@dean0x/showme

ShowMe MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables coding agents to open files and display git diffs directly in VS Code with syntax highlighting. Provides two MCP tools: ShowFile for opening files and ShowDiff for visualizing git differences.

Why ShowMe?

The rise of CLI-based coding agents has fundamentally changed how we write code. We're no longer working in our IDEs—we're working with AI agents through conversational interfaces. This shift creates a new challenge: how do we quickly review the code our agents are writing?

ShowMe bridges this gap. Instead of keeping your IDE open and constantly switching contexts, you can stay focused on your conversation with the agent. When you need to see something, just ask:

• "Show me index.js" - Instantly opens the file in VS Code
• "Show me what you just changed" - Displays a rich diff view
• "Show me the main components" - Opens multiple files as tabs

Review what you need, close the window, and continue the conversation. It's ephemeral, on-demand code viewing designed for the age of AI-assisted development.

Features

• 🎯 Direct VS Code Integration - Opens files and diffs directly in your editor
• 🎨 Syntax Highlighting - Full language support through VS Code
• 📂 Multi-file Support - Open multiple files as tabs in a single command
• 🔍 Git Diff Visualization - Side-by-side diff comparisons with multi-tab support
• 📍 Line Navigation - Jump to specific line numbers
• ⚡ Fast & Lightweight - Minimal dependencies, instant response

Quick Reference

Tool	Purpose	Example
ShowFile	Open files in VS Code	ShowFile({ path: "README.md" })
ShowDiff	Display git diffs	ShowDiff({ base: "main" })

Installation

npm install -g @dean0x/showme

Or install locally in your project:

npm install @dean0x/showme

MCP Configuration

Using npx (recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "showme": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@dean0x/showme", "mcp", "start"]
    }
  }
}

Local development

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "showme": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/showme-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Note: The server uses the current working directory and will run in your project folder.

MCP Tools

ShowFile

Open one or multiple files in VS Code.

Parameters:

• path (string, optional) - Single file path relative to workspace
• paths (string[], optional) - Multiple file paths to open as tabs
• line_highlight (number, optional) - Line number to jump to (single file only)

Examples:

// Single file
await ShowFile({ path: "src/index.ts" })

// Single file with line highlight
await ShowFile({ path: "src/utils.ts", line_highlight: 42 })

// Multiple files
await ShowFile({ paths: ["src/index.ts", "package.json", "README.md"] })

ShowDiff

Display git diffs with rich visualization.

Parameters:

• base (string, optional) - Base commit, branch, or tag
• target (string, optional) - Target commit, branch, or tag
• files (string[], optional) - Specific files to include in diff
• staged (boolean, optional) - Show only staged changes
• unstaged (boolean, optional) - Show only unstaged changes

Examples:

// Working directory changes
await ShowDiff({})

// Compare with branch
await ShowDiff({ base: "main" })

// Compare commits
await ShowDiff({ base: "HEAD~2", target: "HEAD" })

// Single file diff (side-by-side view)
await ShowDiff({ 
  base: "HEAD~1", 
  target: "HEAD",
  files: ["src/index.ts"]
})

// Multiple file diffs (opens each in separate tab)
await ShowDiff({ 
  base: "main",
  files: ["src/index.ts", "package.json", "README.md"]
})

// Show only staged changes
await ShowDiff({ staged: true })

// Show only unstaged changes
await ShowDiff({ unstaged: true })

// Staged changes for specific files
await ShowDiff({ 
  staged: true,
  files: ["src/index.ts", "package.json"]
})

CLI Usage (Testing)

The package includes a CLI tool for testing the functionality:

File Commands

# Open single file
showme file README.md

# Open file at specific line
showme file src/index.ts --line 42
showme file src/main.ts -l 100

# Open multiple files as tabs
showme file src/index.ts src/utils.ts README.md
showme file src/*.ts  # Using shell expansion

Diff Commands

# Show working directory changes
showme diff

# Show diff from specific branch
showme diff --base main
showme diff -b feature-branch

# Compare two commits/branches
showme diff --base HEAD~1 --target HEAD
showme diff -b v1.0.0 -t v1.1.0

# Show diff for specific files
showme diff --files src/index.ts src/utils.ts
showme diff -f package.json

# Show only staged changes
showme diff --staged
showme diff -s

# Show only unstaged changes  
showme diff --unstaged
showme diff -u

# Staged changes for specific files
showme diff --staged -f src/index.ts README.md

Other Commands

# Show help
showme --help
showme -h

# Show version
showme --version
showme -v

Architecture

The server follows clean architecture principles:

• Result Types - All operations return Result<T, E> for explicit error handling
• Dependency Injection - Testable, modular design
• Pipe Composition - Functional programming patterns for data flow
• Resource Management - Proper cleanup with try/finally patterns
• Type Safety - Full TypeScript with no any types

Project Structure

showme/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts           # MCP server entry point
│   ├── cli.ts            # CLI tool entry point
│   ├── handlers/         # MCP tool handlers
│   │   ├── show-file-handler.ts
│   │   └── show-diff-handler.ts
│   ├── utils/            # Utilities and services
│   │   ├── vscode-executor.ts
│   │   ├── git-detector.ts
│   │   ├── git-diff-generator.ts
│   │   └── ...
│   └── __tests__/        # Test files
└── dist/                # Compiled output (generated)

Requirements

• Node.js >= 20.0.0
• VS Code installed and accessible via code command
• Git (for diff functionality)

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Run tests
npm test

# Run with coverage
npm run test:coverage

# Development mode
npm run dev

# Lint code
npm run lint

# Type check
npm run type-check

Testing

The project uses Vitest for testing with a focus on integration tests:

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run in watch mode
npm run test

# Run once
npm run test:run

# Coverage report
npm run test:coverage

Publishing

# Build the project
npm run build

# Test locally
npm link
showme-mcp

# Publish to npm
npm publish --access public

Troubleshooting

VS Code command not found

If you get an error about code command not being found:

• Open VS Code
• Press Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
• Type "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH"
• Restart your terminal

MCP server not connecting

• Check your MCP client configuration file
• Ensure the command is correctly spelled
• Restart your MCP client after configuration changes

License

MIT - See LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow the project's engineering principles and code style.

Support

For issues and feature requests, please visit our GitHub Issues page.

Acknowledgments

Built using the Model Context Protocol specification.