Roocode Mcp

How to Use MCP with Roocode AI Coding IDE: A Developer's Guide

In today's rapidly evolving landscape of AI-assisted development, Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP) stands as a breakthrough technology enabling deeper integration between large language models and development environments. MCP allows Claude to step beyond the confines of a chat interface and interact directly with your development tools. When integrated with Roocode AI Coding IDE, MCP creates a powerful symbiosis that extends Claude's capabilities to include code execution, file manipulation, and repository analysis—all while maintaining the context of your specific project. This guide will walk you through the practical steps to set up and leverage MCP within Roocode, transforming your coding workflow into a more intelligent, context-aware experience.

GitHub Roocode MCP Integration Repository (opens in a new tab)

Prerequisites

Before beginning the integration process, ensure you have:

  • Roocode AI Coding IDE (version 2.5.0 or later)
  • Claude Desktop application with Professional Plan (MCP features require a paid subscription)
  • Node.js (v16.x or later) installed
  • Git installed
  • Basic familiarity with terminal/command-line operations
  • 2GB of free disk space for MCP server installation

Understanding MCP Architecture

To effectively work with MCP in Roocode, understanding the underlying architecture is crucial:

  1. Client-Server Model: Claude acts as a client that communicates with MCP servers that provide extended capabilities.

  2. JSON-RPC Protocol: Communication occurs via standardized JSON-RPC messages over HTTP, allowing Claude to:

    • Request file system operations
    • Execute code in isolated environments
    • Process information about your codebase
    • Receive results back in structured formats

  3. Context Awareness: MCP servers maintain workspace context, enabling Claude to reason about your entire project rather than just snippets.

┌─────────────────┐      ┌─────────────────┐      ┌─────────────────┐
│  Claude Desktop │ <─── │   MCP Server    │ <─── │  Roocode IDE    │
│                 │ ───> │                 │ ───> │                 │
└─────────────────┘      └─────────────────┘      └─────────────────┘

Setting Up the Environment

1. Configure Claude Desktop for MCP

First, ensure your Claude Desktop app is properly configured:

  1. Open Claude Desktop application
  2. Navigate to Settings > Advanced Features
  3. Toggle "Enable MCP Connections" to ON
  4. Locate your Claude configuration file:
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_config.json
    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_config.json
    • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_config.json

Edit this file to include the Roocode MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcp_servers": [
    {
      "name": "roocode-mcp",
      "url": "http://localhost:3080",
      "auth": {
        "type": "none"  // For development; use token auth in production
      },
      "enabled": true
    }
  ]
}

2. Install the Roocode MCP Server

Clone the MCP integration repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/roocode/mcp-integration.git
cd mcp-integration/server
npm install

Create a configuration file named .env in the server directory:

PORT=3080
LOG_LEVEL=info
WORKSPACE_ROOT=/path/to/your/projects
MAX_FILE_SIZE=5242880
EXECUTION_TIMEOUT=30000
ALLOW_REMOTE_CONNECTIONS=false

Start the MCP server:

npm run start

You should see output similar to:

Roocode MCP Server starting...
Server listening on port 3080
Ready to connect with Claude Desktop

Configuring Roocode IDE

1. Install the MCP Extension for Roocode

Open Roocode AI Coding IDE and:

  1. Navigate to Extensions panel (⌘⇧X / Ctrl+Shift+X)
  2. Search for "Roocode MCP Connector"
  3. Click Install

Alternatively, install from the command palette with:

> Roocode: Install Extension
> mcp-connector

2. Configure the Extension

Open Roocode settings (⌘, / Ctrl+,) and search for "MCP". Configure the following settings:

{
  "mcp.serverUrl": "http://localhost:3080",
  "mcp.autoConnect": true,
  "mcp.workspaceLimits": {
    "maxFilesToIndex": 10000,
    "excludePatterns": [
      "node_modules/**",
      ".git/**",
      "dist/**",
      "build/**"
    ]
  },
  "mcp.executionSandbox": "isolated",
  "mcp.enableInlineCodeLens": true
}

3. Connect Claude to Roocode

  1. Open the Claude Desktop app
  2. Type: "I want to connect to my Roocode IDE through MCP"
  3. Claude will initiate the connection with the MCP server
  4. Confirm the connection in the notification prompt that appears in Roocode

When connected successfully, you'll see a status indicator in the Roocode status bar showing "MCP: Connected".

Practical MCP Usage in Roocode

Once connected, you can leverage MCP's capabilities through Claude in several powerful ways:

1. Codebase Exploration and Understanding

Claude can now navigate and understand your project structure:

Claude, analyze the architecture of my current project and explain how the authentication system works.

Behind the scenes, MCP enables Claude to:

  • Scan your project directory structure
  • Read relevant source files
  • Identify relationships between components
  • Provide insights based on the complete context

2. Contextual Code Generation

MCP enables Claude to write code that perfectly matches your project's style and patterns:

Generate a new API endpoint for user profile updates following our existing controller pattern and error handling approach.

Claude can now:

  • Examine existing controllers to understand your patterns
  • Check your error handling implementations
  • Use your naming conventions consistently
  • Import the correct dependencies

3. Integrated Testing and Debugging

Ask Claude to help identify and fix bugs with full context:

I'm getting a TypeError on line 42 of user-service.js. Can you help diagnose the issue?

Using MCP, Claude can:

  • Read the file containing the error
  • Examine related files and dependencies
  • Propose specific fixes
  • Even generate test cases to verify the solution

4. Code Execution and Evaluation

Roocode's MCP integration allows Claude to run and test code directly:

Create a function to parse this CSV data and run it with the sample file in the /data directory to verify it works.

Through MCP, Claude can:

  • Write the parsing function
  • Access the sample file
  • Execute the code in a secure sandbox
  • Show you the results
  • Refine the solution based on outcomes

Use the dedicated "Execute with Claude" button in the Roocode interface to run selected code blocks.

Advanced MCP Features in Roocode

1. Project Templates and Scaffolding

Roocode's MCP integration includes project templating capabilities:

# In the Roocode Terminal
roocode-mcp scaffold --type=react-component --name=UserDashboard

This command prompts Claude to:

  1. Generate a component structure following your project conventions
  2. Create necessary files (component, tests, styles)
  3. Add appropriate imports and exports
  4. Integrate with your existing state management

2. Documentation Generation

MCP can help maintain up-to-date documentation:

Claude, generate JSDoc comments for all functions in the authentication module and update our API documentation markdown file.

MCP allows Claude to:

  • Find all relevant functions
  • Generate appropriate documentation
  • Update or create markdown files
  • Maintain consistent documentation style

3. Git Operations

Roocode's MCP connector enables Claude to help with Git operations:

Analyze my recent changes and help me craft a detailed commit message.

Through MCP, Claude can:

  • Review changed files using git diff
  • Understand the context of changes
  • Suggest meaningful commit messages
  • Help organize changes into logical commits

4. Custom MCP Workflows

Create custom workflows in your .roocode/mcp-workflows.json file:

{
  "workflows": [
    {
      "name": "audit-dependencies",
      "description": "Audit project dependencies for security issues",
      "steps": [
        {
          "type": "execute",
          "command": "npm audit --json",
          "saveResultAs": "auditResult"
        },
        {
          "type": "analyze",
          "input": "{{auditResult}}",
          "prompt": "Analyze security vulnerabilities and suggest fixes"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Execute workflows from the Roocode command palette:

> Roocode: Run MCP Workflow
> audit-dependencies

Troubleshooting MCP Connections

Common Issues and Solutions

  1. Connection Failures

    • Verify the MCP server is running: curl http://localhost:3080/health
    • Check firewall settings aren't blocking connections
    • Ensure the port in your Claude configuration matches the running server

  2. Permission Issues

    # Ensure proper permissions for workspace directory
chmod -R u+r /path/to/your/projects

  3. Performance Problems

    • Adjust indexing settings for large codebases:
    "mcp.workspaceLimits": {
  "maxFilesToIndex": 5000,
  "maxFileSize": 1048576
}

  4. Execution Sandbox Issues

    • For Node.js execution problems:
    # Install isolated VM dependencies
cd mcp-integration/server
npm install isolated-vm

  5. Debugging MCP Connections

    • Enable debug logs:
    LOG_LEVEL=debug npm run start
    • View logs in the Roocode output panel:
    > Roocode: Show MCP Logs

Security Best Practices

  1. Restricted Execution:

    • Only allow execution in sandboxed environments
    • Limit available libraries and system calls

  2. Authentication:

    • For production use, enable token-based authentication:
    "auth": {
  "type": "token",
  "token": "your-secure-token-here"
}

  3. Filesystem Limitations:

    • Restrict MCP access to specific workspace directories only
    • Use read-only mode when full write access isn't needed

  4. Network Isolation:

    • Set ALLOW_REMOTE_CONNECTIONS=false to limit connections to localhost

Conclusion

Integrating Claude's MCP with Roocode AI Coding IDE creates a powerful development environment where your AI assistant operates with full awareness of your project context. While the setup process requires several configuration steps, the resulting workflow enhancements deliver significant productivity gains.

The true power of MCP in Roocode lies in the contextual understanding it provides. Rather than isolated conversations about code snippets, you now have an assistant that can reason about your entire codebase, understand project patterns, and deliver solutions that integrate seamlessly with your existing work.

As Anthropic continues to enhance MCP capabilities and Roocode extends its integration, we can expect even more powerful features to emerge, further blurring the line between AI assistants and collaborative programming partners.

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