Dust MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Dust.tt agents, designed for seamless integration with Claude Desktop via STDIO. Provides robust agent querying, listing, and configuration tools.

Table of Contents

• User Guide
  • Overview
  • User Journey
  • Quick Start
  • Setup and Configuration
  • MCP Tools Reference
  • Memory Bank System
• Developer Guide
  • Project Structure
  • Development Setup
  • Testing
  • Logging and Debugging
  • API Documentation
  • Deployment
  • Contributing
  • License
  • Related Resources

User Guide

Overview

The Dust MCP Server provides a standardized interface for interacting with Dust.tt agents through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It enables seamless integration with Claude Desktop and other MCP-compatible clients, offering features like agent discovery, session management, and message handling.

User Journey

This section outlines the typical user journey when interacting with the Dust MCP Server and its integrated agents.

1. Initial Setup and Agent Discovery

• Entry Point: User logs into the Dust platform
• Agent Discovery:
  • Views available agents in the Agent Marketplace
  • Filters agents by category (e.g., Data Analysis, Content Creation, Research)
  • Reviews agent capabilities, ratings, and documentation
• Agent Selection:
  • Selects multiple agents based on task requirements
  • Creates a new workspace or selects existing one

2. Workspace Configuration

• Layout Setup:
  • Arranges agent panels in a custom layout
  • Configures agent-specific settings and permissions
• Context Sharing:
  • Enables/disables context sharing between agents
  • Sets up data flow between agents
• File Management:
  • Uploads files to shared workspace
  • Organizes files in project folders
  • Sets file access permissions per agent

3. Multi-Agent Collaboration

• Conversation Flow:
  • Initiates chat with primary agent
  • @mentions other agents to bring them into conversation
  • Views inter-agent communication in dedicated threads
• Task Delegation:
  • Assigns specific tasks to specialized agents
  • Monitors task progress across agents
  • Views task dependencies and status
• File Collaboration:
  • Shares files with specific agents
  • Tracks file access and modifications
  • Views version history and agent contributions

4. Advanced Interactions

• Agent Chaining:
  • Creates workflows by chaining agents
  • Sets up conditional logic for agent handoffs
  • Configures automatic triggers between agents
• Context Management:
  • Reviews and edits shared context
  • Resolves context conflicts between agents
  • Saves context snapshots for future reference

5. Reporting and Analysis

• Report Generation:
  • Requests reports from analysis agents
  • Customizes report templates and parameters
  • Exports reports in multiple formats (PDF, Markdown, HTML)
• Insight Visualization:
  • Views interactive dashboards
  • Filters and drills down into data visualizations
  • Compares outputs from different agents

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18 or later
• npm 9.x or later
• A Dust.tt account with API access
• Redis server (for session management)

Session Management

The Dust MCP Server includes a robust session management system using Redis for persistence. This allows for secure and scalable session handling across multiple instances of the server.

Features

• Redis-based Session Storage: Secure and scalable session storage
• Session Expiration: Automatic cleanup of expired sessions
• Distributed Support: Works in distributed environments
• Session Data: Store arbitrary data with each session
• API Endpoints: RESTful API for session management

Configuration

Redis Configuration

1. Environment Variables Add these variables to your .env file:

   # Redis Configuration
   REDIS_ENABLED=true  # Set to false to disable Redis (uses in-memory store)
   REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
   REDIS_PASSWORD=  # Leave empty if no password is set
   REDIS_TLS=false  # Set to true for secure connections
   SESSION_SECRET=your_session_secret_here
   SESSION_TTL=86400  # 24 hours in seconds
   

2. Test Connection

   You can test your Redis connection with:

   node -e "const { createClient } = require('redis'); (async () => { const client = createClient({ url: process.env.REDIS_URL }); await client.connect(); console.log('Redis connected successfully'); await client.quit(); })().catch(console.error);"
   

3. Disabling Redis for Development

   If you want to run the server without Redis for development:

   REDIS_ENABLED=false
   

   This will use an in-memory store instead. Note: This is not suitable for production.

4. Skipping Redis Cache Tests

   To skip Redis-related tests, set the following environment variable:

   SKIP_REDIS_TESTS=true
   

   Or when running tests:

   SKIP_REDIS_TESTS=true npm test
   

Add these environment variables to your .env file:

# Redis Configuration
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
REDIS_PASSWORD=your_redis_password
REDIS_TLS=false
SESSION_SECRET=your_session_secret_here
SESSION_TTL=86400  # 24 hours in seconds

API Endpoints

Create a Session

POST /api/sessions
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "userId": "user123",
  "data": {
    "role": "admin"
  },
  "ttl": 86400
}

Get Session

GET /api/sessions/:sessionId
Authorization: Bearer <session_token>

Update Session

PATCH /api/sessions/:sessionId
Authorization: Bearer <session_token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "data": {
    "role": "admin",
    "preferences": {}
  },
  "ttl": 86400
}

Delete Session

DELETE /api/sessions/:sessionId
Authorization: Bearer <session_token>

Validate Session

GET /api/sessions/:sessionId/validate
Authorization: Bearer <session_token>

Using Session Middleware

To protect routes with session authentication, use the sessionMiddleware:

import { sessionMiddleware } from './session/routes/sessionRoutes';
import { redisClient } from './config/redis';

// Apply to specific routes
app.get('/protected-route', sessionMiddleware(redisClient), (req, res) => {
  // Access session data
  const session = req.session;
  res.json({ message: 'Access granted', user: session.userId });
});

// Or apply to all routes
app.use(sessionMiddleware(redisClient));

Session Data Structure

{
  "sessionId": "unique-session-id",
  "userId": "user123",
  "data": {
    // Custom session data
  },
  "expiresAt": "2025-05-25T12:00:00.000Z",
  "createdAt": "2025-05-24T12:00:00.000Z",
  "updatedAt": "2025-05-24T12:05:00.000Z"
}

Best Practices

1. Secure Your Session Secret: Use a strong, unique secret for session encryption
2. Set Appropriate TTL: Balance security and user convenience when setting session TTL
3. Validate Sessions: Always validate sessions before processing sensitive operations
4. Handle Session Errors: Implement proper error handling for session-related operations
5. Monitor Redis: Monitor Redis server health and performance metrics

Troubleshooting

• Connection Issues: Verify Redis server is running and accessible
• Session Expiry: Check if sessions are expiring too quickly by adjusting TTL
• Memory Usage: Monitor Redis memory usage for large session data
• Logs: Check server logs for session-related errors

Session Storage Options

The server supports different session storage backends:

In-Memory Store (Default for Development)

• No additional setup required
• Sessions are lost on server restart
• Perfect for local development and testing

Redis Store (Recommended for Production)

# Install Redis (macOS)
brew install redis

# Start Redis server (in a separate terminal)
redis-server

# In your .env file:
SESSION_STORE_TYPE=redis
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Ma3u/dust-mcp-server.git
   cd dust-mcp-server
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Set up environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your configuration
   LOG_LEVEL=info
   
   # Advanced Configuration
   DUST_AGENT_IDS=agent1,agent2,agent3
   MAX_SESSIONS=100
   SESSION_TIMEOUT=3600
   

4. Build the project:

   npm run build
   

5. Start the server:

   # For development
   npm run dev
   
   # For production
   npm start
   

Setup and Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description	Default
DUST_API_KEY	Yes	Your Dust.tt API key	-
DUST_WORKSPACE_ID	Yes	Your Dust.tt workspace ID	-
PORT	No	Port to run the server on	3000
NODE_ENV	No	Node environment (development/production)	development
LOG_LEVEL	No	Logging level (error, warn, info, debug)	info
DUST_AGENT_IDS	No	Comma-separated list of agent IDs to load	-
MAX_SESSIONS	No	Maximum number of concurrent sessions	100
SESSION_TIMEOUT	No	Session timeout in seconds	3600 (1 hour)

Claude Desktop Integration

To use with Claude Desktop:

1. Install MCP Tools globally:

   npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/tools
   

2. Configure Claude Desktop to use your MCP server:

   mcp configs set claude-desktop dust $(which node) $(pwd)/build/dust.js
   

3. Restart Claude Desktop and start interacting with your Dust agents.

MCP Tools Reference

The following MCP tools are available for interacting with Dust agents:

dust_list_agents

List all available Dust agents in the configured workspace.

Parameters:

• includeDetails (boolean, optional): Whether to include detailed agent information

Example:

{
  "includeDetails": true
}

dust_agent_query

Send a query to a Dust agent.

Parameters:

• agentId (string, required): The ID of the agent to query
• query (string, required): The query to send to the agent
• sessionId (string, optional): Session ID for continuing a conversation
• context (object, optional): Additional context for the query

Example:

{
  "agentId": "agent123",
  "query": "What is the weather today?",
  "sessionId": "session_456"
}

Memory Bank System

The Memory Bank system provides persistent storage for agent state and configuration:

• Active Context: Tracks the current state of all active agent sessions
• Decision Log: Records all agent decisions and actions
• Progress Tracking: Monitors task progress and completion status
• System Patterns: Defines reusable interaction patterns
• Product Context: Stores product-specific configurations and data

---

Developer Guide

Project Structure

dust-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── __tests__/           # Test files
│   │   ├── e2e/             # End-to-end tests
│   │   ├── integration/     # Integration tests
│   │   └── unit/            # Unit tests
│   ├── agents/              # Agent implementations
│   ├── api/                 # API routes and controllers
│   ├── middleware/          # Express middleware
│   ├── services/            # Business logic services
│   ├── tools/               # MCP tool implementations
│   ├── types/               # TypeScript type definitions
│   └── utils/               # Utility functions
├── memory-bank/             # Persistent storage for agent state
│   ├── activeContext.md     # Current state of active sessions
│   ├── decisionLog.md       # Log of agent decisions
│   ├── progress.md          # Task progress tracking
│   ├── systemPatterns.md    # Reusable interaction patterns
│   └── productContext.md    # Product-specific configurations
├── docs/                    # Documentation files
├── tests/                   # Additional test resources
├── .env.example             # Example environment variables
├── .eslintrc.json           # ESLint configuration
├── .gitignore               # Git ignore rules
├── jest.config.ts           # Jest test configuration
├── package.json             # Project dependencies and scripts
├── README.md                # This file
└── tsconfig.json            # TypeScript configuration

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository and install dependencies:

   git clone https://github.com/Ma3u/dust-mcp-server.git
   cd dust-mcp-server
   npm install
   

2. Set up your development environment:

   # Install development dependencies
   npm install -D typescript ts-node ts-jest @types/jest @types/node
   
   # Set up pre-commit hooks
   npm run prepare
   

3. Configure your environment:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your configuration
   

4. Start the development server:

   npm run dev
   

Testing

The project includes a comprehensive test suite:

Running Tests

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run unit tests
npm run test:unit

# Run integration tests
npm run test:integration

# Run end-to-end tests
npm run test:e2e

# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage

Test Structure

• Unit Tests: Test individual functions and classes in isolation
• Integration Tests: Test interactions between components
• E2E Tests: Test complete user flows

Test Features

• Mock implementations for external services
• Test database with sample data
• API request/response validation
• Snapshot testing for UI components

Logging and Debugging

The application uses Winston for logging with the following log levels:

• error: Errors that cause the application to fail
• warn: Potentially harmful situations
• info: General application flow information
• debug: Detailed debugging information
• silly: Very detailed debugging information

Debugging in VS Code

Add this configuration to your .vscode/launch.json:

{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "node",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Debug Tests",
      "runtimeExecutable": "npm",
      "runtimeArgs": ["run", "test:debug"],
      "port": 9229,
      "skipFiles": ["<node_internals>/**"]
    }
  ]
}

Common Issues

1. TypeScript Errors: Run npm run lint:fix to automatically fix common issues
2. Test Failures: Clear the test database with npm run test:reset
3. Dependency Issues: Delete node_modules and run npm install

API Documentation

API documentation is available in the docs directory and can be generated using:

npm run docs:generate

The API is documented using OpenAPI (Swagger) and can be viewed at /api-docs when running in development mode.

Deployment

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm 9+
• Docker (optional)

Production Build

# Install production dependencies
npm ci --only=production

# Build the application
npm run build

# Start the server
NODE_ENV=production npm start

Docker

# Build the Docker image
docker build -t dust-mcp-server .

# Run the container
docker run -p 3000:3000 --env-file .env dust-mcp-server

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Related Resources

• Dust.tt Documentation
• Model Context Protocol
• Claude Desktop
• Node.js Documentation
• TypeScript Documentation
• Express.js Documentation
• Jest Testing Framework
• Winston Logging

Running the Server

You can run the MCP server in two different modes: HTTP mode or STDIO mode.

HTTP Mode

To run the server in HTTP mode (for web-based clients):

npm run build
npm start -- --http

The server will listen on the port specified by the PORT environment variable (default: 3000).

You can interact with the API at http://localhost:3000/api.

SSE Events

The server supports real-time event streaming via Server-Sent Events (SSE).

• Connect to http://localhost:3000/events with an SSE-compatible client to receive server events (e.g., health, agent updates).
• Example using curl:

  curl -N http://localhost:3000/events
  

STDIO Mode

STDIO mode is used when you want the server to communicate through standard input/output streams rather than HTTP. This is the mode used by Claude Desktop and other MCP clients that communicate via STDIO.

To start the server in STDIO mode:

# Start the server in STDIO mode
node build/dust.js

When running in STDIO mode:

• The server doesn't produce any output to stdout by design, as this channel is reserved for MCP protocol communication
• Any logs or error messages are directed to the logs directory and stderr
• The server is immediately ready to accept MCP client connections

Stopping the Server

To stop the server, you can use Ctrl+C in the terminal where it's running, or kill the process:

pkill -f "node.*dust-mcp-server"

Architecture Diagram

flowchart TD
    subgraph Client["Client Layer"]
        A[Claude Desktop] -- "MCP Protocol" --> B[MCP Server]
    end

    subgraph Server["Dust MCP Server"]
        B --> C[Request Handler]
        C --> D[Auth Middleware]
        D --> E[Windsurf Rules Engine]
        E --> F[Tool Router]
        
        subgraph Tools["MCP Tools"]
            F --> G[dust_list_agents]
            F --> H[dust_agent_query]
            F --> I[dust_create_session]
            F --> J[dust_end_session]
            F --> K[dust_get_session]
            F --> L[dust_get_agent]
        end
        
        subgraph Services["Core Services"]
            M[DustApiService] <--> N[AgentService]
            N <--> O[SessionManager]
            O <--> P[MemoryBank]
        end
    end
    
    subgraph External["External Services"]
        Q[(Dust AI Platform)]
    end
    
    subgraph Memory["Memory Bank"]
        R[productContext.md]
        S[systemPatterns.md]
        T[activeContext.md]
        U[decisionLog.md]
        V[progress.md]
    end
    
    Tools --> Services
    Services --> Q
    Services --> Memory
    
    %% Styling
    classDef client fill:#e1f5fe,stroke:#01579b,color:#01579b
    classDef server fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#2e7d32,color:#1b5e20
    classDef external fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#4a148c,color:#4a148c
    classDef memory fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#e65100,color:#e65100
    
    class A,Client client
    class B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,Server server
    class Q,External external
    class R,S,T,U,V,Memory memory

Key Components

1. Client Layer:

   • Claude Desktop communicates with the MCP Server using the MCP protocol

2. MCP Server:

   • Request Handler: Processes incoming MCP requests
   • Auth Middleware: Validates API keys and permissions
   • Windsurf Rules Engine: Enforces project-specific rules and workflows
   • Tool Router: Routes requests to the appropriate MCP tool
   • MCP Tools: Individual tools for agent interaction and session management

3. Core Services:

   • DustApiService: Handles communication with the Dust AI platform
   • AgentService: Manages agent lifecycle and interactions
   • SessionManager: Maintains session state and context
   • MemoryBank: Manages persistent storage using the memory-bank system

4. Memory Bank:

   • productContext.md: Project goals and high-level architecture
   • systemPatterns.md: Design patterns and implementation details
   • activeContext.md: Current status and recent changes
   • decisionLog.md: Architectural and implementation decisions
   • progress.md: Task tracking and milestones

5. External Services:

   • Dust AI Platform: External service for agent execution and processing

Using MCP Tools

This project uses MCP Tools for testing and integration. Here's how to use them:

1. Install MCP Tools globally

npm install -g mcptools

2. List available tools in the server

mcp tools node build/dust.js

3. Call a specific tool

mcp call dust_list_agents node build/dust.js --params '{"limit": 10}'

mcp call dust_agent_query node build/dust.js --params '{"query": "Give me a summary"}'

4. Add the server to your aliases

mcp alias add dust node build/dust.js
mcp alias list

5. Configure with Claude Desktop

mcp configs set claude-desktop dust /path/to/node /path/to/dust-mcp-server/build/dust.js

MCP Tools Reference

The server provides the following MCP tools for interacting with Dust.tt agents:

dust_list_agents

List all available agents in the workspace.

Parameters:

• query (string, optional): Filter agents by name or description
• view (string, optional): View type for filtering agents
• limit (number, optional): Maximum number of agents to return (default: 10)

Example Request:

mcp call dust_list_agents node build/dust.js --params '{"limit": 10}'

Response:

interface AgentDescriptor {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  description: string;
  capabilities: string[];
  isActive?: boolean;
  lastUsed?: string;
}

dust_agent_query

Query a Dust agent within a session.

Parameters:

• agentId (string, required): ID of the agent to query
• message (string, required): The message to send to the agent
• files (Array<{ name: string; content: string }>, optional): Files to include with the message
• sessionId (string, optional): Existing session ID to continue conversation

Example Request:

{
  "agentId": "agent_123",
  "message": "What's the weather like?",
  "files": [
    {
      "name": "location.txt",
      "content": "San Francisco"
    }
  ]
}

Response:

interface DustMessageResponse {
  response: string;
  context: Record<string, any>;
}

dust_create_session

Create a new session with a Dust agent.

Parameters:

• agentId (string, required): ID of the agent to create a session with
• context (object, optional): Initial context for the session

Example Request:

mcp call dust_create_session node build/dust.js --params '{
  "agentId": "agent_123",
  "context": {
    "userPreferences": {
      "language": "en-US"
    }
  }
}'

Response:

interface SessionDescriptor {
  id: string;
  agentId: string;
  context: Record<string, any>;
  isActive: boolean;
  createdAt: string;
  lastActivity: string;
}

dust_end_session

End an active session.

Parameters:

• sessionId (string, required): ID of the session to end

Example Request:

mcp call dust_end_session node build/dust.js --params '{"sessionId": "sess_123"}'

dust_get_session

Get details of a specific session.

Parameters:

• sessionId (string, required): ID of the session to retrieve

Example Request:

mcp call dust_get_session node build/dust.js --params '{"sessionId": "sess_123"}'

dust_get_agent

Get details of a specific agent.

Parameters:

• agentId (string, required): ID of the agent to retrieve

Example Request:

mcp call dust_get_agent node build/dust.js --params '{"agentId": "agent_123"}'

Response:

interface AgentDescriptor {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  description: string;
  capabilities: string[];
  isActive: boolean;
  createdAt: string;
  updatedAt: string;
  configuration: Record<string, any>;
}

Project Structure

root/
├── src/                # Main source code
│   ├── services/       # Dust API integration layer
│   └── tools/          # (Deprecated) MCP tool implementations
├── build/              # Compiled JavaScript output
├── logs/               # Application and debug logs
│   └── debug/
├── memory-bank/        # Project context and memory files
├── docs/               # Documentation, images, and moved test/demo scripts
├── .env                # Environment configuration (not committed)
├── .env.example        # Example environment file
├── package.json        # Project manifest
└── README.md           # Main documentation (this file)

Testing

Test Features

The test suite includes the following features:

• Mocking: Tests use Jest mocking to isolate the MCP methods from actual API calls
• Test Data: Sample agent configurations and responses are provided in test/fixtures/
• Parameter Validation: Tests verify that parameters are correctly validated
• Complete Coverage: Tests cover all parameters and response formats

Running Tests

You can run the tests using npm scripts:

# Install dependencies first (if not already installed)
npm install

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run only unit tests
npm run test:unit

# Run only integration tests
npm run test:integration

Manual Testing

You can also manually test the MCP functionality using the scripts in docs/:

# Test MCP tools functionality
node docs/test-mcp-tools.js

# Test STDIO transport
node docs/test-stdio.js

Debugging

VS Code Debugging

The project includes VS Code debugging configurations for both the server and tests. You can use these configurations to debug the application directly from VS Code.

Available Debug Configurations

1. Debug Server (HTTP)

   • Launches the server in debug mode with auto-reload
   • Attaches to the running Node.js process
   • Supports breakpoints and step debugging

2. Debug Tests

   • Runs the test suite in debug mode
   • Supports breakpoints in test files
   • Shows detailed test output

3. Debug Current Test File

   • Runs the currently open test file with the debugger attached
   • Useful for focusing on a specific test case
   • Supports breakpoints in test files and source code

4. Debug All Tests

   • Runs all tests in the project with the debugger attached
   • Useful for debugging test suites or integration tests
   • Supports breakpoints in test files and source code

How to Use

1. Open the project in VS Code
2. Set breakpoints in your code by clicking in the gutter next to the line numbers
3. Open the Run and Debug view (Ctrl+Shift+D or Cmd+Shift+D)
4. Select a debug configuration from the dropdown
5. Click the green play button or press F5 to start debugging

Log Files

Logs are stored in the logs/ directory:

• app-YYYY-MM-DD.log: Application logs
• server-YYYY-MM-DD.log: Server logs
• test-mcp-YYYY-MM-DD.log: MCP tools test logs

Development

# Run in development mode with auto-reload
npm run dev

# Build the project
npm run build

API Documentation

For more information about the Dust API, see the official documentation:

• Dust API Documentation
• Agent Configurations
• Conversations
• Messages

License

MIT