DEV_TEST_SETUP_GUIDE.md

Development & Testing Setup Guide

Welcome! This guide will help you set up your environment for contributing to the CIPP-MCP project. Please follow the steps below to ensure a smooth development experience.

---

1. Required Tools

Install the following tools using winget (run commands in PowerShell):

• Visual Studio Code

  winget install --exact vscode

• PowerShell 7

  winget install --exact Microsoft.PowerShell

• Git

  winget install --exact Git.Git

• Node.js v22.x LTS

  winget install --exact OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS --version 22.13.0
  winget pin add OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS --version 22.13.* --force

• .NET SDK 8

  winget install --exact Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.8

• .NET SDK 9

  winget install --exact Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.9

• Python 3

  winget install --exact Python.Python.3.13

---

2. Global npm Packages

Some npm packages need to be installed globally. You may need to run these commands as Administrator if you encounter permission issues.

npm install --global azure-functions-core-tools@4 --unsafe-perm true
npm install --global azurite

---

3. Repository Structure

You’ll need both the CIPP-MCP and CIPP-API repositories as siblings in a parent folder, for example:

CIPP-Project/
├── CIPP-MCP/
└── CIPP-API/

Fork the Repositories

• Fork CIPP-MCP
• Fork CIPP-API

Clone your forks into the same parent directory.

Tip:
A Git repository is a .git/ folder inside a project. It tracks all changes made to files in the project. Changes are committed to the repository, building up a history of the project.

---

4. Python Dependencies

Install UV - Python package and project manager Install FastMCP - Python based Framework for local testing of MCP

pip install uv
pip install fastmcp

Note: If you're on Windows ARM64 and building from source is problematic, try installing precompiled wheels:

pip install --only-binary=:all: fastmcp

---

5. Additional Notes

• Depending on your system, you may need to run some commands as administrator.
• For more information on forking repositories, see GitHub’s guide.

---

6. Running CIPP-MCP as a Streamable HTTP MCP Endpoint

CIPP-MCP runs as a Streamable HTTP MCP endpoint (remote server). This allows integration with clients that support HTTP-based MCP communication.

However, some clients—such as Claude—only communicate via stdio (standard input/output) and do not support HTTP endpoints directly. To enable local development and testing with these clients, a FastMCP Proxy is provided in the Proxy folder of this project.

Using the FastMCP Proxy

1. Open a terminal and navigate to the Proxy folder in this repository.
2. Make sure you can start the proxy with the following command:

   python .\cipp.local_mcp.py

3. Press Ctrl-C to exit. Claude will invoke the proxy when it starts.

Integrating with Claude Desktop via FastMCP Proxy

To use CIPP-MCP with Claude Desktop (or other stdio-based MCP clients), you need to configure Claude to launch the FastMCP Proxy as a custom MCP server.

1. Install Claude Desktop if you haven't already.
2. Edit your claude_desktop_config.json file to add a new MCP server entry that launches the FastMCP Proxy. You can get to the file via File -> Settings -> Developer -> Edit Config.

Example configuration:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "CIPP-MCP Proxy": {
            "command": "uv",
            "args": [
                "run",
                "python",
                "C:/path/to/your/CIPP-Project/CIPP-MCP/Proxy/cipp.local_mcp.py"
            ]
        }
    }
}

• Replace C:/path/to/your/CIPP-Project/CIPP-MCP/Proxy with the actual path to your Proxy folder.
• Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.

Claude will now use the FastMCP Proxy to communicate with the CIPP-MCP HTTP endpoint, allowing you to test and debug locally.

---

Happy contributing!