Getting Started with gomcptest

This tutorial will guide you through setting up the gomcptest system and configuring Google Cloud authentication for the project.

What is gomcptest?

gomcptest is a proof of concept (POC) implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) with a custom-built host. It enables AI models like Google’s Gemini to interact with their environment through a set of tools, creating powerful agentic systems.

Key Components

The project consists of three main parts:

1. Host Components:

   • cliGCP: A command-line interface similar to Claude Code or ChatGPT, allowing direct interaction with AI models and tools
   • openaiserver: A server that implements the OpenAI API interface, enabling compatibility with existing OpenAI clients while using Google’s Vertex AI behind the scenes

2. MCP Tools:

   • Bash: Execute shell commands
   • Edit/Replace: Modify file contents
   • GlobTool/GrepTool: Find files and search content
   • LS/View: Navigate and read the filesystem
   • dispatch_agent: Create sub-agents with specific tasks

3. MCP Protocol: The standardized communication layer that allows models to discover, invoke, and receive results from tools

Use Cases

gomcptest enables a variety of agent-based applications:

• Code assistance and pair programming
• File system navigation and management
• Data analysis and processing
• Automated documentation
• Custom domain-specific agents

Prerequisites

• Go >= 1.21 installed on your system
• Google Cloud account with access to Vertex AI API
• Google Cloud CLI installed
• Basic familiarity with terminal/command line

Setting up Google Cloud Authentication

Before using gomcptest with Google Cloud Platform services like Vertex AI, you need to set up your authentication.

1. Initialize the Google Cloud CLI

If you haven’t already configured the Google Cloud CLI, run:

gcloud init

This interactive command will guide you through:

• Logging into your Google account
• Selecting a Google Cloud project
• Setting default configurations

2. Log in to Google Cloud

Authenticate your gcloud CLI with your Google account:

gcloud auth login

This will open a browser window where you can sign in to your Google account.

3. Set up Application Default Credentials (ADC)

Application Default Credentials are used by client libraries to automatically find credentials when connecting to Google Cloud services:

gcloud auth application-default login

This command will:

1. Open a browser window for authentication
2. Store your credentials locally (typically in ~/.config/gcloud/application_default_credentials.json)
3. Configure your environment to use these credentials when accessing Google Cloud APIs

These credentials will be used by gomcptest when interacting with Google Cloud services.

Project Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/owulveryck/gomcptest.git
   cd gomcptest
   

2. Build Tools: Compile all MCP-compatible tools

   make tools
   

3. Choose Interface:

   • Run the OpenAI-compatible server: See the OpenAI Server Tutorial
   • Use the CLI directly: See the cliGCP Tutorial

What’s Next

After completing the basic setup:

• Explore the different tools in the tools directory
• Try creating agent tasks with gomcptest
• Check out the how-to guides for specific use cases