TMDB MCP Server Example

This example MCP server demonstrates how to create a custom MCP Server and add your own tools using the MCP protocol.

To use this example, you'll need a TMDB API access token. The server connects to The Movie Database (TMDB) to fetch detailed actor and movie information. Make sure you have a valid TMDB API token ready, as it is required for the server to function properly.

Features

This MCP server provides two simple tools for interacting with The Movie Database (TMDB):

• get_actor_info:
  Allows you to search for an actor by name and retrieve detailed information such as their biography, date and place of birth and more.

• get_movies_by_actor:
  Allows you to retrieve a list of movies associated with a particular actor by providing their TMDB ID.

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Prerequisites

This project is written in Rust and uses the rust-mcp-sdk library.
Cargo, Rust’s package manager and build tool, is required to build and run the project.

1. Install Rust and Cargo

• Windows/Mac/Linux:
  Visit https://rustup.rs/ and follow the instructions to download and run the installer.

• After installation, restart your terminal and check that Rust and Cargo are installed:

  rustc --version
  cargo --version
  

2. Get a TMDB API Token

• Sign up for a free account at TMDB.
• Go to your account settings → API → Request an API key.
• Once you have your API key (token), keep it handy for the next step.

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Building the Project

1. Clone or Download the Repository

   If you have Git:

   git clone https://github.com/theREDspace/mcp-server-example.git
   cd mcp-server-example/techshare-mcp
   

   Or, download the ZIP from GitHub and extract it, then open a terminal in the techshare-mcp folder.

2. Build the Project

   In the techshare-mcp directory, run:

   cargo build --release
   

   This will download dependencies and compile the project.
   The compiled binary will be in target/release/techshare-mcp.

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Using with MCP Inspector or Cloud Desktop

MCP Inspector

1. Install and launch MCP Inspector by running:

  npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/inspector@latest

2. MCP Inspector will be opened in the browser.
3. Select STDIO as "Transport Type" and enter the compiled binary path in the "Command" text box.
4. Set the TMDB_TOKEN environment variable in the "Environment Variables" section.
5. Click "Connect".
6. Once connected, you will see the available tools and can invoke them as needed.

Cloud Desktop

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Troubleshooting

• Missing TMDB Token:
  If you see an error about TMDB_TOKEN must be set in environment, make sure you set the environment variable before running the server.

• Build Errors:
  Ensure Rust and Cargo are installed and up to date. Run rustup update if needed.

• Cannot Connect from MCP Inspector/Cloud Desktop:
  Double-check the path to the binary.

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Project Structure

• src/main.rs — Entry point, sets up the server.
• src/mcp_handler.rs — Handles incoming MCP requests.
• src/tools/ — Contains the tool definitions, and uses the tmdb_client.
• src/tmdb_client.rs — Communicates with TMDB API.

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More Information

• MCP Protocol Documentation
• TMDB API Documentation

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License

This project is for educational and demonstration purposes.