implementing-mcp-resources

name	implementing-mcp-resources
description	Implement new MCP resources and resource templates in the deno-mcp-template project. Provides the exact file structure, type signatures, registration steps, and patterns for static resources, KV-backed resources, resource templates with URI patterns, and subscription-based updates. Use when adding a new resource, creating MCP resources, or asking how resources work in this project.

Implementing MCP Resources

Workflow

Task Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Create resource file in src/mcp/resources/
- [ ] Step 2: Define name, URI/template, config, and readCallback
- [ ] Step 3: Export as default ResourcePlugin or ResourceTemplatePlugin
- [ ] Step 4: Register in src/mcp/resources/mod.ts
- [ ] Step 5: (If KV-backed) Add URI-to-key mapping in kvKeys.ts
- [ ] Step 6: Run `deno task ci` to verify

Resource Types

Type	Use Case	URI	Plugin Type
Static resource	Fixed content at a known URI	"hello://world"	ResourcePlugin
KV-backed resource	Persistent, mutable state	"counter://value"	ResourcePlugin
Resource template	Dynamic URI with variables	"greetings://{name}"	ResourceTemplatePlugin

Static Resource Template

Create a new file in src/mcp/resources/.

import type { ResourceMetadata } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import type { ReadResourceResult } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/types.js";

import type { ResourcePlugin } from "$/shared/types.ts";

const name = "myResource";

const uri = "my-scheme://my-path";

const config: ResourceMetadata = {
  description: "What this resource provides",
  mimeType: "text/plain",  // or "application/json"
};

async function readCallback(): Promise<ReadResourceResult> {
  return {
    contents: [{
      uri,
      text: "Resource content here",
    }],
  };
}

const module: ResourcePlugin = {
  type: "resource",
  name,
  uri,
  config,
  readCallback,
};

export default module;

Resource Template (Dynamic URI)

For resources with variable URI segments like greetings://{name}:

import {
  type CompleteResourceTemplateCallback,
  type ResourceMetadata,
  ResourceTemplate,
} from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import type { ReadResourceResult } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/types.js";

import type { ResourceTemplatePlugin } from "$/shared/types.ts";

const name = "myTemplate";

const completeName: CompleteResourceTemplateCallback = (value) => {
  const prefix = value.trim().toLowerCase();
  return suggestions.filter((s) => s.toLowerCase().startsWith(prefix)).slice(0, 5);
};

const template = new ResourceTemplate(
  "my-scheme://{variable}",
  {
    list: undefined,               // optional: callback to list all instances
    complete: { variable: completeName },  // optional: autocomplete per variable
  },
);

const config: ResourceMetadata = {
  mimeType: "text/plain",
};

async function readCallback(
  uri: URL,
  variables: Record<string, unknown>,
): Promise<ReadResourceResult> {
  const variable = variables.variable as string;
  return {
    contents: [{
      uri: uri.toString(),
      text: `Content for ${variable}`,
    }],
  };
}

const module: ResourceTemplatePlugin = {
  type: "template",
  name,
  template,
  config,
  readCallback,
};

export default module;

Registration

In src/mcp/resources/mod.ts:

1. Import the resource: import myResource from "./myResource.ts";
2. Add it to the resources array:

export const resources: AnyResourcePlugin[] = [
  // ... existing resources
  myResource,
];

The server dispatches based on resource.type:

• "resource" calls registerResource(name, uri, config, readCallback)
• "template" calls registerResource(name, template, config, readCallback)

Key Types

From src/shared/types.ts:

export type ResourcePlugin = {
  type: "resource";
  name: string;
  uri: string;
  config: ResourceMetadata;
  readCallback: ReadResourceCallback;
};

export type ResourceTemplatePlugin = {
  type: "template";
  name: string;
  template: ResourceTemplate;
  config: ResourceMetadata;
  readCallback: ReadResourceTemplateCallback;
};

export type AnyResourcePlugin = ResourcePlugin | ResourceTemplatePlugin;

KV-Backed Resources

For resources with persistent mutable state:

1. Create a store file (e.g. myStore.ts) with KV read/write functions:

import { getKvStore } from "$/kv/mod.ts";

export const MY_KEY: Deno.KvKey = ["resource", "my-resource", "value"];

export async function getValue(): Promise<string> {
  const kv = await getKvStore();
  const entry = await kv.get<string>(MY_KEY);
  return entry.value ?? "default";
}

export async function setValue(value: string): Promise<void> {
  const kv = await getKvStore();
  await kv.set(MY_KEY, value);
}

2. Use in the resource readCallback:

import { getValue } from "./myStore.ts";

async function readCallback(): Promise<ReadResourceResult> {
  const value = await getValue();
  return { contents: [{ uri, text: JSON.stringify({ value }) }] };
}

3. Register the KV key mapping in src/mcp/resources/kvKeys.ts:

import { MY_URI } from "./myResource.ts";
import { MY_KEY } from "./myStore.ts";

export const RESOURCE_KV_KEYS: ReadonlyMap<string, Deno.KvKey> = new Map([
  [COUNTER_URI, COUNTER_KEY],
  [MY_URI, MY_KEY],  // add your mapping
]);

This enables automatic subscription notifications — when a tool mutates the KV key, the subscription tracker detects the change and notifies subscribed clients.

Subscription Flow

When resourceSubscribe: true in mcpServerDefinition (src/mcp/serverDefinition.ts), resources get subscription support:

1. Client subscribes to a URI
2. subscriptionTracker.subscribe() starts watching the mapped KV key
3. When the KV key changes, all subscribed clients receive resourceUpdated notifications
4. No manual notification code needed in tools — just mutate KV state

The subscription tracker (src/mcp/resources/subscriptionTracker.ts) handles ref-counting, KV watching, and notifier lifecycle automatically.

ReadResourceResult Format

Both resource types return the same shape:

{
  contents: [{
    uri: string,       // the resource URI
    text: string,      // text content (for text/plain or application/json)
    // OR
    blob: string,      // base64-encoded binary content
  }],
}

Use text for text/JSON, blob for binary data. Set mimeType in config accordingly.

Additional Resources

• For complete resource examples, see examples.md
• MCP Resources spec: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-06-18/server/resources