Set up and start your generated MCP server locally

For each request you add to your Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, Postman generates a tool for you. Once you set up your server and start it, you can use Postman to interact with it. The server supports the MCP standard input and output (STDIO) and streamable HTTP transport layers.

Set up your MCP server

To set up your MCP server, do the following:

1. If you haven’t already, install Node.js 18 or later and generate and download your MCP server.

2. Unzip the file you downloaded.

3. (Optional) Rename the unzipped folder and move it to another directory.

4. Open your terminal and change to your MCP server’s root directory:

   $
   cd /path/to/your-mcp-server

5. Install your project’s dependencies:

   $
   npm install

6. List your tools:

   $
   npm run list-tools

   This command lists your tool’s information, including their file names. You may need to edit these files in the next steps. You can find these files in the tools directory.

7. For each tool, open its tool file, and verify the baseUrl value is correct.

8. If you need to store sensitive data, such as your API keys or tokens, open the .env file and save them there.

9. If your tool needs authentication, for each such tool, open its tool file and use token to implement authentication. For example, if the original request passes a token in the headers, add token to headers.

To learn more, see your project’s README.md file.

Start your MCP server

To start your MCP server, do the following:

1. Open your terminal and change to your server’s root directory:

   $
   cd /path/to/your-mcp-server

2. Start your server:

   • To start your standard input and output server, run the following command:

     $
     node mcpServer.js

   • To start your streamable HTTP server, run the following command:

     $
     node mcpServer.js --streamable-http

3. When you’re ready to stop your server, press Control+C or Ctrl+C.

You’re ready to use Postman to interact with your MCP server.