SSE MCP Server with JWT Authentication

This is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) SSE server with JWT-based authentication.
It allows you to expose multiple AI tools over an SSE transport, protected via secure Bearer Token flow.

Built with:

• Node.js + Express
• @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
• JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for authentication
• Zod for input validation

Fully tested with @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

Project Structure

server/
├── index.ts          # Main Express + MCP server
├── .env              # Environment variables
├── package.json      # Project metadata & scripts
├── tsconfig.json     # TypeScript config
└── README.md         # You are here!

Features

• Secure SSE connection using Bearer JWT token
• Dynamic Tool registration (echo, time, random number, etc.)
• Tested with MCP Inspector
• Logs all request lifecycle events
• Session management for /message endpoint
• Ready to extend for production use

Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/anisirji/mcp-server-remote-setup-with-jwt-auth.git
cd mcp-server-remote-setup-with-jwt-auth

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Create .env file

echo "JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key" > .env

4. Run the server

npm run dev

Server will run on:

http://localhost:3001/sse

Testing the server with MCP Inspector

Step 1 — Install MCP Inspector

Official Docs: MCP Inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

Step 2 — Generate a token

Use cURL to get your JWT token:

curl "http://localhost:3001/auth/token?username=aniket&scope=mcp:access"

Example response:

{
  "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
}

Step 3 — Connect MCP Inspector

1. Open Inspector UI
2. Set Transport Type: SSE
3. URL:

   http://localhost:3001/sse
   

4. Add Authorization Header:

   Authorization: Bearer <your-token>
   

5. Click Connect

Success! Your server is now connected.

Step 4 — Test tools

Go to Tools tab in Inspector and click List Tools.

You will see:

• test
• echo
• get-time
• random-number

Test them and enjoy!

API Reference

Generate Token

GET /auth/token?username=<username>&scope=mcp:access

SSE Endpoint (requires token)

GET /sse
Authorization: Bearer <token>

Send Message to active session

POST /message?sessionId=<sessionId>
Authorization: Bearer <token>

Tools Reference

Upcoming Changes

• [ ] Token revocation list (blacklist)
• [ ] Role-based tool access (scope checks)
• [ ] Session heartbeat / keep-alive
• [ ] Rate limiting & logging
• [ ] Dockerization for deployment

Useful Resources

• Model Context Protocol Introduction
• MCP Inspector Docs
• JWT.io Debugger
• Zod Validation Docs

Maintainer

Aniket

License

This project is open-source and free to use.

Build. Secure. Empower.