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stackprep as an MCP server — interview & certification prep for any AI client

Project description

stackprep-mcp

stackprep as an MCP server — interview & certification prep for any AI client

Works with any MCP-compatible client: Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, Continue.dev, Codex CLI, and more. No API key required — your existing AI subscription does the work.


What it does

stackprep-mcp is a pure state-management MCP server. It tracks your session and study packs on disk; your AI client (Claude, Cursor, Codex, etc.) handles all the question generation and scoring logic using the skill rules returned at session start.

  • One question at a time — interview or certification mode
  • Instant scoring with doc links after every answer
  • Auto-detects wrong/partial answers and builds a named study pack
  • Sessions and study packs saved to disk — resume anytime, sync via iCloud
  • Resume in-progress sessions across conversations or devices

Install

Clone the repo and install dependencies with uv:

git clone https://github.com/youngpada1/stackprep-mcp
cd stackprep-mcp
uv sync

Requires uv and Python 3.11+.


Configure your MCP client

Claude Code

Create .mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stackprep": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/stackprep-mcp", "stackprep-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Create ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stackprep": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "--directory", "/path/to/stackprep-mcp", "stackprep-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Then open Cursor → Cmd+Shift+J → MCP tab — stackprep should appear with a green dot.

Codex CLI

Add to ~/.codex/config.yaml:

mcpServers:
  stackprep:
    command: uv
    args:
      - run
      - --directory
      - /path/to/stackprep-mcp
      - stackprep-mcp

Replace /path/to/stackprep-mcp with the absolute path to the cloned repo.


Study pack storage

Study packs and sessions are saved to ~/.stackprep/ by default.

Sync across devices with iCloud (recommended on macOS):

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.zprofile
export STACKPREP_PACKS_DIR="$HOME/Documents/stackprep-packs"

~/Documents is synced to iCloud by default on macOS (requires iCloud Drive > Desktop & Documents enabled). Your packs will be available on any Mac signed into your Apple ID — and readable via the Files app on iPhone.

Custom path:

export STACKPREP_PACKS_DIR="/path/to/your/folder"

Point this at any Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive folder for cross-platform sync.


Environment variables

Variable Default Description
STACKPREP_PACKS_DIR ~/.stackprep Root directory for packs and sessions.

Skills (modes)

Mode Description
certification description: Certification prep skill for the stackprep MCP server. Activated when mode is "certification". Drives question generation, scoring, adaptive difficulty, and study pack creation.
interview description: Interview prep skill for the stackprep MCP server. Activated when mode is "interview". Drives question generation, scoring, adaptive difficulty, and study pack creation.

Tools

Tool Description Args
start_session Start a new stackprep session. Returns a session ID and the skill rules for the AI to follow. mode, cert_name, cv, jd, extra_topics
submit_answer Record the result of an answered question. session_id, result, question
flag_for_study Manually flag the current question for the study pack. session_id, question
end_session End the session. Returns the score and flagged topics so the AI can generate a study plan and study pack. session_id
save_study_pack Save the study pack content to disk. session_id, name, content
list_sessions List all saved sessions (pending and completed).
resume_session Resume a previously saved session. Returns full session state and skill rules. session_id
list_study_packs List all saved study packs.
load_study_pack Load a previously saved study pack by name. name

Session flow

Certification:

list_sessions()                                          ← always called first
→ start_session(mode="certification", cert_name="AWS SAA-C03")
→ [AI generates questions one at a time]
→ submit_answer(session_id, result="correct"|"partial"|"incorrect", question="...")
→ ... repeat ...
→ end_session(session_id)
→ save_study_pack(session_id, name="aws-saa-week1", content="...")

Interview:

list_sessions()                                          ← always called first
→ start_session(mode="interview", cv="...", jd="...")
→ [AI generates questions one at a time]
→ submit_answer(session_id, result="correct"|"partial"|"incorrect", question="...")
→ ... repeat ...
→ end_session(session_id)
→ save_study_pack(session_id, name="python-interview-june", content="...")

Resuming a session:

list_sessions()                → shows in-progress sessions
→ resume_session(session_id)  → loads state + skill rules, continues where you left off

Loading a saved study pack:

list_study_packs()
→ load_study_pack(name="aws-saa-week1")

Session persistence

Every session is saved to disk on every update. At the start of each new conversation the AI automatically calls list_sessions and asks whether you want to resume an in-progress session or start a new one. Sessions are stored in ~/.stackprep/sessions/ (or your custom STACKPREP_PACKS_DIR).


Also available as a Claude Code plugin

For Claude Projects or direct Claude.ai use, the behaviour rules are also available as a standalone skill file at plugins/stackprep — no install needed.


Contributing / Development

git clone https://github.com/youngpada1/stackprep-mcp
cd stackprep-mcp

# Install dependencies
uv sync

# Activate the pre-commit hook (auto-regenerates README on every commit)
git config core.hooksPath .githooks

# Run the server locally
uv run stackprep-mcp

The README is auto-generated from server.py tool definitions and the skills files in src/stackprep_mcp/skills/. To regenerate manually:

uv run python scripts/generate_readme.py

License

MIT — Flavia Fauconnet

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