Mcp B4X (B4A / B4J) Reference Documentation

ChilkatMcp

Current Version: 11.6.0

Chilkat.Mcp

A client for the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Chilkat.Mcp connects to an MCP server and gives an application access to the server's tools, resources, and prompts over a single, unified API. MCP is an open protocol that standardizes how applications supply context and callable tools to AI models.

Connect & handshake

Connect opens a Streamable HTTP session and performs the MCP initialize handshake, negotiating the protocol version and establishing a session id.

Tools

List the server's tools with ListTools and invoke them with CallTool.

Resources & prompts

Read resources with ListResources and ReadResource, and fetch prompts with ListPrompts and GetPrompt.

Use with Chilkat.Ai

Pass a connected Chilkat.Mcp to Chilkat.Ai.UseMcp to register the server's tools with an AI model. During a conversation the model's tool calls are routed to the MCP server automatically.

Transport: This class uses the MCP Streamable HTTP transport (protocol version 2025-06-18). A server response may arrive as a single JSON object or as a Server-Sent-Events stream; both are handled transparently. The stdio transport is not supported.
Authentication: If the MCP server requires authorization, set the AuthToken property before calling Connect. Chilkat then sends it as an Authorization: Bearer <token> header on every request. Leave it unset for servers that do not require authentication.
Pagination: When a server has more items than fit in a single response, the tools/list, resources/list, and prompts/list results include a nextCursor string. In this release the list methods return the first page only and do not accept a cursor argument, so nextCursor is informational.

Declare / Initialize / Dispose

Sub Process_Globals
    Private obj As ChilkatMcp
End Sub

' Call Initialize before first use -- typically in AppStart (B4J)
' or Activity_Create (B4A):
obj.Initialize                ' classes without events
obj.Initialize("evt")        ' classes with events: "evt" becomes the
                              ' prefix of event Subs such as evt_PercentDone
Initialize  /  Initialize (EventName As String)

Creates the underlying native Chilkat object. Classes that support events take an EventName argument: it becomes the prefix of the event Subs (<EventName>_AbortCheck, <EventName>_PercentDone, <EventName>_ProgressInfo); classes without events take no arguments. The native Chilkat library loads automatically on the first Initialize — from the APK on Android, or extracted from ChilkatB4J.jar on Windows/Linux/macOS.

IsInitialized As Boolean

True if Initialize has been called and the native object exists.

Dispose

Explicitly frees the underlying native object. Calling Dispose is optional — every ChilkatMcp is also freed automatically when garbage-collected — but is recommended for long-lived objects holding sockets, sessions, or large buffers. A disposed object can be re-Initialized.

Properties

AuthToken
' read/write
AuthToken As String
Introduced in version 11.6.0

An optional bearer token for authenticating to the MCP server. When set, it is sent as an Authorization: Bearer <token> header on every request. The default is the empty string.

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Connected
' read-only
Connected As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Read-only. True after a successful Connect (the initialize handshake completed).

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ConnectTimeoutMs
' read/write
ConnectTimeoutMs As Int
Introduced in version 11.6.0

The maximum amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait to establish the TCP/TLS connection to the MCP server. The default value is 30000 (30 seconds).

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DebugLogFilePath
' read/write
DebugLogFilePath As String

If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.

Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.

Possible causes of hangs include:

  • A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
  • A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
  • An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.

More Information and Examples
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HeartbeatMs
' read/write
HeartbeatMs As Int
Introduced in version 11.6.0

The interval in milliseconds between each AbortCheck event callback, which enables an application to abort a method before it completes. By default, HeartbeatMs is 0, meaning no AbortCheck event callbacks fire.

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IdleTimeoutMs
' read/write
IdleTimeoutMs As Int
Introduced in version 11.6.0

The maximum amount of time, in milliseconds, to wait for additional incoming data when receiving a response has paused. This is not a total timeout. The default value is 180000 (180 seconds).

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LastErrorHtml
' read-only
LastErrorHtml As String

Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorText
' read-only
LastErrorText As String

Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorXml
' read-only
LastErrorXml As String

Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastMethodSuccess
' read/write
LastMethodSuccess As Boolean

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: True means success, False means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.

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ProtocolVersion
' read/write
ProtocolVersion As String
Introduced in version 11.6.0

The MCP protocol version. May be set before Connect to request a specific version; after Connect it reflects the version negotiated with the server and is sent in the MCP-Protocol-Version header of each request. The default is 2025-06-18.

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ServerInstructions
' read-only
ServerInstructions As String
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Read-only. Optional usage instructions provided by the server in the initialize result (may be the empty string), available after Connect.

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ServerName
' read-only
ServerName As String
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Read-only. The server name reported in the initialize result, available after Connect.

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ServerVersion
' read-only
ServerVersion As String
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Read-only. The server version reported in the initialize result, available after Connect.

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SessionId
' read-only
SessionId As String
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Read-only. The Mcp-Session-Id assigned by the server during the Connect handshake, or the empty string if the server is stateless. Chilkat automatically includes this session id on all subsequent requests.

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VerboseLogging
' read/write
VerboseLogging As Boolean

If set to True, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is False. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

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Version
' read-only
Version As String

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

More Information and Examples
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Methods

CallTool
CallTool (name As String, arguments As ChilkatJsonObject, result As ChilkatJsonObject) As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Calls the MCP tools/call method for the tool named name, passing the JSON arguments object in arguments. The members of arguments are the tool's input arguments and should match the tool's inputSchema as returned by ListTools. For example, a weather tool might be called with the arguments { "location": "Boston, MA", "units": "fahrenheit" }. Pass an empty JSON object (not a null) for a tool that takes no arguments.

On success, the tool result is placed in result. It contains a content array, an isError boolean, and optionally a structuredContent object. Each element of the content array has a type ("text", "image", "audio", or "resource"); for a "text" element the value is in its text member. A typical result looks like:

{
  "content": [ { "type": "text", "text": "The weather in Boston is 72F and sunny." } ],
  "isError": false
}
Thus the text of the first content item is at JSON path content[0].text.

Note: A tool that executes but reports a failure returns True here with isError set to True in result (the failure message is typically carried in the content array). The return value is False only for transport- or protocol-level failures.

Connect must be called first.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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Close
Close As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Explicitly terminates the MCP session by sending an HTTP DELETE with the Mcp-Session-Id header, then releases the connection. It is safe to call this method when not connected (it simply releases any transport). A server that does not permit client-terminated sessions responds with HTTP 405, which is not treated as an error.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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Connect
Connect (url As String) As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Connects to the MCP (Model Context Protocol) server at the Streamable HTTP endpoint URL in url (for example https://example.com/mcp) and performs the MCP initialize handshake.

On success, the SessionId, ProtocolVersion, ServerName, ServerVersion, and ServerInstructions properties are populated, and Connected becomes True.

If an AuthToken is set, it is sent as a bearer token on the request. The URL must begin with http:// or https://; the host, port, and path are taken from it. Only the Streamable HTTP transport is supported; the stdio transport is not.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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GetLastJsonData
GetLastJsonData (json As ChilkatJsonObject)
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Returns, in json, the complete JSON-RPC response envelope from the most recent request (the jsonrpc, id, and result or error members), for diagnostics and logging. Note that this is the full JSON-RPC envelope, whereas ListTools, CallTool, ReadResource, and GetPrompt each return only the inner result object.

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GetPrompt
GetPrompt (name As String, arguments As ChilkatJsonObject, json As ChilkatJsonObject) As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Calls the MCP prompts/get method for the prompt named name, passing the JSON arguments object in arguments (pass an empty object for a prompt that takes no arguments). On success, the result is placed in json, consisting of an optional description and a messages array in which each message has a role and content.

Connect must be called first.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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ListPrompts
ListPrompts (json As ChilkatJsonObject) As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Calls the MCP prompts/list method. On success, the server's result object is placed in json, containing a prompts array in which each prompt has a name, optionally a description, and an arguments array, and possibly a nextCursor for pagination.

Connect must be called first.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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ListResources
ListResources (json As ChilkatJsonObject) As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Calls the MCP resources/list method. On success, the server's result object is placed in json, containing a resources array in which each resource has a uri, a name, and optionally a description and mimeType, and possibly a nextCursor for pagination.

Connect must be called first.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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ListTools
ListTools (json As ChilkatJsonObject) As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Calls the MCP tools/list method. On success, the server's result object is placed in json, containing a tools array in which each tool has a name, a description, and an inputSchema (a JSON Schema describing the tool's arguments), and possibly a nextCursor for pagination.

Connect must be called first.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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ReadResource
ReadResource (uri As String, json As ChilkatJsonObject) As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Calls the MCP resources/read method for the resource identified by the URI in uri. On success, the result is placed in json, containing a contents array whose entries carry a uri, a mimeType, and either text (for text resources) or blob (base64 for binary resources).

Connect must be called first.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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SetConnectionSettings
SetConnectionSettings (sock As ChilkatSocket) As Boolean
Introduced in version 11.6.0

Copies connection settings, including HTTP proxy, SOCKS proxy, bind (network interface) IP address, and TLS options, from sock. This is optional; if not used, default settings apply. Call this method before Connect.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
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Events

All Chilkat methods are synchronous: the call returns when the work is done. During a call, ChilkatMcp raises three events so your application can show progress and offer a way out. The event-name prefix is the string passed to Initialize:

mcp.Initialize("evt")     ' event Subs are named evt_AbortCheck, evt_PercentDone, evt_ProgressInfo
mcp.HeartbeatMs = 250     ' raise evt_AbortCheck 4 times per second during Chilkat calls

AbortCheck fires at regular intervals controlled by the HeartbeatMs property (0, the default, disables it); PercentDone fires when an operation's completion percentage is known; ProgressInfo delivers named progress values. Returning True from an AbortCheck or PercentDone Sub aborts the running method. Implement only the Subs you need — events are skipped entirely when no matching Sub exists.

If a Chilkat call runs on a separate thread (e.g. via the Threading library), its events are automatically queued to the main thread. Events raised that way cannot abort by return value; set the object's AbortCurrent property to True instead.

AbortCheck
' evt = the EventName passed to Initialize
' Return True to abort the Chilkat method in progress.
Sub evt_AbortCheck As Boolean

Enables a method call to be aborted by triggering the AbortCheck event at intervals defined by the HeartbeatMs property. If HeartbeatMs is set to its default value of 0, no events will occur. For instance, set HeartbeatMs to 200 to trigger 5 AbortCheck events per second.

More Information and Examples

Example (object initialized with mcp.Initialize("evt")):

mcp.HeartbeatMs = 250   ' fire evt_AbortCheck 4 times per second

Sub evt_AbortCheck As Boolean
    ' Called every HeartbeatMs milliseconds while a Chilkat method is running.
    Return False   ' Return True to abort the method in progress
End Sub
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PercentDone
' evt = the EventName passed to Initialize
' Return True to abort the Chilkat method in progress.
Sub evt_PercentDone (PctDone As Int) As Boolean

This provides the percentage completion for any method involving network communications or time-consuming processing, assuming the progress can be measured as a percentage. This event is triggered only when it's possible and logical to express the operation's progress as a percentage. The pctDone argument will range from 1 to 100. For methods that finish quickly, the number of PercentDone callbacks may vary, but the final callback will have pctDone equal to 100. For longer operations, callbacks will not exceed one per percentage point (e.g., 1, 2, 3, ..., 98, 99, 100).

The PercentDone callback also acts as an AbortCheck event. For fast methods where PercentDone fires, an AbortCheck event may not trigger since the PercentDone callback already provides an opportunity to abort. For longer operations, where time between PercentDone callbacks is extended, AbortCheck callbacks enable more responsive operation termination.

To abort the operation, set the abort output argument to True. This will cause the method to terminate and return a failure status or corresponding failure value.

More Information and Examples

Example (object initialized with mcp.Initialize("evt")):

Sub evt_PercentDone (PctDone As Int) As Boolean
    ' PctDone ranges from 1 to 100.
    Log("Percent done: " & PctDone)
    Return False   ' Return True to abort the method in progress
End Sub
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ProgressInfo
' evt = the EventName passed to Initialize
Sub evt_ProgressInfo (Name As String, Value As String)

This event callback provides tag name/value pairs that detail what occurs during a method call. To discover existing tag names, create code to handle the event, emit the pairs, and review them. Most tag names are self-explanatory.

Note: Some Chilkat methods don't fire any ProgressInfo events.

More Information and Examples

Example (object initialized with mcp.Initialize("evt")):

Sub evt_ProgressInfo (Name As String, Value As String)
    Log(Name & ": " & Value)
End Sub
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