Render

For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. Markdown variants of every page are available by appending .md to the URL.

Render can host your xmcp server as a Node.js web service, exposing your tools over Streamable HTTP.

Start with an existing standalone xmcp project or create one with pnpm create xmcp-app@latest, choosing HTTP transport. The HTTP transport example demonstrates the server and build scripts used here.

Configure your server

Set the HTTP host to 0.0.0.0 so Render can reach your server:

import type { XmcpConfig } from "xmcp";

const config: XmcpConfig = {
  http: {
    host: "0.0.0.0",
  },
};

export default config;

Keep your existing tools and other configuration. The default HTTP port is 3001 and the default MCP endpoint is /mcp.

Ensure your package.json includes these scripts and Node.js version, then commit your project and lockfile to your Git provider:

{
  "engines": {
    "node": "22.x"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "build": "xmcp build",
    "start": "node dist/http.js"
  }
}

The build requires the @xmcp-dev/compiler development dependency included by the scaffolder. Install development dependencies during the build.

Deploy a web service

1. In the Render dashboard, select New → Web Service and connect your Git repository.

2. Choose the deployment branch and region, then configure the service:

   Setting	Value
   Language	Node
   Build Command	pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --prod=false && pnpm run build
   Start Command	node dist/http.js
   Health Check Path	/health

   For an npm project with a package-lock.json, use npm ci --include=dev && npm run build as the build command instead.

3. Add an environment variable named PORT with the value 3001, plus any variables your tools need. This overrides Render's default port to match xmcp. If you configure a different http.port, use that value for PORT and rebuild; the HTTP port is compiled into the server.

4. Choose an instance type and select Create Web Service. Render builds your server and provides an onrender.com URL. Subsequent pushes to your connected branch deploy automatically when auto-deploy is enabled.

Your MCP endpoint is https://<your-service>.onrender.com/mcp. If you customized http.endpoint, use that path instead. Add this URL to an MCP client to list and call your tools.

You can also check that the server is running with:

curl https://<your-service>.onrender.com/health

Free web services spin down after inactivity, so an MCP client's first request may need to wait for the service to wake up. Choose a paid instance if your server needs to remain available without that startup delay.

Learn more in Render's web service documentation.