https://github.com/cohere-ai/north-mcp-python-sdk
An sdk for creating MCP Servers with north
https://github.com/cohere-ai/north-mcp-python-sdk
Last synced: 4 months ago
JSON representation
An sdk for creating MCP Servers with north
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/cohere-ai/north-mcp-python-sdk
- Owner: cohere-ai
- License: mit
- Created: 2025-05-08T13:04:41.000Z (6 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-06-10T21:24:49.000Z (5 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-06-10T22:29:44.529Z (5 months ago)
- Language: Python
- Size: 65.4 KB
- Stars: 3
- Watchers: 4
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 1
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# North MCP Python SDK
This SDK builds on top of the original SDK. Please refer to the [original repository's README](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk) for general information. This README focuses on North-specific details.
## Installation
```
uv pip install git+ssh://git@github.com/cohere-ai/north-mcp-python-sdk.git
```
## Why this repository
This repository provides code to enable your server to use authentication with North, a custom extension to the original specification. Other than that, no changes are made to the SDK; this builds on top of it.
## Main differences
* North only supports the StreamableHTTP transport. The sse transport is deprecated, it will work for backwards compatibility, but you shouldn't use it if you are creating new servers
* You can protect all requests to your server with a secret.
* You can access the user's OAuth token to interact with third-party services on their behalf.
* You can access the user's identity (from the identity provider used with North).
* **Debug mode** for detailed authentication logging and troubleshooting.
## Examples
This repository contains example servers that you can use as a quickstart. You can find them in the [examples directory](https://github.com/cohere-ai/north-mcp-python-sdk/tree/main/examples).
There are 2 examples, one that uses the auth to get the user making the tool call, and the other one shows how to send the right metadata so that the North UI can display the tool call results correctly.
## Authentication
This SDK offers several strategies for authenticating users and authorizing their requests.
#### I only want north to be able to send requests to my server
```python
mcp = NorthMCPServer(name="Demo", port=5222, server_secret="secret")
```
#### I want to get the identity of the north user that is calling my server
Refer to `examples/server_with_auth.py`. During your request call the following:
```python
user = get_authenticated_user()
print(user.email)
```
#### I need access to a third party service via oauth (e.g.: google drive, slack, etc...)
Similar as above:
```
user = get_authenticated_user()
print(user.connector_access_tokens)
```
## Debug Mode
The North MCP SDK includes a comprehensive debug mode that provides detailed logging of authentication processes, incoming requests, and token validation. This is invaluable when troubleshooting authentication issues.
### Enabling Debug Mode
There are several ways to enable debug mode:
#### 1. Environment Variable (Recommended)
```bash
export DEBUG=true
python your_server.py
```
#### 2. Constructor Parameter
```python
mcp = NorthMCPServer(name="Demo", port=5222, debug=True)
```
### What Gets Logged in Debug Mode
When debug mode is enabled, you'll see detailed logs including:
- **Request Headers**: All incoming HTTP headers (including Authorization)
- **Token Parsing**: Base64 decoding and JSON parsing of auth tokens
- **JWT Validation**: User ID token decoding and validation steps
- **Authentication Details**: User email, available connectors, token counts
- **Error Context**: Detailed error messages with troubleshooting context
### Example Debug Output
```
2024-01-15 10:30:45 - NorthMCP.Auth - DEBUG - Authenticating request from ('127.0.0.1', 54321)
2024-01-15 10:30:45 - NorthMCP.Auth - DEBUG - Request headers: {'authorization': 'Bearer eyJ...', 'content-type': 'application/json'}
2024-01-15 10:30:45 - NorthMCP.Auth - DEBUG - Authorization header present (length: 248)
2024-01-15 10:30:45 - NorthMCP.Auth - DEBUG - Successfully decoded base64 auth header
2024-01-15 10:30:45 - NorthMCP.Auth - DEBUG - Successfully parsed auth tokens. Has server_secret: True, Has user_id_token: True, Connector count: 2
2024-01-15 10:30:45 - NorthMCP.Auth - DEBUG - Available connectors: ['google', 'slack']
2024-01-15 10:30:45 - NorthMCP.Auth - DEBUG - Successfully decoded user ID token. Email: user@example.com
2024-01-15 10:30:45 - NorthMCP.AuthContext - DEBUG - Setting authenticated user in context: email=user@example.com, connectors=['google', 'slack']
```
### Debug Mode Examples
See the - `examples/server_with_debug.py` for a debug mode for an example:
### Security Note
Debug mode logs sensitive information including request headers and token metadata. **Never enable debug mode in production environments** as it may expose authentication details in logs.
## Local Development without North
This guide describes how to test your MCP server locally without connecting it to North. For this, we will use the MCP Inspector. You can run it with:
```
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
```
If authentication is not required and you just want to run it locally, you can choose the stdio transport. Navigate to the [MCP Inspector](http://127.0.0.1:6274) and configure it as follows:
* Transport Type: stdio
* Command: uv
* Arguments: run examples/server_with_auth.py --transport stdio
From here:
* Click "Connect"
* Select "Tools" on the top of the screen.
* Click "List Tools" -> "add"
* Add the numbers and click "Run". You should see the sum.
### Adding authentication
If you want to test the authentication mechanism locally you can do the following. First start the server with the streamable http transport:
```
uv run examples/server_with_auth.py --transport streamable-http
```
Next, create a bearer token. You can generate one using `examples/create_bearer_token.py` or use a pre-made one.
Navigate to the MCP Inspector and configure it like this:
* Transport Type: Streamable HTTP
* URL: http://localhost:5222/mcp
* Authentication -> Bearer token: eyJzZXJ2ZXJfc2VjcmV0IjogInNlcnZlcl9zZWNyZXQiLCAidXNlcl9pZF90b2tlbiI6ICJleUpoYkdjaU9pSklVekkxTmlJc0luUjVjQ0k2SWtwWFZDSjkuZXlKbGJXRnBiQ0k2SW5SbGMzUkFZMjl0Y0dGdWVTNWpiMjBpZlEuV0pjckVUUi1MZnFtX2xrdE9vdjd0Q1ktTmZYR2JuYTVUMjhaeFhTaEZ4SSIsICJjb25uZWN0b3JfYWNjZXNzX3Rva2VucyI6IHsiZ29vZ2xlIjogImFiYyJ9fQ==
Follow the same process as before. When you call the tool, you should see the following log in the terminal where you started the server:
```
This tool was called by: test@company.com
```