KNEL-AIMiddleware

MCP and LSP infrastructure for OpenWebUI and Crush to utilize

📖 Overview

KNEL-AIMiddleware is a comprehensive Docker-based infrastructure for running Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and Language Server Protocol (LSP) providers. It enables AI assistants like OpenWebUI and Crush to seamlessly integrate with external tools, services, and code intelligence.

🎯 Use Cases

• OpenWebUI Integration: Provide MCP servers for enhanced AI context and tooling
• Crush Integration: LSP servers for intelligent code completion and analysis
• Development: Individual server isolation for easy debugging and updates
• Production: Scalable, containerized service deployment

🚀 Features

• ✅ Modular Architecture: Each service runs in its own container
• ✅ Docker Compose: Easy orchestration and management
• ✅ Prebuilt Images: Optimized container images with minimal dependencies
• ✅ Crush Ready: Pre-configured LSP servers for crush.json
• ✅ Environment Variables: Secure configuration via .env file
• ✅ Health Monitoring: Built-in logging and container health checks

📊 Server Status

For detailed build and configuration status of all MCP/LSP servers, see STATUS.md.

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• Docker 20.10+
• Docker Compose 2.0+
• (Optional) Crush for LSP integration

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/KNEL/KNEL-AIMiddleware.git
   cd KNEL-AIMiddleware
   

2. Configure environment variables

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your API keys and configurations
   

3. Build and start services

   # Start all built services
   docker compose up -d
   
   # Or start specific service
   docker compose up -d <service-name>
   

Setup Scripts

The repository includes helpful scripts to simplify setup and management:

CloneVendorRepos.sh

Clone all upstream vendor MCP/LSP repositories:

./CloneVendorRepos.sh

This script clones all 27 vendor repositories into vendor/ directory.

BuildAll.sh

Build all MCP/LSP services:

./BuildAll.sh

This script iterates through all services in docker-compose.yml and builds each one.

CleanVendor.sh

Remove all cloned vendor repositories:

./CleanVendor.sh

⚠️ Warning: This permanently deletes all cloned vendor repositories. You'll need to re-clone them.

StatusCheck.sh

Check build status of all services:

./StatusCheck.sh

This script checks which Docker images exist and compares with STATUS.md.

Makefile Targets

For a more command-line oriented approach, use the included Makefile:

# Show all available targets
make help

# Clone all vendor repositories
make clone-vendors

# Build all services
make build-all

# Clean vendor directory
make clean-vendor

# Check service status
make status

# Start all services
make up

# Stop all services
make down

# Rebuild specific service
make rebuild SERVICE=context7-mcp

💻 Usage

Docker Compose Commands

Build and Start

# Build specific service
docker compose build <service-name>

# Build without cache
docker compose build --no-cache <service-name>

# Start service (detached mode)
docker compose up -d <service-name>

# Start all services
docker compose up -d

View Logs

# Follow logs for service
docker compose logs -f <service-name>

# View last 100 lines
docker compose logs --tail 100 <service-name>

Stop and Clean

# Stop service
docker compose stop <service-name>

# Remove service (also deletes container)
docker compose rm -f <service-name>

# Stop all services
docker compose down

# Remove all volumes
docker compose down -v

Service Profiles

Services are organized into profiles for selective startup:

# Development services (LSP + MCP)
docker compose --profile dev up

# Production services
docker compose --profile prod up

# Design tools (KiCAD, Blender, etc.)
docker compose --profile design up

🔧 Crush Integration

All LSP and MCP instances must be configured in crush.json for Crush to use them.

crush.json Format

{
  "$schema": "https://charm.land/crush.json",
  "lsp": {
    "bash": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "kneldevstack-aimiddleware-bash-language-server", "start"]
    },
    "docker": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "kneldevstack-aimiddleware-docker-language-server", "start", "--stdio"]
    },
    "markdown": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "kneldevstack-aimiddleware-marksman", "server"]
    }
  }
}

Configuration Priority

Crush looks for configuration files in this order:

1. .crush.json (project-local)
2. crush.json (project-local)
3. $HOME/.config/crush/crush.json (global)

Docker-based LSP Configuration

For Docker-based LSP instances, use this pattern:

{
  "command": "docker",
  "args": [
    "run",
    "-i",           // Interactive mode (required for stdio)
    "--rm",         // Auto-cleanup after use
    "kneldevstack-aimiddleware-<service-name>",
    "<server-args>" // e.g., "start", "--stdio"
  ]
}

🏗️ Project Structure

KNEL-AIMiddleware/
├── docker-compose.yml          # Service orchestration
├── .env                      # Environment variables (not committed)
├── .env.example              # Environment template
├── dockerfiles/              # Custom Dockerfiles (tracked in git)
│   ├── bash-language-server/
│   ├── docker-language-server/
│   └── marksman/
├── vendor/                   # Cloned repositories (gitignored)
│   ├── bash-language-server/
│   ├── docker-language-server/
│   └── marksman/
├── AGENTS.md                 # Development workflow and conventions
├── STATUS.md                 # Server status and progress tracking
└── README.md                 # This file

Dockerfile Management

Custom Dockerfiles are created in dockerfiles/ and referenced in docker-compose.yml:

service-name:
  build:
    context: ./vendor/service-name
    dockerfile: ../../dockerfiles/service-name/Dockerfile
  container_name: kneldevstack-aimiddleware-service-name
  restart: unless-stopped

This approach:

• Keeps custom Dockerfiles under version control
• Uses vendor repository as build context
• Maintains clean separation of concerns

🌍 Environment Variables

Required variables (see .env.example):

Variable	Description	Required
OPENAI_API_KEY	OpenAI API key for LLM services	Yes (for OpenAI)
KICAD_HOST	KiCAD server host	Yes (for KiCAD MCP)
KICAD_PORT	KiCAD server port	Yes (for KiCAD MCP)
BITWARDEN_*	Bitwarden credentials	Yes (for Bitwarden MCP)
MATOMO_*	Matomo API credentials	Yes (for Matomo MCP)
*_API_KEY	Service-specific API keys	Varies

⚠️ Security Note: Never commit .env file to version control.

🔍 Troubleshooting

Container Not Starting

# Check container logs
docker compose logs <service-name>

# Inspect container state
docker inspect <container-name>

MCP Server Not Connecting

1. Verify service is running: docker ps
2. Check logs for errors: docker compose logs <service>
3. Verify environment variables in .env
4. Test connectivity: docker compose exec <service> curl localhost:8080

LSP Server Not Responding (Crush)

1. Verify Docker image exists: docker images | grep knel
2. Test container manually:

   echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"initialize","params":{}}' | \
   docker run -i --rm kneldevstack-aimiddleware-<lsp-name>
   

3. Check crush.json configuration
4. Verify container runs with -i flag for stdio

Port Conflicts

If ports are already in use, modify docker-compose.yml:

ports:
  - "8081:8080"  # Change host port

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see AGENTS.md for development guidelines.

Development Workflow

1. Review AGENTS.md for conventions
2. Check STATUS.md for current project status
3. Create feature branch
4. Add service following existing patterns
5. Update docker-compose.yml, STATUS.md, and crush.json
6. Test thoroughly
7. Submit pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Model Context Protocol
• Language Server Protocol
• Docker
• Charmbracelet Crush

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Maintained by: KNEL Development Team Last Updated: 2024-01-21