mcp-php-sdk-tutorial

layout	title	nav_order	has_children	format_version
default	MCP PHP SDK Tutorial	172	true	v2

MCP PHP SDK Tutorial: Building MCP Servers in PHP with Discovery and Transport Flexibility

Learn how to implement MCP server workflows with modelcontextprotocol/php-sdk, including attribute discovery, manual capability registration, transport strategy, session storage, and framework integration patterns.

Why This Track Matters

PHP teams integrating MCP need a practical path that works across plain scripts and framework-based HTTP stacks. The official PHP SDK focuses on server construction with a strong attribute model, pluggable discovery and session controls, and transport support for both local stdio and HTTP deployments.

This track focuses on:

• setting a safe baseline for an actively evolving SDK
• designing tools/resources/prompts with schema discipline
• choosing between discovery, manual registration, or hybrid patterns
• running transport/session strategies for CLI and web workloads

Current Snapshot (auto-updated)

• repository: modelcontextprotocol/php-sdk
• stars: about 1.4k
• latest release: v0.4.0 (published 2026-02-23)

Mental Model

flowchart LR
    A[PHP app] --> B[Server::builder]
    B --> C[Discovery + Attributes]
    B --> D[Manual Registration]
    B --> E[STDIO Transport]
    B --> F[Streamable HTTP Transport]
    B --> G[Session + Cache + Logger]

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Chapter Guide

Chapter	Key Question	Outcome
01 - Getting Started and Experimental Baseline	How do I start safely with a fast-moving PHP SDK?	Stable setup
02 - Server Builder and Capability Registration	How does Server::builder() shape server architecture?	Better composition
03 - MCP Elements: Tools, Resources, Prompts, and Schemas	How should primitives be modeled for robust interoperability?	Higher schema quality
04 - Discovery, Manual Registration, and Caching	When should I use discovery, explicit registration, or both?	Faster startup and lower drift
05 - Transports: STDIO and Streamable HTTP	Which transport should I deploy per environment?	Clear runtime strategy
06 - Client Communication: Sampling, Logging, and Progress	How do server-side handlers communicate back to clients correctly?	Better protocol UX
07 - Framework Integration, Session Stores, and Dependencies	How do I integrate PHP MCP into web stacks safely?	Production-ready integration
08 - Roadmap, Release Strategy, and Production Readiness	How should teams manage upgrades while APIs are still evolving?	Safer operations

What You Will Learn

• how to build PHP MCP servers with a durable builder/discovery architecture
• how to expose and validate primitives using attribute and schema controls
• how to run stdio and HTTP transports with appropriate session management
• how to operate the SDK with roadmap-aware release discipline

Source References

• PHP SDK README
• PHP SDK Guides Index
• Server Builder Guide
• MCP Elements Guide
• Transports Guide
• Client Communication Guide
• Examples Guide
• Server Examples README
• PHP SDK Changelog

Related Tutorials

• MCP Specification Tutorial
• MCP Python SDK Tutorial
• MCP TypeScript SDK Tutorial
• MCP Ruby SDK Tutorial

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Start with Chapter 1: Getting Started and Experimental Baseline.

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Full Chapter Map

1. Chapter 1: Getting Started and Experimental Baseline
2. Chapter 2: Server Builder and Capability Registration
3. Chapter 3: MCP Elements: Tools, Resources, Prompts, and Schemas
4. Chapter 4: Discovery, Manual Registration, and Caching
5. Chapter 5: Transports: STDIO and Streamable HTTP
6. Chapter 6: Client Communication: Sampling, Logging, and Progress
7. Chapter 7: Framework Integration, Session Stores, and Dependencies
8. Chapter 8: Roadmap, Release Strategy, and Production Readiness

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