icon for mcp server

Spring I/O

STDIO

MCP server providing AI assistants with access to Spring I/O 2025 conference session data.

Spring I/O MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with access to Spring I/O 2025 conference session data. This server exposes conference information including talks, workshops, speakers, and scheduling details through a standardized MCP interface.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that enables AI assistants to securely connect to external data sources and tools. This project implements an MCP server that makes Spring I/O conference data accessible to AI models, allowing them to answer questions about sessions, speakers, schedules, and more.

Project Features

  • Conference Session Access: Complete database of Spring I/O 2025 sessions
  • MCP Compliance: Fully compatible with MCP standard for AI integration
  • Rich Session Data: Includes speakers, room assignments, session types, and timing
  • Spring Boot Integration: Built with Spring Boot 3.5 and Spring AI MCP support
  • JSON Data Source: Flexible data management through JSON configuration

Project Requirements

  • Java: Version 24 or higher
  • Maven: 3.6+ (wrapper included)
  • Spring Boot: 3.5.0
  • Spring AI: 1.0.0

Dependencies

The project uses several key dependencies:

  • spring-boot-starter-web: Core Spring Boot web functionality
  • spring-ai-starter-mcp-server-webmvc: Spring AI MCP server implementation
  • spring-boot-starter-test: Testing framework
  • jackson-databind: JSON processing (included with Spring Boot)

Getting Started

Building the Project

The project includes Maven wrapper scripts for easy building:

# On Unix/macOS
./mvnw clean compile

# On Windows
mvnw.cmd clean compile

Running Tests

Verify everything works correctly by running the test suite:

# Unix/macOS
./mvnw test

# Windows
mvnw.cmd test

How to Run the Application

Standard Execution

Build and run the application using Maven:

# Build the JAR file
./mvnw clean package

# Run the application
java -jar target/spring-io-mcp-0.0.1-SNAPSHOT.jar

Development Mode

For development, you can run directly with Maven:

./mvnw spring-boot:run

MCP Server Configuration

The application is configured as an MCP server with the following settings:

  • Server Name: spring-io-sessions-mcp
  • Version: 0.0.1
  • Transport: STDIO (Standard Input/Output)
  • Application Type: Non-web (console application)

Important STDIO Configuration: When using STDIO transport, it's essential to disable Spring Boot's banner and logging to prevent interference with MCP communication:

# Disable banner and logging for STDIO transport
spring.main.banner-mode=off
logging.level.root=OFF

Without these settings, Spring Boot's startup messages and log output would corrupt the MCP protocol communication over STDIO.

Code Examples

Session Data Structure

The server works with session data structured as follows:

public record Session(
    String day, 
    String time, 
    String title, 
    String type, 
    String[] speakers, 
    String room
) {}

Conference Model

Conference information is represented using this structure:

public record Conference(
    String name, 
    int year, 
    String[] dates, 
    String location, 
    List<Session> sessions
) {}

MCP Tool Implementation

The core functionality is exposed through an MCP tool:

@Tool(
    name = "spring-io-sessions", 
    description = "Returns all sessions for Spring I/O 2025 Conference"
)
public List<Session> findAllSessions() {
    return sessions;
}

Spring Configuration

The application registers MCP tools using Spring's configuration:

@Bean
public List<ToolCallback> springIOSessionTools(SessionTools sessionTools) {
    return List.of(ToolCallbacks.from(sessionTools));
}

Session Loading Process

Sessions are loaded from JSON during application startup:

@PostConstruct
public void init() {
    try (InputStream inputStream = 
         TypeReference.class.getResourceAsStream("/sessions.json")) {
        var conference = objectMapper.readValue(inputStream, Conference.class);
        this.sessions = conference.sessions();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        throw new RuntimeException("Failed to read JSON data", e);
    }
}

Data Configuration

Session Types

The conference includes various session types:

  • talks: Technical presentations and deep dives
  • workshops: Hands-on learning sessions
  • keynote: Major conference presentations
  • break: Coffee breaks and networking time
  • networking: Social events and community building
  • logistics: Registration and organizational events

Sample Session Data

Here's an example of how session data is structured:

{
  "day": "2025-05-22",
  "time": "11:00-11:50",
  "title": "Demystifying Spring Boot Magic",
  "type": "talk",
  "speakers": ["Patrick Baumgartner"],
  "room": "Auditorium"
}

MCP Integration

Connecting to AI Assistants

This server can be connected to AI assistants that support MCP. The server provides:

  1. Session Discovery: Find sessions by various criteria
  2. Speaker Information: Access speaker details for each session
  3. Schedule Navigation: Browse sessions by day and time
  4. Room Management: Understand venue layout and session locations

Tool Registration

The MCP server automatically registers the spring-io-sessions tool, making it available to connected AI clients for querying conference data.

Development Notes

Project Structure

src/main/java/dev/danvega/spring_io_mcp/
├── Application.java          # Main application and MCP configuration
├── SessionTools.java         # MCP tool implementation
├── Session.java             # Session data model
└── Conference.java          # Conference data model

src/main/resources/
├── application.properties   # Spring configuration
└── sessions.json           # Conference session data

Configuration Properties

Key application properties for MCP server operation:

spring.ai.mcp.server.stdio=true
spring.ai.mcp.server.name=spring-io-sessions-mcp
spring.ai.mcp.server.version=0.0.1
spring.main.web-application-type=none

# Critical for STDIO transport - prevents output corruption
spring.main.banner-mode=off
logging.level.root=OFF

Extending the Server

To add new tools or modify session data:

  1. Update sessions.json with new conference information
  2. Add new @Tool annotated methods to SessionTools
  3. Register additional tool callbacks in Application.java
  4. Rebuild and restart the server

Spring I/O 2025 Conference Details

This server contains complete session data for:

  • Conference: Spring I/O 2025
  • Dates: May 22-23, 2025
  • Location: Barcelona, Fira de Barcelona
  • Sessions: 80+ talks, workshops, and events
  • Tracks: Multiple parallel tracks covering Spring ecosystem topics

The conference covers cutting-edge topics in Spring Framework, Spring Boot, Spring AI, cloud-native development, and modern Java practices.

Conclusion

The Spring I/O MCP Server bridges the gap between AI assistants and conference data, enabling intelligent interactions with Spring I/O 2025 session information. Whether you're building AI-powered conference apps, creating smart scheduling assistants, or developing conference navigation tools, this MCP server provides the foundation for AI-enhanced conference experiences.

Ready to integrate AI with conference data? Start by running the server and connecting it to your favorite MCP-compatible AI assistant to explore the rich world of Spring I/O sessions!

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