mcp-date-server

An example Python package that implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server with a single tool:

• getTodaysDate: returns today's date in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD).

This server is implemented using the Python mcp SDK and is suitable for use with MCP-compatible clients.

Project Structure

mcp-date-server/
├── pyproject.toml
├── README.md
└── src/
    └── mcp_date_server/
        ├── __init__.py
        └── server.py

• pyproject.toml: build configuration and package metadata.
• src/mcp_date_server/server.py: MCP server implementation and getTodaysDate tool.

Installation (from source)

1. Clone or copy this project into a directory, then from the project root run:

   python -m venv .venv
   .venv\Scripts\activate  # Windows
   # source .venv/bin/activate  # Linux/macOS
   
   pip install --upgrade pip
   pip install .
   

2. This installs the mcp-date-server console script into your environment.

You can also build a wheel and install it:

pip install build
python -m build
pip install dist/mcp_date_server-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl

Usage

Once installed in an activated virtual environment, you can run the MCP server via the console entry point:

mcp-date-server

This starts an MCP server on stdio for an MCP client to connect to.

MCP Client Configuration Example

How you configure this server depends on your MCP-compatible client. As a conceptual example (not specific to any one client), you might register the server with a command like:

{
  "name": "mcp-date-server",
  "command": "mcp-date-server",
  "args": []
}

Refer to your MCP client documentation for the exact configuration format.

The getTodaysDate Tool

The MCP tool is defined in src/mcp_date_server/server.py:

• Name: getTodaysDate
• Description: Returns today's date in ISO format YYYY-MM-DD.
• Return type: string.

Example result value:

"2026-01-28"

Publishing to PyPI

1. Ensure you have an up-to-date build and twine:

   pip install --upgrade build twine
   

2. Build the distribution artifacts:

   python -m build
   # Outputs files under the dist/ directory
   

3. Upload to PyPI (or TestPyPI first):

   # For TestPyPI
   twine upload --repository testpypi dist/*
   
   # For real PyPI
   twine upload dist/*
   

4. After publishing, users can install it with:

   pip install mcp-date-server
   

Requirements

• Python 3.9+
• The mcp Python package (installed automatically via pyproject.toml).

Running Locally Without Installing

For quick local testing without installing as a package:

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate  # Windows
# source .venv/bin/activate  # Linux/macOS

pip install -e .

mcp-date-server

This installs the package in editable mode and exposes the mcp-date-server entry point for development.