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Registering Server with Client
Last update:
May 18, 2026
Once you have an application-level MCP server (local) or endpoint (remote), you need to register and connect it from your ColdFusion MCP client.
Overview
There are two main patterns:
- ColdFusion acting as an MCP server for an external host (e.g., IDE, agent framework).
- ColdFusion acting as an MCP client consuming a remote MCP server.
Below we focus on the second pattern—CF as a client—since that’s where most app code lives.
Building a Client Transport
First, define the transport:
HTTP / SSE Transport (Remote Server)
transport = mcpTransportBuilder("http")
.url("https://remote.mcpservers.org/fetch/mcp")
.header("Authorization", "Bearer #application.mcpAuthToken#")
.build();
STDIO Transport (Local Process)
transport = mcpTransportBuilder("stdio")
.command("/usr/local/bin/node")
.args(["/path/to/server.js"])
.environment({ apiKey: "sk-xxx" })
.build();
Respect the same security principles:
- No hard-coded secrets in code.
- Use environment variables or secure storage for credentials.
- Use HTTPS for remote servers.
Creating the MCP Client
Once you have a transport, build a client that speaks MCP:
mcpClient = mcpClientBuilder()
.transport(transport)
.capabilities({
tools : true,
prompts : true,
resources : true
})
.build();
The client’s capabilities indicate what the client is prepared to use. The actual intersection with the server’s capabilities is established during initialize.
Client Initialization Flow
A typical client flow per operation:
- Build transport
- Build client
- Initialize MCP session
- Use tools/prompts/resources
- Shutdown (optional, if the client is not long-lived)
Example utility function:
public any function getMcpClient() {
// Could be per-request, per-session, or cached with a timeout
var transport = mcpTransportBuilder("http")
.url(application.mcpEndpointUrl)
.header("Authorization", "Bearer #application.mcpAuthToken#")
.build();
var client = mcpClientBuilder()
.transport(transport)
.capabilities({ tools: true, prompts: true, resources: true })
.build();
client.initialize({
protocolVersion: "2025-03-26",
clientInfo: {
name : "cf-app",
version : "1.0.0"
}
});
return client;
}
The initialization call (
initialize) is usually handled under the hood by the client builder; if not, make sure you call it exactly once per client before listing or calling tools. Registering the Application Server with a Client
If your ColdFusion app both hosts an MCP server and uses it via a client (for internal routing, or for test harnesses), you can connect them directly.
Assuming:
application.mcpServeris your server instance.- Your MCP client builder supports a “local server” transport.
Example pattern:
function getLocalMcpClient() {
if (!structKeyExists(application, "mcpServer")) {
throw(type="MCP.NotInitialized", message="MCP server not initialized.");
}
var transport = mcpTransportBuilder("local")
.server(application.mcpServer)
.build();
var client = mcpClientBuilder()
.transport(transport)
.capabilities({ tools: true, prompts: true, resources: true })
.build();
client.initialize({
protocolVersion: "2025-03-26",
clientInfo: {
name : "cf-local-client",
version : "1.0.0"
}
});
return client;
}
This method lets you:
- Reuse the same tool implementations for internal and external use.
- Test tools without an external MCP host.
- Keep the server in the application scope and clients short-lived and stateless.
Using a Registered Client in Your Code
Once you have
getMcpClient(), calling tools becomes straightforward:
function getWeatherForCity(required string city) {
var client = getMcpClient();
var response = client.tools.call(
name = "getWeather",
arguments = { city = city }
);
if (response.isError) {
// Handle tool-level error
writeLog(file="mcp", type="error", text="getWeather error: #response.errorMessage#");
throw(type="MCP.ToolError", message=response.errorMessage);
}
return response.content[1].text;
}
From the rest of your application’s perspective, the MCP tool call looks like a normal function call with a structured response.
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