This example demonstrates how to use the Spring AI Model Context Protocol (MCP) with the Brave Search MCP Server. The application enables natural language interactions with Brave Search, allowing you to perform internet searches through a conversational interface.

Prerequisites

Java 17 or higher
Maven 3.6+
npx package manager
Git
OpenAI API key
Brave Search API key

Setup

Install npx (Node Package eXecute): First, make sure to install npm and then run:
```
npm install -g npx
```

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ai-examples.git
cd model-context-protocol/brave

Set up your API keys:

export OPENAI_API_KEY='your-openai-api-key-here'
export BRAVE_API_KEY='your-brave-api-key-here'

Build the application:
```
./mvnw clean install
```

Running the Application

Run the application using Maven:

./mvnw spring-boot:run

The application will demonstrate the integration by asking a sample question about Spring AI and Model Context Protocol, utilizing Brave Search to gather information.

How it Works

The application integrates Spring AI with the Brave Search MCP server through several components:

MCP Client Setup

@Bean(destroyMethod = "close")
public McpSyncClient mcpClient() {
    var stdioParams = ServerParameters.builder("npx")
            .args("-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search")
            .addEnvVar("BRAVE_API_KEY", System.getenv("BRAVE_API_KEY"))
            .build();

    var mcpClient = McpClient.sync(new StdioServerTransport(stdioParams));
    var init = mcpClient.initialize();
    return mcpClient;
}

The MCP client is configured to:

Use the Brave Search MCP server via npx
Pass the Brave API key from environment variables
Initialize a synchronous connection to the server

Function Callbacks

The application automatically discovers and registers available Brave Search tools:

List<McpFunctionCallback> functionCallbacks = mcpClient.listTools(null)
        .tools()
        .stream()
        .map(tool -> new McpFunctionCallback(mcpClient, tool))
        .toList();

These callbacks enable the ChatClient to:

Access Brave Search tools during conversations
Handle function calls requested by the AI model
Execute search queries against the Brave Search API

Chat Integration

The ChatClient is configured with the Brave Search function callbacks:

var chatClient = chatClientBuilder
        .defaultFunctions(functionCallbacks.toArray(new McpFunctionCallback[0]))
        .build();

This setup allows the AI model to:

Understand when to use Brave Search
Format queries appropriately
Process and incorporate search results into responses

Dependencies

The project uses:

Spring Boot 3.3.6
Spring AI 1.0.0-M4
Spring AI MCP Spring 0.1.0
OpenAI Spring Boot Starter