We Built an MCP Server: Use devformat.tools from Claude, Cursor, and Any AI Agent
devformat.tools now exposes 10+ server-side tools via MCP (Model Context Protocol). Use YAML-to-JSON, password generation, cron parsing, and more directly from your IDE.
We Built an MCP Server: Use devformat.tools from Claude, Cursor, and Any AI Agent
If you use Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, or any AI agent that supports MCP (Model Context Protocol), you can now use devformat.tools directly from your editor — no browser tab needed.
What is MCP?
Model Context Protocol is an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to external tools and data sources. Think of it as USB for AI — a standard plug that works everywhere.
When you connect an MCP server to your AI assistant, the assistant gains new capabilities. In our case, it gains access to 10 developer tools that run on our server and return results instantly.
What Tools Are Available?
Our MCP server exposes every server-side tool we have:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| yaml-to-json | Convert YAML to formatted JSON |
| json-to-yaml | Convert JSON to YAML format |
| json-schema-generator | Generate JSON Schema from sample data |
| csv-to-json | Convert CSV to JSON array |
| password-generator | Generate cryptographically strong passwords |
| qr-code-generator | Generate QR code PNGs from text/URLs |
| cron-parser | Parse cron expressions with next run times |
| markdown-preview | Render Markdown to HTML |
| html-to-markdown | Convert HTML to clean Markdown |
| html-formatter | Beautify and indent HTML |
How to Connect
Claude Desktop
Add this to your Claude Desktop MCP config (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"devformat-tools": {
"url": "https://devformat.tools/mcp"
}
}
}
Restart Claude Desktop, and you'll see the devformat.tools tools available in your conversation.
Cursor / Windsurf
These editors support MCP servers natively. Add the server URL https://devformat.tools/mcp in your MCP settings.
Any MCP Client
Our server implements the Streamable HTTP transport at https://devformat.tools/mcp. Any MCP-compatible client can connect — no authentication required.
REST API Too
Prefer a traditional API? We also have a REST JSON API:
# List available tools
curl https://devformat.tools/api/v1/tools
# Convert YAML to JSON
curl -X POST https://devformat.tools/api/v1/tools/yaml-to-json \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"input": "name: Alice\nage: 30"}'
Response:
{
"success": true,
"data": "{\n \"age\": 30,\n \"name\": \"Alice\"\n}"
}
Rate Limits
Both MCP and REST API share the same free tier: 100 requests per day per IP. This is plenty for personal use. Rate limit headers (X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining) are included in every response.
Privacy
Same principle as our web tools: we don't store your data. MCP requests are processed and discarded. No logs, no analytics on tool inputs, no accounts required.
Why We Built This
Developer tools are moving into AI agents. Instead of switching to a browser tab to convert YAML to JSON, you just ask your AI assistant to do it — and it calls our MCP server behind the scenes.
We wanted devformat.tools to be available wherever developers work, not just in a browser. MCP makes that possible with zero friction.
Try it now: connect https://devformat.tools/mcp to your AI assistant, or explore all devformat.tools in your browser.