Build with Aspire

This repository contains resources and examples demonstrating building with .NET Aspire, including a complete implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for AI agent tools.

Slides

The slides for the related talk can be found at:
http://chris-ayers.com/build-with-aspire/

Repository Content

This repository provides insights, best practices, and demonstrations for building with Aspire. Topics covered include:

• An introduction to Aspire.
• Features and benefits of using Aspire.
• Step-by-step guide to start a new project with Aspire.
• Advanced scenarios like optimizing performance and scalability.
• Publishing Aspire applications to various platforms.
• Passing configuration and secrets to Aspire applications.
• MCP Server Implementation: Complete implementation using the official MCP C# SDK with dynamic tool discovery over HTTPS/SSE

Project Features

MCP Server Integration

This project demonstrates a production-ready implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP):

• Official MCP C# SDK: Uses modelcontextprotocol/csharp-sdk
• Dynamic Tool Discovery: API service discovers tools from MCP server at runtime
• HTTPS/SSE Transport: Server-Sent Events for bidirectional communication
• Service Discovery: Aspire handles endpoint resolution between services
• 13 Built-in Tools: Weather, System, and Math tools ready to use
• Microsoft Agent Framework: Integrated with AI agent for autonomous tool usage

Architecture

API Service → (HTTPS/SSE) → MCP Server → Tools
    ↓                            ↓
Chat Agent                  WeatherTools
(Microsoft Agent Framework) SystemTools
                            MathTools

Documentation

• api-tests/: HTTP test files for all endpoints
• MCP Server README: MCP Server implementation details

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• .NET 9.0 SDK or later
• Docker Desktop (for Aspire)
• Visual Studio Code or Visual Studio 2022

Quick Start

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/codebytes/build-with-aspire.git
cd build-with-aspire

# Run with .NET CLI
cd src/BuildWithAspire.AppHost
dotnet run

# Or press F5 in VS Code / Visual Studio

The Aspire Dashboard will open at https://localhost:17020 showing all services.

Service Endpoints

• MCP Server: http://localhost:8080
• API Service: http://localhost:5020
• Aspire Dashboard: https://localhost:17020

Testing the MCP Server

# List available tools
curl http://localhost:5020/mcp/tools

# Check service health
curl http://localhost:8080/health
curl http://localhost:5020/health

Use the api-tests/ directory for more HTTP test examples.

Resources

• .NET Aspire
• MCP Specification
• MCP C# SDK
• Microsoft Agent Framework
• Aspirify
• Aspire Samples

Connect with Chris Ayers

Feel free to connect with Chris Ayers on social media and visit his blog for more information on Playwright and other topics:

• Twitter: @Chris_L_Ayers
• Mastodon: @Chrisayers@hachyderm.io
• LinkedIn: chris-l-ayers
• Blog: https://chris-ayers.com/
• GitHub: Codebytes

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more information.