AUTOMATION

Local MCP Server Development with Hot Module Reload (HMR)

Set up a local development loop for MCP servers with live inspector and automatic tool reloading

Updated: 5/14/2026
Difficulty
medium
Time
30m
Use Case
Rapidly iterate on MCP server development with instant feedback without restarting sessions
Popularity
0 views

About this automation

Use mcp-use SDK with built-in inspector to develop MCP servers locally. The inspector runs on localhost with a BYOK chat interface, tool-by-tool testing, and metadata validation. HMR is implemented using MCP protocol primitives (tools/list_changed notifications) so tool changes reload without hard-refreshing the server or canceling sessions. UI changes propagate via Vite HMR.

How to implement

1

Install mcp-use SDK in your MCP server project

2

Run `npm run dev` to start the server and inspector on localhost

3

Open the inspector in your browser to access the chat interface and tool tester

4

Modify tool definitions or implementations; HMR will reload tools via protocol notifications

5

Test tool invocation order and agent understanding in the embedded chat

6

Optionally launch Claude Code with --chrome enabled pointing to the inspector URL for closed-loop agent testing