Java Conferences MCP server

This MCP server lets you retrieve information about Java conferences through AI models. It parses data from a GitHub repository and provides details like conference names, locations, dates, and CFP (Call for Papers) information.

Installation and Setup

Prerequisites

• Java Development Kit (JDK)
• Maven (for building)
• An MCP client such as Claude Desktop

Building the Server

You need to build the server JAR file using Maven:

mvn clean package

This will create a JAR file at target/javaconf-mcp-server-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar.

Connecting to an MCP Client

Claude Desktop Configuration

To connect Claude Desktop to this MCP server, update your claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": { 
    "javaConf-mcp-server": {
      "command": "java",
      "args": [
        "-jar", 
        "PATH_TO_PROJECT/javaConf-mcp-server/target/javaconf-mcp-server-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar"
      ]
    }
  }
}

If you're using SDKMAN for Java version management, specify the full path to your Java executable:

"command": "PATH_TO_USER/.sdkman/candidates/java/current/bin/java"

Server Configuration

The server is pre-configured to fetch data from the Java conferences GitHub repository. The data source URL is defined in application.properties:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/javaconferences/javaconferences.github.io/main/README.md

Using the Tool

Once connected, you can interact with the MCP server through your AI client by asking questions about Java conferences.

Available Tool

The server provides a tool called getJavaConferences with the following capabilities:

• Input Parameter: year (Optional) - A 4-digit year to filter conferences. If omitted, it defaults to the current year.
• Output: List of conference information including:
  • Conference name
  • Date
  • Location
  • Hybrid status
  • CFP link and closing date
  • Main conference link
  • Country

Example Queries

You can ask the AI questions like:

• "What are the upcoming Java conferences?"
• "What Java conferences are happening in Europe this year?"
• "What are hybrid conferences?"
• "Give me the CFP link of Jfokus conference to submit a talk"
• "Which conferences have open calls for papers?"
• "What conferences are happening in 2024?"

The AI will use the MCP server to retrieve the relevant conference information and present it to you in a readable format.

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.