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✨ Why Icarus?

Traditional MCP servers are ephemeral - they lose state when restarted. Icarus changes that.

By combining the Model Context Protocol (MCP) with the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), Icarus enables you to build AI tools that:

• 🔄 Persist Forever - No more lost state between sessions
• 🌐 Run Globally - Deploy once, accessible from anywhere
• 🔒 Stay Secure - Built-in blockchain security and authentication
• 💰 Cost Pennies - ICP's reverse gas model means predictable, low costs
• ⚡ Scale Instantly - Automatic scaling with canister architecture
• 🌍 HTTP Outcalls - Fetch external data from any API
• ⏰ Autonomous Operations - Schedule tasks with built-in timers

📊 Comparison

Feature	Traditional MCP	Icarus MCP
State Persistence	❌ Lost on restart	✅ Permanent storage
Deployment	Manual server management	One command to ICP
Global Access	Requires hosting setup	Built-in global CDN
Cost Model	Pay for hosting	Pay per computation
Authentication	Build your own	Internet Identity built-in

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🎯 Perfect For

• 🤖 AI Assistants - Build Claude/ChatGPT tools with persistent memory
• 📊 Data Tools - Analytics and monitoring that never forget
• 🎮 Game Backends - Persistent game state and player data
• 💼 Enterprise Tools - Secure, auditable business automation
• 🔬 Research Tools - Long-running experiments and data collection

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🚀 Quick Start

Installation

# Install the CLI
cargo install icarus-cli

# Create a new project
icarus new my-ai-tool
cd my-ai-tool

# Deploy to ICP
icarus deploy

Add to Your Project

[dependencies]
# Recommended: Simple, includes everything for canister development
icarus = "1.0.0"

# Or specify features explicitly
icarus = { version = "0.7.0", features = ["canister"] }

# Other required dependencies for canister development
ic-cdk = "0.18"
candid = "0.10"
serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }

Your First Persistent Tool

use icarus::prelude::*;

/// Simple greeting function - accessible to everyone
#[icarus::tool("Say hello to Icarus")]
#[query]
pub fn hello() -> String {
    "Hello from Icarus! 🚀".to_string()
}

/// Personalized greeting - requires authenticated user
#[icarus::tool("Get personalized greeting", auth = "user")]
#[query]
pub fn greet(name: String) -> String {
    format!("Hello {}, welcome to Icarus! 👋", name)
}

/// System information - requires admin privileges
#[icarus::tool("Get system information", auth = "admin")]
#[query]
pub fn system_info() -> String {
    format!(
        "Icarus MCP Server v{} - Running on Internet Computer",
        env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION")
    )
}

// Generate MCP canister with auth and tool discovery
icarus::mcp! {
    .build()
};

// Export the Candid interface
export_candid!();

Connect to AI Clients

# Add your deployed canister to AI clients (interactive selection)
icarus mcp add <your-canister-id>

# Or specify clients directly
icarus mcp add <your-canister-id> --clients claude,chatgpt,claude-code

# Start MCP server for testing (foreground mode)
icarus mcp start <your-canister-id>

# Or run in daemon mode (background)
icarus mcp start <your-canister-id> --daemon

# Now your AI clients have persistent memory! 🧠

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📦 Project Structure

icarus/
├── 🧩 icarus-core        # Core MCP protocol implementation
├── 🔮 icarus-derive      # Procedural macros for less boilerplate
├── 🌐 icarus-wasi        # WASI polyfill and optimization
├── 📦 icarus-canister    # ICP canister integration
├── 🛠️  icarus-cli         # Command-line tools
└── 📚 examples/          # Ready-to-deploy examples

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🌟 Features

🔧 Developer Experience

• Zero Boilerplate - Macros generate all the MCP metadata
• Intelligent Parameter Translation - Seamless JSON to Candid conversion for any parameter style
• Type Safety - Full Rust type checking and IDE support
• Hot Reload - Local development with instant feedback
• Rich CLI - Project scaffolding, deployment, and management

🌍 HTTP Outcalls

use icarus::prelude::*;

// Fetch any external API with one line
let data = http::get("https://api.example.com/data").await?;

// POST JSON with automatic serialization
let response = http::post_json(url, json!({
    "user": "alice",
    "action": "subscribe"
})).await?;

// Built-in retry logic and error handling
let config = HttpConfig {
    max_retries: 5,
    timeout_seconds: 30,
    ..Default::default()
};
let result = http::get_with_config(url, config).await?;

⏰ Autonomous Timers

use icarus::prelude::*;

// Schedule one-time tasks
let cleanup = timers::schedule_once(3600, "hourly-cleanup", || {
    // This runs after 1 hour
    cleanup_old_data();
})?;

// Create recurring tasks
let heartbeat = timers::schedule_periodic(300, "health-check", || {
    // This runs every 5 minutes forever
    check_system_health();
})?;

// Manage timers dynamically
timers::cancel_timer(cleanup)?;
let active = timers::list_active_timers();

💾 Stable Storage

use icarus::prelude::*;

/// Memory persists forever on the blockchain
#[update]
#[icarus::tool("Store a memory that lasts forever", auth = "user")]
pub async fn remember(key: String, value: String) -> Result<String, String> {
    // Built-in stable storage automatically persists data
    stable_store(&key, &value).await?;
    Ok("Memory stored permanently! 🎉".to_string())
}

#[query]
#[icarus::tool("Recall a memory from any session", auth = "user")]
pub fn recall(key: String) -> Result<String, String> {
    stable_get(&key)
        .ok_or_else(|| "Memory not found".to_string())
}

🔐 Built-in Security

• Internet Identity - Secure authentication out of the box
• Principal-based Access - Fine-grained permissions
• Candid Interface - Type-safe client generation

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🏗️ Architecture & Crates

Icarus CDK is organized into focused crates for modularity and flexibility:

Core Crates

• icarus - Main SDK with all features bundled
• icarus-core - Core types, traits, and session management
• icarus-derive - Proc macros (#[tool], derive)
• icarus-canister - ICP integration and stable storage

Specialized Crates

• icarus-wasi - WASI polyfill, detection, and optimization
• icarus-cli - Command-line interface with MCP client integration

Modular Usage

# Use the full SDK (recommended)
icarus = "1.0.0"

# Or pick specific crates for specialized use cases
icarus-core = "1.0.0"      # Core functionality and MCP protocol
icarus-macros = "1.0.0"    # Procedural macros
icarus-runtime = "1.0.0"   # Runtime and tool execution

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📚 Examples

Check out our examples directory for complete, deployable projects:

• Memory Assistant - Persistent note-taking for AI
• GitHub Integration - Repository management tool
• Data Analytics - Time-series data storage

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🛠️ CLI Commands

# Project Management
icarus new <name>           # Create a new project
icarus deploy              # Deploy to ICP (builds automatically)
icarus test                # Run tests

# MCP Client Management (Multi-Client Support)
icarus mcp add <id>         # Add canister to AI clients (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Claude Code)
icarus mcp list             # List all client configurations and servers
icarus mcp remove <id>      # Remove canister from specific clients
icarus mcp dashboard        # Interactive MCP status dashboard
icarus mcp start <id>       # Start MCP server for canister (foreground/daemon mode)

# Bridge Commands (Background Service)
icarus bridge start <id>   # Start bridge for canister (auto-detects identity)
icarus bridge status       # Check bridge status
icarus bridge stop         # Stop running bridge

# Development
icarus dev                 # Start local development
icarus logs <id>          # View canister logs

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🔄 Migration from 0.6.x to 0.7.0

New Architecture: Icarus has been refactored into focused crates for better modularity.

What's New in 0.7.0:

• 🏗️ Modular Architecture: Split into 6 focused crates (icarus-core, icarus-canister, etc.)
• 🧪 Enhanced Testing: 412+ comprehensive tests for improved reliability
• 🛠️ Better Development: Integrated CLI with MCP client management
• 🌉 Native MCP: Built-in MCP protocol support without translation layers

To upgrade:

1. Update your dependency: icarus = "1.0.0"
2. Redeploy: icarus deploy (builds automatically)

No breaking changes - existing code continues to work unchanged. The modular architecture is internal - your application code remains the same.

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📖 Documentation

• Getting Started Guide - Step-by-step tutorial
• Parameter Translation - How MCP JSON maps to ICP Candid
• Parameter Style Guide - Best practices for function parameters
• API Documentation - Complete API reference
• Architecture Overview - How Icarus works
• Migration Guide - Migrate existing MCP servers

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! See our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/galenoshea/icarus-cdk
cd icarus-cdk

# Install dependencies
./scripts/install-deps.sh

# Run tests
cargo test

# Build everything
cargo build --all

Updating Candid Interfaces

When you modify your tool functions in an Icarus project, you need to update the Candid interface (.did file) to reflect the changes:

# Install the generate-did tool (one-time setup)
cargo install candid-extractor
cargo install generate-did

# After modifying your tools, rebuild and update the .did file
cargo build --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --release
generate-did .

# The .did file is automatically updated with all your tool functions

The icarus::auth!() and icarus::mcp!() macros automatically generate all the necessary endpoints, and ic_cdk::export_candid!() embeds the interface in your WASM for extraction.

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💬 Community & Support

• Discord - Join our community
• GitHub Issues - Report bugs
• Discussions - Ask questions

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📄 License

Icarus CDK is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 (BSL). See LICENSE for details.

The BSL allows you to use Icarus CDK for developing and deploying MCP tools to the Icarus Marketplace.

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