What is RestAPI

mcp-rest-api is a TypeScript-based MCP server designed for testing REST APIs through Cline. It allows developers to interact with and test any REST API endpoints directly from their development environment.

Use cases

Use cases for mcp-rest-api include testing specific API endpoints, debugging API responses, verifying API functionality, checking response times, validating request/response formats, testing local development servers, and verifying error handling.

How to use

To use mcp-rest-api, install it via Smithery or manually using npm. Configure Cline with the necessary custom instructions and environment variables for authentication and API settings. Add the server to your MCP configuration based on your operating system.

Key features

Key features include support for GET, POST, PUT, DELETE methods, automatic handling of authentication (Basic, Bearer, API Key), detailed response information, configurable SSL verification, and response size limits.

Where to use

MCP REST API Tester

A TypeScript-based MCP server that enables testing of REST APIs through Cline. This tool allows you to test and interact with any REST API endpoints directly from your development environment.

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install REST API Tester for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install dkmaker-mcp-rest-api --client claude

Installing Manually

1. Install the package globally:

npm install -g dkmaker-mcp-rest-api

2. Configure Cline Custom Instructions:

To ensure Cline understands how to effectively use this tool, add the following to your Cline custom instructions (Settings > Custom Instructions):

# REST API Testing Instructions

The `test_request` tool enables testing, debugging, and interacting with REST API endpoints. The tool provides comprehensive request/response information and handles authentication automatically.

## When to Use

- Testing specific API endpoints
- Debugging API responses
- Verifying API functionality
- Checking response times
- Validating request/response formats
- Testing local development servers
- Testing API sequences
- Verifying error handling

## Key Features

- Supports GET, POST, PUT, DELETE methods
- Handles authentication (Basic, Bearer, API Key)
- Normalizes endpoints automatically
- Provides detailed response information
- Configurable SSL verification and response limits

## Resources

The following resources provide detailed documentation:

- examples: Usage examples and common patterns
- response-format: Response structure and fields
- config: Configuration options and setup guide

Access these resources to understand usage, response formats, and configuration options.

## Important Notes

- Review API implementation for expected behavior
- Handle sensitive data appropriately
- Consider rate limits and API constraints
- Restart server after configuration changes

3. Add the server to your MCP configuration:

While these instructions are for Cline, the server should work with any MCP implementation. Configure based on your operating system:

Windows

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Due to a known issue with Windows path resolution (issue #40), you must use the full path instead of %APPDATA%.

Add to C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json:

macOS

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json:

Note: Replace the environment variables with your actual values. Only configure one authentication method at a time:

1. Basic Authentication (username/password)
2. Bearer Token (if Basic Auth is not configured)
3. API Key (if neither Basic Auth nor Bearer Token is configured)

Features

• Test REST API endpoints with different HTTP methods

• Support for GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests

• Detailed response information including status, headers, and body

• Custom Headers:

  • Global headers via HEADER_* environment variables
  • Case-insensitive prefix (HEADER_, header_, HeAdEr_)
  • Case preservation for header names
  • Priority-based application (per-request > auth > custom)

• Request body handling for POST/PUT methods

• Response Size Management:

  • Automatic response size limiting (default: 10KB/10000 bytes)
  • Configurable size limit via REST_RESPONSE_SIZE_LIMIT environment variable
  • Clear truncation metadata when responses exceed limit
  • Preserves response structure while only truncating body content

• SSL Certificate Verification:

  • Enabled by default for secure operation
  • Can be disabled for self-signed certificates or development environments
  • Control via REST_ENABLE_SSL_VERIFY environment variable

• Multiple authentication methods:

  • Basic Authentication (username/password)
  • Bearer Token Authentication
  • API Key Authentication (custom header)

Usage Examples

Once installed and configured, you can use the REST API Tester through Cline to test your API endpoints:

// Test a GET endpoint
use_mcp_tool('rest-api', 'test_request', {
  "method": "GET",
  "endpoint": "/users"
});

// Test a POST endpoint with body
use_mcp_tool('rest-api', 'test_request', {
  "method": "POST",
  "endpoint": "/users",
  "body": {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  }
});

// Test with custom headers
use_mcp_tool('rest-api', 'test_request', {
  "method": "GET",
  "endpoint": "/products",
  "headers": {
    "Accept-Language": "en-US",
    "X-Custom-Header": "custom-value"
  }
});

Development

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/zenturacp/mcp-rest-api.git
cd mcp-rest-api

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the project:

npm run build

For development with auto-rebuild:

npm run watch

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.