HACKATHON_DEMO.md

🏆 Stack Overflow MCP Server - Hackathon Demo

🎯 Project Overview

This project demonstrates a Stack Overflow MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server built with Gradio for a hackathon. It provides both a beautiful web interface and an MCP server that AI assistants like Claude can use to programmatically search and analyze Stack Overflow content.

🌟 Key Features

🔍 Multiple Search Methods

• General Search: Query-based search with tag filtering
• Error Search: Specialized search for error messages and debugging
• Question Retrieval: Get specific questions by ID
• Stack Trace Analysis: Analyze stack traces to find solutions
• Advanced Search: Comprehensive filtering with multiple criteria

🎨 Beautiful Web Interface

• Clean, modern Gradio interface
• Multiple tabs for different search types
• Quick example buttons for easy testing
• Real-time search results with formatted output
• Support for both Markdown and JSON output formats

🤖 MCP Server Integration

• Full MCP compatibility for AI assistants
• SSE (Server-Sent Events) endpoint for real-time communication
• 5 available MCP tools for different search scenarios
• Easy integration with Claude Desktop and other MCP clients

🚀 Live Demo

🌐 Web Interface: https://c44b366466c774a9d5.gradio.live

🔗 MCP Server Endpoint: https://c44b366466c774a9d5.gradio.live/gradio_api/mcp/sse

🛠️ Available MCP Tools

Tool	Description	Use Case
search_by_query_sync	General Stack Overflow search	Find solutions by keywords and tags
search_by_error_sync	Error-specific search	Debug specific error messages
get_question_sync	Retrieve specific question by ID	Get detailed question information
analyze_stack_trace_sync	Analyze stack traces	Find solutions for runtime errors
advanced_search_sync	Advanced search with filters	Complex queries with multiple criteria

📊 Demo Scenarios

1. General Programming Search

Query: "Django pagination best practices"
Tags: python,django
Filters: Minimum score 5, Must have accepted answer

2. Error Debugging

Error: "TypeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'length'"
Language: Python
Technologies: flask,sqlalchemy

3. Stack Trace Analysis

Stack Trace: "ReferenceError: useState is not defined"
Language: JavaScript

4. Advanced Search

Query: "memory optimization"
Include Tags: c++,performance
Exclude Tags: beginner
Min Score: 50
Sort By: votes

🔧 Technical Architecture

Frontend (Gradio)

• Framework: Gradio 5.33.1 with MCP support
• Interface: Multi-tab design with intuitive controls
• Features: Real-time search, example buttons, format selection

Backend (Stack Overflow MCP Server)

• API Integration: Stack Exchange API with rate limiting
• MCP Protocol: Full MCP compatibility with SSE transport
• Search Engine: Multiple search strategies and filtering options
• Response Formatting: Markdown and JSON output formats

Infrastructure

• Package Manager: UV for fast dependency management
• Deployment: Gradio sharing with public URLs
• MCP Server: Integrated MCP server with Gradio

🎮 How to Test

Web Interface Testing

1. Visit the live demo
2. Try the different tabs:
   • General Search: Use example buttons or enter custom queries
   • Error Search: Test with common error messages
   • Get Question: Try question ID 11227809
   • Stack Trace Analysis: Use the pre-filled JavaScript example
   • Advanced Search: Experiment with complex filters

MCP Client Testing

Configure your MCP client (like Claude Desktop) with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stackoverflow": {
      "url": "https://c44b366466c774a9d5.gradio.live/gradio_api/mcp/sse"
    }
  }
}

🏗️ Local Development

# Clone and setup
git clone <repository>
cd gradio_stack_overflow_client

# Install dependencies
uv add "gradio[mcp]"

# Set your Stack Exchange API key
export STACK_EXCHANGE_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

# Run the application
uv run python gradio_app.py

🎯 Hackathon Highlights

Innovation

• Dual Interface: Both web UI and MCP server in one application
• Smart Search: Multiple specialized search strategies
• User Experience: Intuitive interface with quick examples

Technical Excellence

• Modern Stack: UV, Gradio 5.33+, FastMCP integration
• Robust API: Rate limiting, error handling, async operations
• MCP Compliance: Full protocol implementation with SSE transport

Practical Value

• Real-world Utility: Solves actual developer problems
• AI Integration: Ready for AI assistant workflows
• Extensible: Easy to add new search methods and filters

🚀 Future Enhancements

• Authentication: User-specific search history
• Caching: Redis caching for faster responses
• Analytics: Search pattern analysis and recommendations
• Multi-platform: GitHub, GitLab, and other developer platforms
• AI Features: Semantic search and intelligent filtering

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Built with ❤️ for the MCP Hackathon

Demonstrating the power of combining beautiful web interfaces with powerful MCP server capabilities