cratedex

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Rust documentation indexing, full-text search, and project diagnostics.

Features

Full-text search across Rust crate documentation (SQLite FTS5)
Cargo metadata and workspace-aware dependency resolution
Build diagnostics, outdated dependencies, and security advisories
Per-project registration with background indexing
Dual transport: stdio (per-client) or HTTP (shared daemon)

Prerequisites

Rust toolchain (1.93+)
Nightly Rust (for rustdoc JSON generation)

Installation

cargo install cratedex

Usage

Start the MCP server (HTTP transport, default):

cratedex server

Or with stdio transport:

CRATEDEX__SERVER__TRANSPORT=stdio cratedex server

Configuration

Configuration is loaded from (in priority order):

Environment variables (CRATEDEX__<SECTION>__<KEY>)
~/.cratedex/cratedex.toml
cratedex.toml in the current directory
Built-in defaults

See cratedex.toml.example for all options. Key environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__TRANSPORT`	`http`	Transport protocol: `http` or `stdio`
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	HTTP bind address
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__PORT`	`3737`	HTTP bind port
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__ALLOW_REMOTE`	`false`	Allow non-loopback bind (`false` strongly recommended)
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__AUTH_TOKEN`	unset	Optional HTTP bearer token
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__MAX_SEARCH_RESULTS`	`10`	Max results per search query
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__MAX_PROJECTS`	`32`	Max simultaneously registered projects
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__MAX_CONCURRENT_REQUESTS`	`64`	HTTP concurrency limit
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__RATE_LIMIT_PER_SEC`	`30`	HTTP request rate cap
`CRATEDEX__SERVER__MAX_REQUEST_BODY_BYTES`	`262144`	Max HTTP request body size
`CRATEDEX__DATABASE__PATH`	`~/.cratedex/cratedex.db`	Database file path

HTTP Security Model

By default, cratedex only allows loopback binds (127.0.0.1 / localhost).
Binding to non-loopback interfaces requires explicit opt-in via CRATEDEX__SERVER__ALLOW_REMOTE=true (or install-service --allow-remote).
If you expose the service beyond localhost, place it behind a reverse proxy that enforces TLS and authentication.
For additional local protection (multi-user hosts), set CRATEDEX__SERVER__AUTH_TOKEN and send Authorization: Bearer <token>.

MCP Tools

Tool	Description
`register_project`	Register a Rust project for indexing and diagnostics
`list_projects`	List all registered projects and their indexing status
`list_crates`	List all crates in a project's workspace
`get_diagnostics`	Get build diagnostics, outdated deps, and security advisories
`search_docs`	Search Rust documentation across the global index
`unregister_project`	Remove a registered project from the server

MCP Resources

URI	Description
`cratedex://logs`	Recent log entries from the server (last 500 lines)

Deployment Models

stdio -- per-client process

Each MCP client spawns its own cratedex process. Simple to configure, but concurrent clients may contend on the shared database file. Best for single-client setups.

HTTP -- shared daemon

A single cratedex process serves all clients over HTTP. Avoids database lock contention and shares the documentation index across all sessions. Recommended for multi-client environments.

Endpoint: http://<host>:<port>/mcp (default http://127.0.0.1:3737/mcp)

Running as a systemd User Service

For a persistent shared HTTP daemon, install cratedex as a systemd user service:

cratedex install-service

This writes a service unit to ~/.config/systemd/user/cratedex.service, runs daemon-reload, and enables + starts the service. The command is idempotent — re-running it restarts the service with the latest binary.

Options:

Flag	Default	Description
`--host`	`127.0.0.1`	HTTP bind address
`--port`	`3737`	HTTP bind port
`--linger`	off	Enable `loginctl enable-linger` so the service survives logout
`--allow-remote`	off	Allow non-loopback bind (use only behind TLS+auth reverse proxy)
`--system`	off	Install as a system-level service in `/etc/systemd/system`, managed with plain `systemctl`
`--run-as`	`$SUDO_USER`	User account the system service runs as (requires `--system`)

To verify:

systemctl --user status cratedex
journalctl --user -u cratedex -f

Install as a System Service (recommended for servers/headless)

A system-level service runs a single shared daemon under /etc/systemd/system, managed with plain systemctl (no --user). This is the most reliable option for headless machines, SSH-only setups, or environments where systemctl --user is broken (e.g. missing D-Bus user session).

cargo build --release
sudo install -m 0755 target/release/cratedex /usr/local/bin/cratedex
sudo cratedex install-service --system

The service runs as User=<your-user> (defaults to $SUDO_USER) so it reuses your existing Rust toolchains, cargo cache, and database at ~/.cratedex/. This means no separate setup is needed — the daemon has access to everything your user account already has.

To verify:

systemctl status cratedex
journalctl -u cratedex -f

To remove:

sudo cratedex remove-service --system

To remove the per-user service:

cratedex remove-service

Client Configuration

Claude Code

claude mcp add --scope user --transport http cratedex http://127.0.0.1:3737/mcp

Codex

codex mcp add cratedex --url http://127.0.0.1:3737/mcp

stdio (any MCP client)

Configure the client to spawn the server directly:

{
  "command": "cratedex",
  "args": ["server"],
  "env": {
    "CRATEDEX__SERVER__TRANSPORT": "stdio"
  }
}

License

Licensed under either of

Apache License, Version 2.0 (LICENSE-APACHE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
MIT license (LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

at your option.

Contribution

Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the work by you, as defined in the Apache-2.0 license, shall be dual licensed as above, without any additional terms or conditions.

cratedex 0.1.0