Expand README with detailed usage instructions for stdio and HTTP modes, requirements, build, and deployment steps

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Jordan Wages 2026-08-19 14:23:40 -05:00
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# cs-mic-mcp # cs-mic-mcp
An MCP server providing deterministic to LLMs. `cs-mic-mcp` is a small [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) server that gives an MCP client a deterministic calculator. It evaluates expressions with the [CSMic](https://git.jordanwages.com/wagesj45/cs-mic) expression parser instead of asking a language model to do the arithmetic itself.
It provides:
- `calculate(expression)`: evaluate an expression.
- `search(expression)`: find supported CSMic functions and their arguments. Use an empty search to list them all.
- A function-reference resource for clients that support MCP resources.
For example, a client can call `calculate` with an expression such as `sqrt(144)` or use `search` to discover the exact syntax of a function.
## Requirements
- The .NET 10 SDK to build or run from source.
## Run locally with stdio
Use this mode when the MCP client starts the server as a local subprocess. The server communicates only through standard input and output, so it does not listen on a network port.
From the repository root:
```bash
dotnet run --project src/cs-mic-mcp -- --stdio
```
Configure your MCP client to launch that command. A typical command-based configuration looks like this (adjust the working directory or use an absolute project path if your client starts elsewhere):
```json
{
"command": "dotnet",
"args": ["run", "--project", "src/cs-mic-mcp", "--", "--stdio"],
"cwd": "/path/to/cs-mic-mcp"
}
```
Do not write ordinary output to the terminal while using stdio mode: stdout is reserved for MCP messages.
## Serve over HTTP
Run without `--stdio` to host the MCP endpoint over HTTP:
```bash
dotnet run --project src/cs-mic-mcp
```
By default, the development profile listens on `http://localhost:5000`. Connect an HTTP-capable MCP client to:
```
http://localhost:5000/mcp
```
To use a different address or port, set ASP.NET Core's URL setting when starting the server:
```bash
ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://localhost:8080 dotnet run --project src/cs-mic-mcp
```
The MCP endpoint would then be `http://localhost:8080/mcp`.
## Build and publish
Build the project:
```bash
dotnet build src/cs-mic-mcp/cs-mic-mcp.csproj
```
Publish self-contained, single-file builds for the project's supported platforms:
```bash
dotnet msbuild src/cs-mic-mcp/cs-mic-mcp.csproj -t:PublishAll
```
The output is placed under `src/cs-mic-mcp/bin/Publish/`, with one folder per platform. Run the published executable with `--stdio` for local-process use, or without it for HTTP serving.
## Notes
This server enables permissive CORS for its HTTP endpoint so browser-based MCP clients can connect. If you expose it beyond your own machine, put it behind the authentication and network controls appropriate for your environment.