Mcp.TaskAndResearch 1.0.1

MCP Task and Research Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for task management and research workflows, with an optional Blazor Server UI dashboard.

Installation

Option 1: Global Tool (Recommended)

Install as a global .NET tool - no cloning required:

dotnet tool install -g Mcp.TaskAndResearch

Then configure VS Code (see Configuration below).

Update:

dotnet tool update -g Mcp.TaskAndResearch

Option 2: Clone & Build

For development or customization:

git clone https://github.com/d-german/mcp-task-and-research.git
cd mcp-task-and-research
dotnet publish src/Mcp.TaskAndResearch/Mcp.TaskAndResearch.csproj -c Release -o ./publish

Configuration

Global Tool Configuration

After installing globally, add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "task-and-research": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "mcp-task-and-research",
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "C:/path/to/your-project/.mcp-tasks",
        "TASK_MANAGER_UI": "true",
        "TASK_MANAGER_UI_AUTO_OPEN": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Clone & Build Configuration

{
  "servers": {
    "task-and-research": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": [
        "C:/path/to/mcp-task-and-research/publish/Mcp.TaskAndResearch.dll"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "C:/path/to/your-project/.mcp-tasks",
        "TASK_MANAGER_UI": "true",
        "TASK_MANAGER_UI_AUTO_OPEN": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

⚠️ Data Storage: Critical Configuration

Understanding DATA_DIR

The DATA_DIR environment variable controls where your tasks are stored. This is the most important configuration setting when working with multiple projects.

🚨 WARNING: Task Confusion Without Project Isolation

If you work on multiple projects WITHOUT setting DATA_DIR, you WILL encounter problems:

1. Agent Sees All Tasks: The AI agent sees tasks from ALL your projects mixed together
2. Wrong Task Execution: "Execute the login task" could match a task from a different project
3. Broken Dependencies: Task dependencies may reference tasks from other projects
4. Invalid File References: Related files point to paths in other projects
5. Context Pollution: Agent's understanding gets polluted with irrelevant tasks

Example of what goes wrong:

You're working on Project-A (e-commerce site)
But your task list contains:
  - "Implement login page" (from Project-B, a blog)
  - "Add shopping cart" (from Project-A) ← This is yours
  - "Fix navigation menu" (from Project-C, a dashboard)

Agent: "I see the login task depends on the navigation menu task..."
       (Wrong! These are from different projects!)

✅ Recommended: Project-Isolated Configuration

Always set DATA_DIR to a project-specific location:

{
  "servers": {
    "task-and-research": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "mcp-task-and-research",
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "C:/projects/my-ecommerce-app/.mcp-tasks",
        "TASK_MANAGER_UI": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

When Global Storage IS Appropriate

The default global location is fine when:

• ✅ You only work on one project at a time
• ✅ You want to share tasks across all workspaces intentionally
• ✅ You're just experimenting or testing

Best Practices

1. One DATA_DIR per project - Keep tasks isolated
2. Use .mcp-tasks folder convention - Easy to find and manage
3. Add to .gitignore - For private tasks: .mcp-tasks/
4. Or commit it - For shared team tasks (optional)
5. Use absolute paths - Avoids working directory issues

Multi-Project Setup Example

For developers working on multiple projects, configure each project's .vscode/mcp.json:

Project A (E-commerce):

{
  "env": {
    "DATA_DIR": "C:\\projects\\ecommerce\\.mcp-tasks"
  }
}

Project B (Blog):

{
  "env": {
    "DATA_DIR": "C:\\projects\\blog\\.mcp-tasks"
  }
}

Project C (Dashboard):

{
  "env": {
    "DATA_DIR": "C:\\projects\\dashboard\\.mcp-tasks"
  }
}

Now each project has completely isolated task management!

Quick Start (5 minutes)

Step 1: Install

Global Tool (easiest):

dotnet tool install -g Mcp.TaskAndResearch

Or clone & build (see Installation above).

Step 2: Configure

Add to your project's .vscode/mcp.json (create if it doesn't exist):

{
  "servers": {
    "task-and-research": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "mcp-task-and-research",
      "env": {
        "DATA_DIR": "C:/your/project/path/.mcp-tasks",
        "TASK_MANAGER_UI": "true",
        "TASK_MANAGER_UI_AUTO_OPEN": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

⚠️ Important: Always set DATA_DIR to your project folder. See Data Storage for why this matters.

Step 3: Start Using

1. Reload VS Code or use "Developer: Reload Window" (Ctrl+Shift+P)
2. The browser opens automatically to the Tasks UI (if TASK_MANAGER_UI_AUTO_OPEN=true)
3. Use MCP tools via Copilot/Claude: plan_task, execute_task, verify_task, etc.

Environment Variables

Features

MCP Tools

• Task Management: Create, update, split, verify, and manage tasks with dependencies
• Research Mode: In-depth exploration of programming topics
• Process Thought: Record structured reasoning steps
• Project Rules: Initialize and manage project conventions

Blazor UI Dashboard

When TASK_MANAGER_UI=true:

• Tasks View: DataGrid with sorting, filtering, search, status indicators
• Task Details: Dialog for viewing/editing tasks, dependencies, related files
• History View: Browse all task activity including archived tasks (see below)
• Settings View: Configure preferences, theme, language

History & Task Archival

When you clear the task list (via clear_all_tasks MCP tool or UI), completed tasks are automatically saved to snapshot files in the memories/ folder. The History View displays:

• Active tasks: Current tasks from tasks.json
• Archived tasks: Previously cleared tasks from all snapshot files

This means you never lose visibility into past work - cleared tasks remain viewable in History indefinitely.

UI Features

• Dark/Light Theme: Toggle with persistent preference
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Ctrl+N (new), Ctrl+F (search), Ctrl+S (save), Ctrl+R (refresh), Esc (close), ? (help)
• Responsive Layout: Mobile-friendly with adaptive navigation
• Real-time Updates: Tasks sync instantly between MCP and UI
• Error Handling: User-friendly error messages with recovery

Architecture

How It Works

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐
│   MCP Client    │────▶│  MCP Server      │
│ (Copilot/Claude)│     │  (stdio)         │
└─────────────────┘     └────────┬─────────┘
                                 │
                        ┌────────▼─────────┐
                        │   Shared DI      │
                        │   Container      │
                        └────────┬─────────┘
                                 │
              ┌──────────────────┼──────────────────┐
              │                  │                  │
     ┌────────▼────────┐ ┌──────▼───────┐ ┌───────▼───────┐
     │   TaskStore     │ │ MemoryStore  │ │  RulesStore   │
     │   (tasks)       │ │ (context)    │ │  (conventions)│
     └────────┬────────┘ └──────────────┘ └───────────────┘
              │
     ┌────────▼────────┐
     │  Blazor UI      │  (optional, auto-port)
     │  (MudBlazor)    │
     └─────────────────┘

• Shared Services: UI and MCP share the same data stores via DI
• Real-time Sync: Changes via MCP tools appear instantly in UI and vice versa
• Conditional Hosting: UI only starts when TASK_MANAGER_UI=true

Project Structure

src/Mcp.TaskAndResearch/
├── Config/           # Configuration and path resolution
├── Data/             # TaskStore, MemoryStore, data models
├── Prompts/          # Prompt template builders
├── Server/           # MCP server configuration
├── Tools/            # MCP tool implementations
├── UI/               # Blazor UI (when enabled)
│   ├── Components/   # Razor components
│   ├── Services/     # UI services
│   └── Theme/        # MudBlazor theme
└── wwwroot/          # Static assets

Development

Prerequisites

• .NET 9 SDK
• VS Code with GitHub Copilot or Claude extension

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-repo/mcp-task-and-research.git
cd mcp-task-and-research

# Build (debug)
dotnet build

# Run tests
dotnet test

# Publish release build
dotnet publish src/Mcp.TaskAndResearch/Mcp.TaskAndResearch.csproj -c Release -o ./publish

Rebuilding After Updates

When you pull updates from the repository:

cd mcp-task-and-research
git pull
dotnet publish src/Mcp.TaskAndResearch/Mcp.TaskAndResearch.csproj -c Release -o ./publish

Note: You must stop the MCP server before republishing (reload VS Code or close it), otherwise the DLL will be locked.

Run Standalone (Development)

For development without an MCP client:

# MCP server only (no UI)
dotnet run --project src/Mcp.TaskAndResearch

# With UI enabled
set TASK_MANAGER_UI=true && dotnet run --project src/Mcp.TaskAndResearch
# Then open http://localhost:9998

Using dotnet run vs Published DLL

For production use, always use the published DLL - it's faster to start and doesn't require recompilation.

Known Limitations

1. JSON File Storage: Tasks are persisted to DATA_DIR/tasks.json - changes from both UI and MCP tools are saved immediately
2. Single Project: Currently reads from one DATA_DIR; no multi-project switching in UI
3. No Authentication: UI has no auth; use for local development only
4. SignalR Reconnection: Brief stale data possible during connection recovery

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details