Quick Start Guide

Feature: MCP Tool for go-zero Framework Version: 1.0.0 Date: November 14, 2025

Overview

mcp-zero is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that brings go-zero framework capabilities to AI assistants like Claude Desktop. Use natural language to create services, generate code, and manage go-zero projects.

Prerequisites

Go 1.19 or later
goctl (go-zero CLI tool)
Claude Desktop (or other MCP-compatible AI assistant)

Installation

1. Install goctl

go install github.com/zeromicro/go-zero/tools/goctl@latest

Verify installation:

goctl --version

2. Install mcp-zero

Build from source:

git clone https://github.com/zeromicro/mcp-zero.git
cd mcp-zero
go build -o mcp-zero

After the project is published, you'll be able to install via:

go install github.com/zeromicro/mcp-zero@latest

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "go-zero": {
      "command": "/Users/yourname/go/bin/mcp-zero",
      "env": {
        "GOCTL_PATH": "/Users/yourname/go/bin/goctl"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Adjust paths to match your installation locations.

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Quit and restart Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server.

Quick Tutorial

Creating Your First API Service

Open Claude Desktop and try:

Create a new API service called "userservice" on port 8080

Claude will use mcp-zero to:

Validate the service name
Execute goctl to generate project structure
Fix import paths and initialize go modules
Verify the build succeeds
Provide next steps

Example response:

Successfully created api service 'userservice'

Output directory: /your/current/directory/userservice

Additional Information:
  port: 8080
  style: go_zero

Next steps:
  1. cd /your/current/directory/userservice
  2. go mod tidy
  3. go run .

Understanding the Generated Structure

The generated service includes:

userservice.api - API specification file
etc/userservice.yaml - Configuration file
internal/handler/ - HTTP handlers
internal/logic/ - Business logic
internal/svc/servicecontext.go - Service context
userservice.go - Main entry point

Adding Your First Endpoint

Before running the service, you need to define your API endpoints. Edit the userservice.api file:

syntax = "v1"

info (
    title: "userservice"
    desc: "userservice API"
    author: "your name"
    email: "your@email.com"
)

type (
    PingRequest {}
    PingResponse {
        Message string `json:"message"`
    }
)

service userservice-api {
    @handler PingHandler
    get /ping (PingRequest) returns (PingResponse)
}

Then regenerate the code:

Generate code from the userservice.api file in ./userservice

Running the Service

cd userservice
go run userservice.go

Now test it:

curl http://localhost:8080/ping
# Response: {"message":"pong"}

You'll need to implement the logic in internal/logic/pinglogic.go:

func (l *PingLogic) Ping(req *types.PingRequest) (resp *types.PingResponse, err error) {
    return &types.PingResponse{
        Message: "pong",
    }, nil
}

Adding More Endpoints

To add another endpoint, just add it to the .api file and regenerate:

service userservice-api {
    @handler PingHandler
    get /ping (PingRequest) returns (PingResponse)

    @handler UserInfoHandler
    get /user/:id (UserInfoRequest) returns (UserInfoResponse)
}

Creating an RPC Service

Create an RPC service called "authservice" with methods Login and Verify

Analyzing a Project

Analyze the project in /path/to/my/go-zero/project

You'll get:

List of all endpoints
Service dependencies
Configuration files
Suggestions for improvements

Generating Database Models

Generate models for the users table in mysql://user:pass@localhost:3306/mydb

Creating Middleware

Generate authentication middleware for JWT tokens

Common Use Cases

1. Starting a New Microservice Project

Create these services in ./services directory:
- API gateway on port 8080
- User service RPC on port 9001
- Order service RPC on port 9002

2. Spec-First Development

Create an API spec for a user service with these endpoints:
- POST /login
- POST /register
- GET /user/:id
- PUT /user/:id

Then generate code:

Generate code from userservice.api

3. Adding Features to Existing Service

I have a service at ./userservice. Add rate limiting middleware.

4. Configuration Management

Generate a production configuration template for my API service

5. Migration from Another Framework

How do I migrate my Express.js API to go-zero?

Tips & Best Practices

Service Naming

✅ Good: userservice, orderservice, apigateway
❌ Bad: user-service (hyphens not allowed), 123service (must start with letter)

Port Selection

Use ports 8080-8089 for API services
Use ports 9000-9099 for RPC services
mcp-zero will warn if ports are already in use

Project Organization

For monorepo:

myproject/
├── services/
│   ├── api-gateway/
│   ├── user-service/
│   └── order-service/
└── shared/
    └── types/

Ask Claude:

Create services in ./services directory

Error Recovery

If generation fails:

The service generation failed. Try again with corrected parameters.

mcp-zero preserves partial state, so you won't lose progress.

Getting Help

Explain go-zero middleware

What's the difference between API and RPC services in go-zero?

Show me best practices for error handling in go-zero

Troubleshooting

"goctl not found"

Problem: mcp-zero can't find goctl executable.

Solution:

Verify goctl is installed: goctl --version
Add GOCTL_PATH to Claude config (see Installation step 3)
Or add goctl to your PATH

"Service name validation failed"

Problem: Service name contains invalid characters.

Solution: Use only letters, numbers, and underscores. Start with a letter.

user-service → userservice or user_service

"Port already in use"

Problem: Specified port is occupied.

Solution: Choose a different port or stop the service using that port.

"Build failed"

Problem: Generated code doesn't compile.