Build MCP servers from single TypeScript files.

Write business logic. Get an MCP server, CLI, and web UI — automatically.

Quick Start · Features · Beam UI · Marketplace · Docs

Quick Start

npm install -g @portel/photon
photon init my-tool
photon                        # Open Beam UI in your browser

Create analytics.photon.ts — no boilerplate, no config files:

/**
 * Analytics - Query company analytics
 * @dependencies pg@^8.11.0
 */
import { Client } from 'pg';

export default class Analytics {
  private db: Client;

  constructor(private host: string, private database: string, private password: string) {}

  async onInitialize() {
    this.db = new Client({ host: this.host, database: this.database, password: this.password });
    await this.db.connect();
  }

  /** Get revenue by date range */
  async revenue(params: { startDate: string; endDate: string }) {
    return (await this.db.query(
      'SELECT date, SUM(amount) FROM orders WHERE date BETWEEN $1 AND $2 GROUP BY date',
      [params.startDate, params.endDate]
    )).rows;
  }
}

Same file, three interfaces:

photon mcp analytics              # MCP server for Claude, Cursor, Zed
photon cli analytics revenue      # CLI for humans
photon                            # Beam web UI

Beam

Beam is the human interface to MCP — browse, configure, test, and execute tools visually.

Auto-generated forms — Built from your TypeScript types. Required fields marked, types validated.

Execute and verify — Test every tool before deploying to AI. See exactly what AI will see.

Constructor parameters become form fields, environment variables, and CLI flags automatically:

constructor(
  private host: string,      // → ANALYTICS_HOST env var → text field
  private database: string,  // → ANALYTICS_DATABASE    → text field
  private password: string   // → ANALYTICS_PASSWORD    → password field
) {}

Features

Convention Over Configuration

Full Platform

• Hot Reload — --dev flag watches for changes and reloads instantly
• Daemon Protocol — Pub/sub channels, distributed locks, scheduled jobs, webhooks
• Custom UIs — Build rich interfaces with window.photon API
• OAuth — Built-in OAuth 2.1 with Google, GitHub, Microsoft providers
• MCP Composition — Call other MCP servers with @mcp tag
• Deployment — Docker, Cloudflare Workers, AWS Lambda, Systemd

Why Single File?

Traditional MCPs scatter logic across 4-6 files. Photon keeps everything in one:

Marketplace

Install production-ready photons or create team marketplaces:

photon search postgres            # Find photons
photon add postgres               # Install
photon upgrade                    # Keep current

Available: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, SQLite, AWS S3, Docker, Filesystem, Git, GitHub, Email, Slack, Google Calendar, Jira, and more.

# Create a team marketplace
photon sync marketplace --claude-code
git push origin main
# Team members: photon marketplace add company/photons

Commands

# Run
photon                            # Open Beam UI
photon mcp <name>                 # MCP server
photon mcp <name> --dev           # MCP server with hot reload
photon cli <name> [method]        # CLI interface

# Manage
photon init <name>                # Create new photon
photon info                       # List all photons
photon info <name> --mcp          # Get MCP client config
photon validate <name>            # Check for errors

# Marketplace
photon add <name>                 # Install photon
photon search <query>             # Search
photon upgrade                    # Upgrade all

# Ops
photon doctor                     # Diagnose environment
photon audit                      # Security audit
photon test                       # Run tests
photon deploy                     # Deploy to production

Documentation

Start here:

Deep dives:

Reference: Architecture · Best Practices · Naming Conventions · Comparison · Changelog

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md and ARCHITECTURE.md.

License

MIT

photon

Singular focus. Precise target.

Photons are single-file TypeScript MCP servers that supercharge AI assistants with focused capabilities. Each photon delivers ONE thing exceptionally well - from filesystem operations to cloud integrations.

Built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), photons are:

• 📦 One-command install via Photon CLI
• 🎯 Laser-focused on singular capabilities
• ⚡ Zero-config with auto-dependency management
• 🔌 Universal - works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and any MCP client

📦 Available Photons

Total: 3 photons ready to use

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install Photon

npm install -g @portel/photon

2. Add Any Photon

photon add filesystem
photon add git
photon add aws-s3

3. Use It

# Run as MCP server
photon mcp filesystem

# Get config for your MCP client
photon get filesystem --mcp

Output (paste directly into your MCP client config):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "photon",
      "args": ["mcp", "filesystem"]
    }
  }
}

Add the output to your MCP client's configuration. Consult your client's documentation for setup instructions.

That's it! Your AI assistant now has 3 focused tools at its fingertips.

🎨 Claude Code Integration

This marketplace is also available as a Claude Code plugin, enabling seamless installation of individual photons directly from Claude Code's plugin manager.

Install as Claude Code Plugin

# In Claude Code, run:
/plugin marketplace add portel-dev/photons

Once added, you can install individual photons:

# Install specific photons you need
/plugin install filesystem@photons-marketplace
/plugin install git@photons-marketplace
/plugin install knowledge-graph@photons-marketplace

Benefits of Claude Code Plugin

• 🎯 Granular Installation: Install only the photons you need
• 🔄 Auto-Updates: Plugin stays synced with marketplace
• ⚡ Zero Config: Photon CLI auto-installs on first use
• 🛡️ Secure: No credentials shared with AI (interactive setup available)
• 📦 Individual MCPs: Each photon is a separate installable plugin

How This Plugin Is Built

This marketplace doubles as a Claude Code plugin through automatic generation:

# Generate marketplace AND Claude Code plugin files
photon maker sync --claude-code

This single command:

1. Scans all .photon.ts files
2. Generates .marketplace/photons.json manifest
3. Creates .claude-plugin/marketplace.json for Claude Code
4. Generates documentation for each photon
5. Creates auto-install hooks for seamless setup

Result: One source of truth, two distribution channels (Photon CLI + Claude Code).

⚛️ What Are Photons?

Photons are laser-focused modules - each does ONE thing exceptionally well:

• 📁 Filesystem - File operations
• 🐙 Git - Repository management
• ☁️ AWS S3 - Cloud storage
• 📅 Google Calendar - Calendar integration
• 🕐 Time - Timezone operations
• ... and more

Each photon delivers singular focus to a precise target.

Key Features:

• 🎯 Each photon does one thing perfectly
• 📦 3 production-ready photons available
• ⚡ Auto-installs dependencies
• 🔧 Works out of the box
• 📄 Single-file design (easy to fork and customize)

🎯 The Value Proposition

Before Photon

For each MCP server:

1. Find and clone the repository
2. Install dependencies manually
3. Configure environment variables
4. Write MCP client config JSON by hand
5. Repeat for every server

With Photon

# Install from marketplace
photon add filesystem

# Get MCP config
photon get filesystem --mcp

Output (paste directly into your MCP client config):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "photon",
      "args": ["mcp", "filesystem"]
    }
  }
}

That's it. No dependencies, no environment setup, no configuration files.

Difference:

• ✅ One CLI, one command
• ✅ Zero configuration
• ✅ Instant installation
• ✅ Auto-dependencies
• ✅ Consistent experience

💡 Use Cases

For Claude Users:

photon add filesystem git github-issues
photon get --mcp  # Get config for all three

Add to Claude Desktop → Now Claude can read files, manage repos, create issues

For Teams:

photon add postgres mongodb redis
photon get --mcp

Give Claude access to your data infrastructure

For Developers:

photon add docker git slack
photon get --mcp

Automate your workflow through AI

🔍 Browse & Search

# List all photons
photon get

# Search by keyword
photon search calendar

# View details
photon get google-calendar

# Upgrade all
photon upgrade

🏢 For Enterprises

Create your own marketplace:

# 1. Organize photons
mkdir company-photons && cd company-photons

# 2. Generate marketplace
photon maker sync

# 3. Share with team
git push origin main

# Team members use:
photon marketplace add company/photons
photon add your-internal-tool

Built with singular focus. Deployed with precise targeting.

Made with ⚛️ by Portel