OAuth-Protected MCP Server Example (Go)

Sample implementation of a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server protected by OAuth 2.1, written in Go.

This project demonstrates how to implement an MCP server with OAuth protection using the MCP Go SDK and Keycloak as the authorization server.

Features

• OAuth 2.0 Protected Resource: Implements RFC 9728 (OAuth 2.0 Protected Resource Metadata)
• JWT Access Token Validation: Local validation using JWKS
• Streamable HTTP Transport: Remote-accessible MCP server
• Simple Echo Tool: Basic MCP tool for demonstration
• Keycloak Integration: Uses Keycloak 26.4 as authorization server with Dynamic Client Registration (DCR)

Architecture

                    OAuth 2.1 Flow (DCR, Authorization Code)
    ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │                                                           │
    │                                                           ▼
┌───┴─────────┐   HTTP + Bearer Token   ┌─────────────┐   ┌───────────────┐
│ MCP Client  │────────────────────────►│ MCP Server  │   │  Keycloak     │
│ (Inspector) │                         │ (This repo) │   │ (AuthZ Server)│
└─────────────┘                         └─────────────┘   └───────────────┘
                                              │                   │
                                              │◄──────────────────┘
                                              │   JWKS (RS256 Public Key)
                                              │
                                              ▼
                                    JWT Access Token Validation:
                                    • Signature verification
                                    • iss, exp, aud claims
                                    • scope claim

Prerequisites

• Go 1.25 or later
• Docker & Docker Compose (for running Keycloak)

Quick Start

1. Start Keycloak

cd authz-server
docker-compose up -d

Keycloak will be available at http://localhost (admin/admin).

2. Configure Keycloak

1. Create a new realm named demo
2. Create a client scope named mcp:tools:
   • Include in token scope: On
   • Add Audience mapper:
     • Name: audience-config
     • Included Custom Audience: http://localhost:8000
3. Configure Client Policies:
   • Delete the default "Trusted Hosts" policy
   • Update "Allowed Client Scopes" policy to include mcp:tools
4. Create a test user

3. Run MCP Server

go run . \
  -authz-server-url="http://localhost/realms/demo" \
  -jwks-url="http://localhost/realms/demo/protocol/openid-connect/certs" \
  -resource-url="http://localhost:8000"

4. Test with MCP Inspector

Run MCP Inspector and connect to http://localhost:8000.

The MCP Inspector will:

1. Fetch Protected Resource Metadata from http://localhost:8000/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource
2. Discover authorization server metadata
3. Register as a client using Dynamic Client Registration (DCR)
4. Initiate OAuth authorization code flow
5. Redirect you to Keycloak login page
6. Obtain access token and connect to MCP server

Project Structure

.
├── authz-server/              # Keycloak setup
│   ├── docker-compose.yml
│   └── nginx.conf
├── main.go                    # MCP server implementation
├── oauth_middleware.go        # OAuth middleware & JWT Access Token validation
└── README.md

Implementation Highlights

OAuth 2.0 Protected Resource Metadata

The server exposes metadata at /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource:

{
  "resource": "http://localhost:8000",
  "authorization_servers": ["http://localhost/realms/demo"],
  "scopes_supported": ["mcp:tools"]
}

JWT Access Token Validation

The middleware validates:

1. Signature: Using JWKS from authorization server (RS256)
2. Standard Claims:
   • iss (issuer): Must match authorization server URL
   • exp (expiration): Token must not be expired
   • aud (audience): Must include this server's URL
3. Custom Claims:
   • scope: Must include mcp:tools

MCP Tool

Provides a simple echo tool that returns the input message.

Configuration Options

Limitations & Notes

RFC 8707 Support

Keycloak 26.4 does not yet support RFC 8707 (Resource Indicators for OAuth 2.0). As a workaround, this implementation uses an Audience Mapper in the mcp:tools scope to set the aud claim.

CORS Workaround

Due to a known issue in Keycloak 26.4, nginx is used as a reverse proxy to add CORS headers for the DCR endpoint.

Related Specifications

• MCP Specification 2025-06-18 - Authorization
• RFC 9728: OAuth 2.0 Protected Resource Metadata
• RFC 9068: OAuth 2.0 Access Token in JWT Format
• RFC 8707: Resource Indicators for OAuth 2.0

Resources

• MCP Go SDK
• MCP Inspector
• Keycloak

License

MIT