PHP MCP MCP server

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standardized way to provide context and tools to your LLMs. The pronskiy/mcp PHP package makes building MCP servers simple and intuitive, allowing you to create tools, expose resources, define prompts, and connect components with clean PHP code.

Installation

You can install the package using Composer:

composer require pronskiy/mcp

Usage

Basic Server Setup

To create a simple MCP server with tools, you need to initialize the server and define your tools:

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

$server = new \Pronskiy\Mcp\Server('simple-mcp-server');

$server
    ->tool(
        'add-numbers',
        'Adds two numbers together',
        fn(float $num1, float $num2) => "The sum of {$num1} and {$num2} is " . ($num1 + $num2)
    )
    ->tool(
        'multiply-numbers',
        'Multiplies two numbers',
        fn(float $num1, float $num2) => "The product of {$num1} and {$num2} is " . ($num1 * $num2)
    )
;

$server->run();

Tool Definition

The tool() method takes three parameters:

• Tool name/identifier
• Tool description
• Callback function that implements the tool's functionality

Running the Server

The run() method starts the MCP server, making your tools available to LLMs that connect to it.

Best Practices

• Give each tool a clear and descriptive name
• Provide detailed descriptions for your tools so LLMs understand when to use them
• Ensure your callback functions return meaningful responses
• Use type hints in your callback parameters for better validation

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.