Gem Package README MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables AI assistants to fetch comprehensive information about Ruby gems from RubyGems.org, including README content, gem metadata, and search functionality.

Features

• Package README Retrieval: Fetch formatted README content with usage examples from Ruby gems hosted on RubyGems.org
• Package Information: Get comprehensive gem metadata including dependencies, versions, author information, and download statistics
• Package Search: Search RubyGems registry with filtering by popularity, category, and author
• Smart Caching: Intelligent caching system to optimize API usage and improve response times
• GitHub Integration: Seamless integration with GitHub API for enhanced README fetching from gem repositories
• Error Handling: Robust error handling with automatic retry logic and fallback strategies

MCP Client Configuration

Add this server to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gem-package-readme": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["gem-package-readme-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "your_github_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: The GITHUB_TOKEN is optional but recommended for higher API rate limits when fetching README content from GitHub.

Available Tools

get_package_readme

Retrieves comprehensive README content and usage examples for Ruby gems.

Parameters:

{
  "package_name": "rails",
  "version": "latest",
  "include_examples": true
}

• package_name (string, required): Ruby gem name (e.g., "rails", "devise", "rspec")
• version (string, optional): Specific gem version or "latest" (default: "latest")
• include_examples (boolean, optional): Include usage examples and code snippets (default: true)

Returns: Formatted README content with installation instructions, usage examples, and API documentation.

get_package_info

Fetches detailed gem metadata, dependencies, and author information from RubyGems.org.

Parameters:

{
  "package_name": "activerecord",
  "include_dependencies": true,
  "include_dev_dependencies": false
}

• package_name (string, required): Ruby gem name
• include_dependencies (boolean, optional): Include runtime dependencies (default: true)
• include_dev_dependencies (boolean, optional): Include development dependencies (default: false)

Returns: Gem metadata including version info, author details, license, download stats, and dependency information.

search_packages

Searches RubyGems registry for gems with filtering capabilities.

Parameters:

{
  "query": "web framework",
  "limit": 20,
  "author": "dhh"
}

• query (string, required): Search terms (gem name, description, keywords)
• limit (number, optional): Maximum number of results to return (default: 20, max: 100)
• author (string, optional): Filter by gem author/maintainer

Returns: List of matching gems with names, descriptions, authors, and download statistics.

Error Handling

The server handles common error scenarios gracefully:

• Gem not found: Returns clear error messages with similar gem suggestions
• Rate limiting: Implements automatic retry with exponential backoff
• Network timeouts: Configurable timeout with retry logic
• Invalid gem names: Validates gem name format and provides guidance
• RubyGems API failures: Fallback strategies when API is unavailable

License

MIT