Neo4j MCP Workshop

This repository demonstrates Model Context Protocol (MCP) server development with Neo4j graph databases. It includes both the official Neo4j MCP server for general-purpose Cypher querying and custom implementations for ecommerce applications.

Outline

• Module 1: Using the mcp-neo4j-cypher MCP server with Claude Desktop for exploratory data analysis
• Module 2: Building your own MCP server and

Module 1: Using the mcp-neo4j-cypher MCP server with Claude Desktop for exploratory data analysis

The mcp-neo4j-cypher server is a Neo4j MCP implementation that provides comprehensive Cypher query capabilities for any Neo4j database.

Features

• execute_cypher - Execute arbitrary Cypher queries against your Neo4j database
• explore_schema - Explore database schema (node labels, relationship types, property keys)
• get_database_info - Get information about your Neo4j database
• Schema-agnostic - Works with any Neo4j database structure
• APOC Integration - Leverages Neo4j APOC plugin for enhanced functionality

Setup with Neo4j Aura and Claude Desktop

1. Create Neo4j Aura Database:

   • Sign up at Neo4j Aura
   • Create a new database instance
   • Note your connection URI, username, and password

2. Configure Claude Desktop: Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "neo4j-database": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [ "[email protected]", "--transport", "stdio"  ],
      "env": {
        "NEO4J_URI": "",
        "NEO4J_USERNAME": "neo4j",
        "NEO4J_PASSWORD": "",
        "NEO4J_DATABASE": "neo4j"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Test the Integration:
   • Restart Claude Desktop
   • Ask Claude to explore your Neo4j database: “What does my Neo4j database contain?”
   • Try queries like: “Find all nodes in my database” or “Show me the schema of my Neo4j database”

Module 2: Building Your Own MCP Server

Creating Custom MCP Servers

This section covers how to build your own MCP servers using different SDKs and frameworks. The examples demonstrate domain-specific implementations for ecommerce applications.

MCP Server Development SDKs

Python SDKs

FastMCP (Used in this project)

• Package: fastmcp
• Features: High-level Python framework for MCP server development
• Best for: Rapid prototyping and Python developers
• Installation: pip install fastmcp

Official Python MCP SDK

• Package: mcp
• Features: Official Python implementation of MCP protocol
• Best for: Full control over MCP protocol implementation
• Installation: pip install mcp

TypeScript SDKs

Official TypeScript MCP SDK (Used in this project)

• Package: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
• Features: Official TypeScript implementation with full type safety
• Best for: TypeScript/JavaScript developers and production applications
• Installation: npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk

Development Workflow

1. Choose Your SDK: Select based on your language preference and requirements
2. Define Tools: Design MCP tools that expose your application’s functionality
3. Implement Handlers: Write tool handlers that perform the actual work
4. Test with MCP Inspector: Use npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector for development
5. Integrate with AI Clients: Connect to Claude Desktop or other MCP clients

Ecommerce MCP Server Implementation

This project includes a custom MCP server implementation designed specifically for ecommerce applications. It demonstrates how to build domain-specific MCP servers with targeted tools for business use cases.

Features

The ecommerce MCP server provides two specialized tools:

1. search_customer - Search for customers by name or email (case-insensitive)
2. recommend_product - Recommend products for a customer based on co-purchase behavior

Available Implementations

Python Implementation (python/)

• Framework: FastMCP
• Package Manager: uv
• Setup:

  cd python
  uv sync
  cp env.example .env
  # Edit .env with your Neo4j credentials
  uv run neo4j-mcp-ecommerce
  

TypeScript Implementation (ts/)

• Framework: Official TypeScript MCP SDK
• Package Manager: npm/yarn
• Setup:

  cd ts
  npm install
  cp env.example .env
  # Edit .env with your Neo4j credentials
  npm run dev
  

Database Schema

The ecommerce servers assume a Neo4j schema with the following structure:

(:Customer {id, name, email})
(:Product {id, title})
(:Order)
(:LineItem)

(:Customer)-[:PURCHASED]->(:Order)
(:Order)-[:CONTAINS]->(:LineItem)
(:LineItem)-[:PRODUCT]->(:Product)

Environment Configuration

Both implementations require the same environment variables:

NEO4J_URI=bolt://localhost:7687
NEO4J_USERNAME=neo4j
NEO4J_PASSWORD=your_password
NEO4J_DATABASE=neo4j  # optional

Testing with MCP Inspector

Test either implementation using the MCP Inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

Prerequisites

• Neo4j Database: A running Neo4j instance (local, cloud, or Neo4j Aura)
• APOC Plugin: Required for mcp-neo4j-cypher (included in Neo4j Aura)
• Python: 3.10+ (for Python implementations)
• Node.js: 18.0+ (for TypeScript implementation)
• Package Manager: uv (Python) or npm/yarn (TypeScript)

Project Structure

neo4j-mcp-workshop/
├── python/                 # Python ecommerce implementation
│   ├── src/neo4j_mcp/
│   │   └── main.py         # MCP server implementation
│   ├── pyproject.toml      # uv project configuration
│   ├── env.example         # Environment variables template
│   └── README.md          # Python-specific documentation
├── ts/                     # TypeScript ecommerce implementation
│   ├── src/
│   │   └── index.ts       # MCP server implementation
│   ├── package.json        # npm project configuration
│   ├── tsconfig.json       # TypeScript configuration
│   ├── env.example         # Environment variables template
│   └── README.md          # TypeScript-specific documentation
└── README.md              # This file

Learning Objectives

This workshop demonstrates:

• Using Neo4j MCP Servers: Using existing Neo4j MCP servers
• Custom MCP Development: Building domain-specific MCP servers
• SDK Comparison: Working with different MCP development frameworks
• Graph Database Integration: Connecting MCP servers to Neo4j
• AI Integration: Connecting MCP servers to Claude Desktop
• Testing and Debugging: Using MCP Inspector for development

Additional Resources

• mcp-neo4j-cypher Repository - Neo4j MCP server documentation
• Model Context Protocol - MCP specification and documentation
• Neo4j Documentation - Neo4j database documentation
• Neo4j Aura - Cloud-hosted Neo4j database service
• APOC Plugin - Neo4j APOC plugin for additional procedures
• FastMCP Documentation - FastMCP Python framework
• TypeScript MCP SDK - Official TypeScript MCP SDK