Effortless AI Integration: Connecting React Apps to MCP Servers with Cloudflare's Open-Source Tools

Developers no longer need to wrestle with complex integrations to bring AI capabilities into their React applications. Cloudflare's latest open-source offerings dramatically simplify the process of connecting React frontends to Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, paving the way for smarter chatbots, support agents, and internal tools all with minimal setup.

Meet the use-mcp React Library

The use-mcp library is engineered to abstract away connection hurdles. Its core hook, use-mcp() lets you specify an MCP server URL and instantly manages connectivity. This means you can focus on building features, not infrastructure.

Here’s all the code you need to add to connect to a remote MCP server. Just specify the URL, and you're instantly connected. use-mcp handles the transport protocols (both Streamable HTTP and Server-Sent Events), authentication flows, and session management.

import { useMcp } from 'use-mcp/react'
function MyComponent() {
  const { state, tools, callTool } = useMcp({
    url: 'https://mcp-server.example.com'
  })
  return <div>Your actual UI code</div>
}
 ​  Copy

• Automatic Transport & Session Handling: The library supports Streamable HTTP and Server-Sent Events (SSE), handling retries and reconnections to keep your app robust and user-friendly.
  
  
• Streamlined Authentication: Full OAuth 2.1 support means login flows, token storage, and revocation are handled for you, no custom code required.
  
  
• Dynamic Tool Discovery: Your app can automatically fetch and update available tools from the server, making it future-proof as server capabilities evolve.
  
  
• Real-Time Debugging: Access a structured log array with instant updates to monitor tool calls, authentication events, and overall connection health.
  
  
• Continuous Compatibility: Frequent updates guarantee alignment with the evolving MCP standard, protecting your app against breaking changes.

Connection Status at a Glance

With use-mcp, it's simple to keep users informed. The hook returns a state Copy Copy Copy Copy property, allowing your UI to display real-time connection statuses "connecting," "ready," or "failed" without extra logic.

Built-In Security

OAuth 2.1 integration takes care of credential management, providing methods for token revocation and ensuring your application maintains top-tier security standards.

The AI Playground: An Open-Source Showcase

Cloudflare's open-sourced AI Playground serves as a demonstration and testing ground for MCP integrations. This customizable chat interface enables users to interact with large language models (LLMs) and trigger real-time tool use via MCP connections.

Deploy A Copy of AI Playground 

• Instant Deployment: Set up your own AI Playground instance on Cloudflare with a single click for rapid prototyping.
  
  
• Effortless Tool Discovery: The playground automatically populates available tools from connected MCP servers, supporting seamless chat-based experimentation.
  
  
• Comprehensive Debugging: Monitor authentication, connection status, and tool invocation with a real-time debug log, making it invaluable for both developers and operators.
  
  
• use-mcp Library Example: Uses the use-mcp library to manage connections to remote MCP servers.

Growing the MCP Ecosystem Together

Cloudflare's open-source commitment is fueling rapid MCP ecosystem expansion. The Cloudflare AI GitHub repository contains reference implementations, sample MCP servers with various authentication providers, and helpful utilities like the MCP Inspector for connection testing and debugging.

Deploy a MCP Inspector 

Developers are encouraged to contribute, provide feedback, and collaborate to advance AI-powered application development. Whether you’re embarking on your first MCP integration or seeking to enrich the ecosystem, robust documentation and active support channels are at your disposal.

Build Smarter, Faster, and More Securely

With the use-mcp React library and Cloudflare’s open-source AI Playground, integrating AI into React apps is fast, secure, and scalable. Developers can now launch resilient, production-ready applications with just a few lines of code, no custom infrastructure needed. These tools ensure your applications keep pace as the MCP standard grows and evolves.

Source: Cloudflare Blog