autospectra-mcp-server

Cloud Deployment Guide for AutoSpectra MCP Server

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for deploying the AutoSpectra MCP Server to a free cloud provider (Render.com) and integrating it with Smithery AI.

Prerequisites

• A GitHub account (for hosting your repository)
• A Render.com account (free tier is sufficient)

Step 1: Prepare Your Repository

1. Create a GitHub repository for your MCP server (if you haven’t already)
2. Push your code to the repository:

git init
git add .
git branch -M main
git remote add origin YOUR_GITHUB_REPOSITORY_URL
git push -u origin main

Step 2: Deploy to Render.com

Option A: Manual Deployment

1. Log in to Render.com
2. Click on “New” and select “Web Service”
3. Connect to your GitHub repository
4. Configure the deployment:
   • Name: autospectra-mcp-server (or any name you prefer)
   • Runtime: Node
   • Build Command: npm install && npm run build
   • Start Command: NODE_ENV=production npm start
   • Plan: Free
5. Configure Environment Variables:
   • PORT: 8080
   • DEBUG: false
   • HEADLESS: true
   • SLOW_MO: 0
   • OUTPUT_DIR: ./output
6. Click “Create Web Service”

Render will automatically deploy your application. Once deployment is complete, you’ll receive a URL for your service (e.g., https://autospectra-mcp-server.onrender.com).

Option B: Automated Deployment with GitHub Actions

For continuous deployment with GitHub Actions, follow these steps:

1. Generate a Render API key:
   • In Render dashboard, go to Account Settings → API Keys
   • Click “New API Key”, provide a name, and copy the generated key
2. Find your Render Service ID:
   • Go to your service dashboard
   • The service ID is the last part of the URL (e.g., srv-abcdefghijkl)
3. Add secrets to your GitHub repository:
   • Go to your GitHub repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
   • Add two secrets:
     • RENDER_API_KEY: Your Render API key
     • RENDER_SERVICE_ID: Your Render service ID
4. The deployment will automatically trigger when:
   • You push to the main branch (deploys to staging environment)
   • You create a new tag with format v* (deploys to production environment)
5. The GitHub Action workflow will:
   • Run tests
   • Build the project
   • Deploy to Render
   • Verify the deployment is healthy
   • For tagged releases, create a GitHub Release with auto-generated changelogs

Deployment Environments

The GitHub Actions workflow handles two deployment scenarios:

• Main Branch Pushes: Deployed as staging
• Tagged Releases: Deployed as production with a GitHub Release created automatically

To create a tagged release:

# First update the version
git tag v1.0.1  # Use semantic versioning
git push origin v1.0.1

You can also use the “Semantic Versioning” GitHub Action to automate version updates.

Step 3: Test Your Deployment

Verify that your deployment works by visiting:

• https://YOUR_RENDER_URL/health - Should return a JSON response with status “ok”
• https://YOUR_RENDER_URL/ - Should show basic info about the server

Step 4: Integrate with Smithery AI

Now that your server is deployed, you can integrate it with Smithery AI:

1. Log in to your Smithery AI account
2. Navigate to “Settings” > “Integrations” > “Add Custom Tool”
3. Fill in the required information:
   • Name: autospectra
   • Display Name: AutoSpectra Browser Automation
   • Description: Browser automation and testing with visible feedback
   • Endpoint: Your Render.com URL (e.g., https://autospectra-mcp-server.onrender.com)
4. Configure tool schemas as described in the Smithery Integration Guide

Step 5: Test the Integration

Once configured, test the integration by asking your Smithery AI agent to perform a simple browser automation task:

Example prompt:

Navigate to https://example.com and take a screenshot

The agent should use the AutoSpectra tools to navigate to the URL and capture a screenshot, returning the results to you.

Troubleshooting Cloud Deployment

Common Issues:

1. Build Failures:
   • Check your Render logs to see what’s failing
   • Make sure all dependencies are properly specified in package.json
2. Runtime Errors:
   • Make sure you have the appropriate environment variables set
   • Headless mode must be enabled for cloud environments
3. Connection Issues with Smithery:
   • Verify that your Render URL is correct and accessible
   • Check that the tool schemas are correctly defined
4. Resources Limitations:
   • Free tier resources are limited; consider upgrading if you experience performance issues

Maintaining Your Deployment

• Render automatically rebuilds and deploys whenever you push changes to your GitHub repository
• Monitor your application’s logs in the Render dashboard
• For production use, consider setting up monitoring and alerts

Alternative Free Cloud Providers

If Render.com doesn’t meet your needs, consider these alternatives:

• Fly.io - Offers a generous free tier
• Railway - Simple deployment with a free tier
• Heroku - Limited free tier but very reliable

Each has slightly different setup procedures, but the general principles remain the same.