits is worth as much
  as the server.

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bringwhatyouknow.com
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