MCP-Server-IETF: Streamlined RFC Access & Precision Context at Scale

MCP-Server-IETF: Streamlines RFC access for LLMs, ensuring precise context retrieval at scale—enterprise-grade, lightweight, and built for seamless AI integration.

Visit Repository

✨ Research And Data

4.5(184 reviews)

276 saves

128 comments

91% of users reported increased productivity after just one week

About MCP-Server-IETF

What is MCP-Server-IETF: Streamlined RFC Access & Precision Context at Scale?

MCP-Server-IETF is a specialized tool built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) framework. It acts as a bridge between Large Language Models (LLMs) and the vast repository of IETF RFC documents. By standardizing access to technical specifications, this server ensures developers can efficiently retrieve and process RFCs without manual overhead. Think of it as a precision-engineered interface that transforms raw RFC data into structured, machine-readable content for AI systems.

How to Use MCP-Server-IETF: Streamlined RFC Access & Precision Context at Scale?

Getting started requires three main steps: setup, server launch, and tool utilization. First, install Python 3.11+ and dependencies via:

    
      git clone https://github.com/tizee/mcp-server-ietf
      pip install -e .

Next, run the server with mcp-server-ietf. For advanced users, the MCP inspector provides an interactive playground using:

    npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run mcp-server-ietf

Tools like get_doc (fetch specific RFCs) and search_rfc_by_keyword enable programmatic access. For example:

    get_doc(rfc_number=9110) → retrieves HTTP/2 specification

MCP-Server-IETF Features

Key Features of MCP-Server-IETF

Automatic Caching: Stores frequently accessed RFCs to reduce latency
Keyword Search: Instantly find documents using natural language queries
Context-Aware Parsing: Extracts metadata (e.g., authors, dates) alongside raw text
Version Control: Tracks RFC revisions automatically

These features make it far more than a simple document server – it's a full lifecycle management tool for RFC data.

Use Cases for Developers & Researchers

Common applications include:

Automating compliance checks for networking software
Building RFC-based training datasets for NLP models
Creating interactive RFC viewers for documentation platforms
Generating comparative analyses of protocol evolutions

MCP-Server-IETF FAQ

FAQ: Common Questions & Considerations

Q: Does it support non-IETF documents?
A: Currently optimized for RFCs, but the MCP framework allows extending to other standards

Q: How is caching managed?
A: Uses LRU eviction policy with configurable storage limits

Q: Can I customize output formats?
A: Yes, supports JSON, XML, and raw text outputs through API parameters

Note: For enterprise deployments, consider enabling SSL encryption and rate limiting via environment variables.

Content

MCP-Server-IETF

A Model Context Protocol server for fetching IETF documents (RFCs) for Large Language Models.

Overview

This project implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to IETF RFC documents. It enables Large Language Models to access RFC specifications through a standardized interface.

Key features:

Download and cache RFC index and documents
Search RFCs by keyword in titles
Access RFC documents with pagination support
Extract metadata like page numbers from documents

Installation

Requirements

Python 3.11 or higher
Dependencies as listed in pyproject.toml

Install from source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/tizee/mcp-server-ietf
cd mcp-server-ietf

# Install with pip
pip install -e .

Usage

Starting the server

# Start the server
mcp-server-ietf

Or use it with the MCP inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run mcp-server-ietf

Available Tools

When connected to the server, the following tools are available:

`list_docs_number`

Get the total number of RFC documents available in the index.

`get_doc`

Get an RFC document by its number with pagination support.

Parameters:

number: The RFC number (e.g., "1234")
start_line: The line number to start from (default: 1)
max_lines: Maximum number of lines to return (default: 200)

`search_rfc_by_keyword`

Search for RFC documents by keyword in their titles.

Parameters:

keyword: The search term to look for in RFC titles

Development

Setup Development Environment

# Install development dependencies
uv install -e .[dev]

Run inspector with Makefile:

make dev

Running Tests

# Run tests
uv run pytest

Or using the Makefile:

make test

Cache Location

By default, the server caches RFC documents and the index at ~/.cache/ietf-doc-server.

Environment Variables

LOG_LEVEL: Set the logging level (default: "DEBUG")

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Related MCP Servers & Clients

MCP Categories

Research And Data