mcp-use - The fullstack MCP framework to develop MCP Apps for ChatGPT / Claude and MCP Servers for AI Agents.

Resources expose content that clients can discover and read by URI. Use a resource when the client should inspect data without invoking an action-oriented workflow. This guide focuses on when and how to register resources. Use the Resources API reference for exact definition fields, callback signatures, MIME behavior, annotations, and return types.

Choose static resources or templates

Use a static resource for one known URI. Use a resource template when the URI contains a variable segment.

Need	Use
Current app settings, service status, latest report	`server.resource()`
Files by path, users by ID, records by key	`server.resourceTemplate()`
Interactive UI rendered in a client	MCP Apps
An operation that changes state or calls a workflow	Tools

Resources are best for readable content. If the model should decide to perform work, use a tool instead.

Register a static resource

import { MCPServer, object } from "mcp-use/server";

const server = new MCPServer({
  name: "inventory-server",
  version: "1.0.0",
});

server.resource(
  {
    name: "inventory_summary",
    uri: "inventory://summary",
    title: "Inventory Summary",
    description: "Current warehouse inventory totals.",
  },
  async () =>
    object({
      warehouses: 3,
      products: 1284,
      lowStockItems: 17,
    }),
);

Use stable URI schemes that describe your domain, such as inventory://, docs://, or app://. Keep the URI meaningful enough that a client can display it without extra context.

Register a resource template

import { text } from "mcp-use/server";

server.resourceTemplate(
  {
    name: "customer_profile",
    uriTemplate: "customer://{customerId}/profile",
    title: "Customer Profile",
    description: "Customer profile by customer ID.",
  },
  async (_uri, { customerId }) => {
    const customer = await customers.get(customerId);
    return text(`Customer: ${customer.name}\nPlan: ${customer.plan}`);
  },
);

Template parameters are extracted from the URI and passed to the callback. Keep parameter names descriptive, because clients may expose them in autocomplete or resource pickers.

Add autocomplete for template parameters

Use completion callbacks when a client can help users choose valid URI values.

import { text } from "mcp-use/server";

server.resourceTemplate(
  {
    name: "project_docs",
    uriTemplate: "docs://{projectId}/{topic}",
    title: "Project Documentation",
    description: "Documentation page by project and topic.",
    callbacks: {
      complete: {
        projectId: async (value) => {
          const projects = await searchProjects(value);
          return projects.map((project) => project.id);
        },
        topic: ["overview", "setup", "api"],
      },
    },
  },
  async (_uri, { projectId, topic }) => {
    const page = await docs.read(projectId, topic);
    return text(page);
  },
);

Use list-based completion for small fixed sets. Use callback-based completion when suggestions depend on live data or another argument.

Return content with helpers

Use response helpers to return resource content. They set the MCP-compatible content shape and MIME metadata for common cases.

import { image, markdown, mix, object } from "mcp-use/server";

server.resource(
  {
    name: "latest_report",
    uri: "reports://latest",
    title: "Latest Report",
    description: "The latest generated business report.",
  },
  async () => {
    const report = await reports.latest();
    const chartPng = await charts.render(report);

    return mix(
      markdown(report.summaryMarkdown),
      object({ metrics: report.metrics }),
      image(chartPng, "image/png"),
    );
  },
);

See Response Helpers for a chooser and Response helpers API reference for exact MIME and return behavior.

Notify clients when resources change

When a resource changes after clients have listed or subscribed to resources, notify clients so they can refresh.

await server.sendResourcesListChanged();
await server.notifyResourceUpdated("inventory://summary");

Use sendResourcesListChanged() when the set of available resources changes. Use notifyResourceUpdated(uri) when content at an existing URI changes and subscribers should read it again. See Resource Subscriptions and Notifications for update workflows.

Test resources locally

Run the development server and inspect resources in the Inspector.

npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000/inspector, select the Resources tab, read each resource, and test both successful reads and not-found cases.

Next steps

Resources API reference

Look up resource definitions, callback signatures, template types, and annotations.

Response Helpers

Choose helpers for text, JSON, Markdown, media, and mixed content.

Resource Subscriptions

Notify subscribed clients when resource content changes.

Tools

Use tools for actions, lookups, mutations, and workflows.

Get Started

MCP Server

MCP Apps

MCP Client

MCP Agent

Tooling

Resources

Choose static resources or templates

Register a static resource

Register a resource template

Add autocomplete for template parameters

Return content with helpers

Notify clients when resources change

Test resources locally

Next steps

Resources API reference

Response Helpers

Resource Subscriptions

Tools

​Choose static resources or templates

​Register a static resource

​Register a resource template

​Add autocomplete for template parameters

​Return content with helpers

​Notify clients when resources change

​Test resources locally

​Next steps

Resources API reference

Response Helpers

Resource Subscriptions

Tools

Choose static resources or templates

Register a static resource

Register a resource template

Add autocomplete for template parameters

Return content with helpers

Notify clients when resources change

Test resources locally

Next steps