
Connects Claude directly to SAP ABAP systems (ECC, S/4HANA on-prem, BTP ABAP Cloud) through ADT APIs with full CRUD, not just read access. Exposes tools for where-used analysis, dependency mapping, object metadata, and semantic introspection alongside operations to create and update RAP artifacts (behavior definitions, service definitions, metadata extensions), CDS views, classes, interfaces, function groups, and classic ABAP objects. Handles auth via JWT/XSUAA service keys stored locally as destinations. Designed for AI-assisted pair programming workflows where the agent needs grounded repository data and the ability to make validated changes through ADT flows, not autopilot generation. Ships with stdio, HTTP, and SSE transports plus an embeddable server mode for integration into existing Node applications.
mcp-abap-adt is an MCP server for ABAP ADT in SAP ECC/S/4HANA (on-premise) and SAP BTP ABAP Cloud systems. It gives agents controlled access to real ABAP repositories through ADT, so analysis and changes are grounded in system data instead of assumptions. It is built for AI-assisted pair programming (AIPNV: AI Pairing, Not Vibing), not autopilot vibe coding.
Primary workflows:
Why teams use it:
parked/legacy-support branch until it can be tried against a live legacy system@mcp-abap-adt/core) or the compact one (@mcp-abap-adt/compact), each connecting to the system over HTTP, RFC or SNC — see Installation variantsAuthorization & Destinations (Important): A destination is the filename of a service key stored locally. You place service keys in the service-keys directory, and use --mcp=<destination> to select which one to use. This is the primary auth model for on‑prem and BTP systems. See Authentication & Destinations.
You can configure MCP clients either manually (JSON/TOML) or via the configurator CLI (@mcp-abap-adt/configurator, repo: mcp-abap-adt-conf).
Pick a variant first — full or compact server, and HTTP, RFC or SNC to the system. HTTP needs nothing but Node.js 22 or 24; RFC and SNC need the SAP NW RFC SDK and a C++ toolchain on the machine before npm install, because the RFC module is compiled during the install and silently left out when it cannot be. Installation variants has the table and the commands; RFC Setup the steps.
Install the server and configure your client using the configurator:
npm install -g @mcp-abap-adt/core
npm install -g @mcp-abap-adt/configurator
# stdio (destination)
mcp-conf --client cline --name abap --mcp TRIAL
# HTTP (streamable HTTP)
mcp-conf --client copilot --name abap --transport http --url http://localhost:3000/mcp/stream/http --mcp trial
Full configurator usage (separate repo): CLIENT_INSTALLERS.md.
Destination: a local service key filename. You store service keys in the standard service-keys directory, and pass the filename (without extension) via --mcp=<destination> to select which system to use.
See docs/user-guide/TERMINOLOGY.md for the full list.
Destination-based auth is the default. Drop service keys into the standard platform folder and use the filename as your destination:
mcp-abap-adt --transport=stdio --mcp=TRIAL
Standard service key paths:
~/.config/mcp-abap-adt/service-keys/<destination>.json%USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\mcp-abap-adt\\service-keys\\<destination>.jsonThe server supports exactly four authentications; each is a destination stated in a service key, a .env, or both:
| Authentication | .env keys |
|---|---|
| Basic (HTTP or RFC) | SAP_AUTH_TYPE=basic, SAP_USERNAME, SAP_PASSWORD |
| SNC (RFC only, passwordless) | SAP_AUTH_TYPE=snc, SAP_SNC_PARTNERNAME, optional SAP_SNC_QOP, SAP_SNC_LIB, SAP_SNC_MYNAME — no user, no password |
| JWT, browser login | SAP_AUTH_TYPE=jwt, SAP_GRANT_TYPE=authorization_code, a service key (ABAP or XSUAA) or SAP_UAA_* |
| JWT you hold | SAP_AUTH_TYPE=jwt, SAP_GRANT_TYPE=none, SAP_JWT_TOKEN (or the x-sap-jwt-token header) |
A jwt .env must state SAP_GRANT_TYPE. The mcp-auth command that writes such a .env comes from
@mcp-abap-adt/auth-broker-cli. The browser login listens on port 61001 unless --browser-auth-port says otherwise.
A created object always carries its responsible person: the first stated of the tool's own argument,
the x-sap-responsible header, SAP_RESPONSIBLE in the destination's own .env, then in the process
environment — else the login: on-premise the destination's SAP_USERNAME, the x-sap-login of an
x-sap-url connection, the process SAP_USERNAME; on a cloud system only the system's user. A create
that finds none (SNC, a token you hold) is refused naming SAP_RESPONSIBLE; nothing is sent — a message class included, from 17.0.0. The master system
comes from x-sap-master-system or SAP_MASTER_SYSTEM (destination .env, then process) — no tool
takes it as an argument — else from a cloud system itself; otherwise it is left out and the system
applies itself — never refused. Reads are unaffected. The process environment is read once: a change
made to it while the server runs is not picked up. See Authentication & Destinations.
Coming from 16.x? See the 17.0 migration note — the HTTPS certificate is now verified. From 15.x, the 16.0 note first.
For full details (paths, .env, direct headers), see Authentication & Destinations.
The project ships as two packages — and a compact variant of each — because the two usage patterns want different licences. Embedding the tools in a network service should not drag in the obligations of a server that service never runs.
| Package | Licence | What it is |
|---|---|---|
@mcp-abap-adt/lib | Apache-2.0 | The ADT tool handlers and the embeddable MCP server. No transport: the host supplies one. |
@mcp-abap-adt/core | AGPL-3.0-only | The standalone server — stdio, SSE and streamable HTTP, the launcher and the mcp-abap-adt CLI. Depends on the library. |
@mcp-abap-adt/compact | AGPL-3.0-only | The compact standalone server, mcp-abap-adt-compact: one tool per operation, the object type in the arguments. Same launcher and configuration as core. |
@mcp-abap-adt/compact-readonly, compact-modify | Apache-2.0 | The compact tools as libraries, split into the half that changes nothing and the half that writes. |
Install @mcp-abap-adt/core (or @mcp-abap-adt/compact) to run a server. Install @mcp-abap-adt/lib to
embed the tools in your own application.
Run as a standalone MCP server with stdio, HTTP, or SSE transport:
mcp-abap-adt # stdio (default)
mcp-abap-adt --transport=http # HTTP mode
mcp-abap-adt --transport=sse # SSE mode
Embed MCP server into existing applications (e.g., SAP CAP/CDS, Express).
This needs @mcp-abap-adt/lib only — not the AGPL server:
npm install @mcp-abap-adt/lib
import {
EmbeddableMcpServer,
NoDedupStrategy, // optional: expose both Read<X> and Get<X>
} from '@mcp-abap-adt/lib/embeddable';
const server = new EmbeddableMcpServer({
connection, // Your AbapConnection instance
logger, // Optional logger
exposition: ['readonly', 'high'], // Handler groups to expose
// Default hides Read<X> when Get<X> is exposed (ReadVsGetDedupStrategy).
// Pass NoDedupStrategy to expose both variants instead.
// readOnlyDedupStrategy: new NoDedupStrategy(),
});
await server.connect(transport);
See Handlers Management → EmbeddableMcpServer dedup strategies for how readonly tools are deduped against high/low, how to opt out with NoDedupStrategy, and how to plug a custom IReadOnlyDedupStrategy for role-based rules.
mcp-conf from @mcp-abap-adt/configurator (repo: mcp-abap-adt-conf, docs: CLIENT_INSTALLERS.md)Key examples of high-value workflows and tools:
GetWhereUsed, DescribeByList, GetObjectStructure, GetObjectInfo, SearchObject, GetPackageTree, GetPackageContentsGetAbapAST, GetAbapSemanticAnalysis, GetIncludesListCreateBehaviorDefinition, UpdateBehaviorDefinition, CreateBehaviorImplementation, UpdateBehaviorImplementation, CreateServiceDefinition, UpdateServiceDefinition, CreateMetadataExtension, UpdateMetadataExtensionCreateView, UpdateView, GetView, DeleteViewCreateClass, UpdateClass, GetClass, DeleteClass, CreateInterface, UpdateInterface, GetInterface, DeleteInterfaceCreateFunctionGroup, UpdateFunctionGroup, GetFunctionGroup, DeleteFunctionGroup, CreateFunctionModule, UpdateFunctionModule, GetFunctionModule, DeleteFunctionModuleCreateTransport, GetTransport, ActivateObjectRunATC, GetATCRunStatus, GetATCFindings (ABAP Test Cockpit — one run over several objects, findings read back by worklist), ABAP Unit per test carrier — CreateUnitTest/UpdateUnitTest/DeleteUnitTest/RunUnitTest for a class, CreateCdsUnitTest/RunCdsUnitTest for a CDS view, CreateProgramUnitTest/RunProgramUnitTest for a report, CreateFunctionGroupUnitTest/RunFunctionGroupUnitTest/RunFunctionModuleUnitTest for a function group (a run waits for its result; GetUnitTestResult for one that outlasts the wait) — CheckClass and the rest of the Check* familyPublished in the official MCP Registry and listed on Glama.ai.
GetDomain, CreateDomain, UpdateDomain - Create, retrieve, and update ABAP domainsGetDataElement, CreateDataElement, UpdateDataElement - Create, retrieve, and update ABAP data elementsGetTable, CreateTable, GetTableContents - Create and retrieve ABAP database tables with data previewGetStructure, CreateStructure - Create and retrieve ABAP structuresGetView, CreateView, UpdateView - Create and manage CDS Views and Classic ViewsGetClass, CreateClass, UpdateClass - Create, retrieve, and update ABAP classesGetProgram, CreateProgram, UpdateProgram - Create, retrieve, and update ABAP programsGetBehaviorDefinition, CreateBehaviorDefinition, UpdateBehaviorDefinition - Create and manage ABAP Behavior Definitions with support for Managed, Unmanaged, Abstract, and Projection typesCreateMetadataExtension, UpdateMetadataExtension - Create and manage ABAP Metadata ExtensionsActivateObject - Universal activation for any ABAP objectCreateTransport, GetTransport - Create and retrieve transport requestsGetEnhancements, GetEnhancementImpl, GetEnhancementSpot - Enhancement discovery and analysisGetIncludesList - Recursive include discoveryGetInactiveObjects - Monitor inactive objects waiting for activationGetServiceBindingPreviewUrl - The browser URL that opens a published service binding's Fiori preview, beside its OData service and $metadata URLs. Composed from the binding, its service definition and the exposed root view — no document carries it. OData V2 and V4; a Web API binding has no preview and says so. On SAP BTP the preview URL carries the browser host (abap-web), where the BTP logon answers, while the service URLs keep the ADT hostRuntimeCreateProfilerTraceParameters, RuntimeListProfilerTraceFiles, RuntimeGetProfilerTraceData, RuntimeGetDumpById - Profiling and dump analysis with JSON payloadsRuntimeListFeeds, RuntimeListSystemMessages, RuntimeGetGatewayErrorLog - Feed reader (dumps — filtered by user, runtime error, exception, object, package or component, and read past SAP's 100 entries per request — system messages, gateway errors), SM02 system messages, Gateway error logGetSqlQuery - Execute custom SQL queries via ADT Data Preview APIℹ️ ABAP Cloud limitation: Direct ADT data preview of database tables is blocked by SAP BTP backend policies. The server returns a descriptive error when attempting such operations. On-premise systems continue to support data preview.
@mcp-abap-adt/configurator (repo: mcp-abap-adt-conf) provides the mcp-conf CLI to auto-configure clients--exposition=compact became the mcp-abap-adt-compact commandTwo packages do the work:
and six packages declare the contracts both of them and this project are written against — @mcp-abap-adt/interfaces-adt, -adt-connection (where IAbapConnection and IAdtWireResponse live), -network, -auth, -auth-sap and -utils. They replace the single @mcp-abap-adt/interfaces umbrella, which is no longer published: a consumer naming a contract package directly gets one copy of it in the tree and takes its majors one domain at a time.
The verdict on an ADT answer is a strategy, not a default: since adt-clients 23 no member judges its own answer, and @mcp-abap-adt/adt-strategies holds the readings this project passes to every call. That is what keeps a refusal ADT embeds in an HTTP 200 — an activation that did not activate, a delete that was refused — from reaching a caller as success.
Everything above is installed by npm install and published to npm. @mcp-abap-adt/sap-rfc-lite is optional and only needed for the RFC transport (and so for SNC). It is compiled during npm install against the SAP NW RFC SDK that SAPNWRFC_HOME names, and npm leaves it out without an error when it cannot be — check with npm ls -g @mcp-abap-adt/sap-rfc-lite. See RFC Setup.
After installing globally with npm install -g, you can run from any directory:
# Show help
mcp-abap-adt --help
# Default stdio mode (for MCP clients; requires .env file or --mcp parameter)
mcp-abap-adt
# stdio mode (explicit; default when --transport is omitted)
mcp-abap-adt --transport=stdio
# HTTP mode on custom port (HTTP requires --transport=http)
mcp-abap-adt --transport=http --port=8080
# Use stdio mode with auth-broker (--mcp parameter)
mcp-abap-adt --transport=stdio --mcp=TRIAL
# Use env destination from platform sessions store
mcp-abap-adt --env=trial
# Use explicit .env file path
mcp-abap-adt --env-path=/path/to/my.env
# SSE mode (requires .env file or --mcp parameter)
mcp-abap-adt --transport=sse --port=3001
# SSE mode with auth-broker (--mcp parameter)
mcp-abap-adt --transport=sse --mcp=TRIAL
# The compact server takes the same options (npm install -g @mcp-abap-adt/compact)
mcp-abap-adt-compact --env-path=/path/to/my.env
npm install
npm run build
npm test
The checkout is not runnable as a server by itself: server/ takes @mcp-abap-adt/lib as a package. To run a build, pack both and install the tarballs together — see From source.
Env resolution:
--env-path=<path|file> (or MCP_ENV_PATH) for explicit .env file.
my.env): resolved from current working directory.--env=<destination> for destination file in standard sessions store:
~/.config/mcp-abap-adt/sessions/<destination>.env%USERPROFILE%\\Documents\\mcp-abap-adt\\sessions\\<destination>.envNothing is looked up in the working directory: a server started inside someone else's project must not
take their settings. A .env there is read only when you name it (--env-path=./.env).
Whichever file is chosen is read and written back with a renewed token, whatever --unsafe says. A destination is read once per process: a change to its .env from outside takes effect on restart. .env and environment variables hold secrets and the session; a YAML config file holds configuration only and refuses a secret-looking key.
Example .env file:
SAP_URL=https://your-sap-system.example
SAP_CLIENT=100
SAP_AUTH_TYPE=basic
SAP_USERNAME=your-username
SAP_PASSWORD=your-password
For a JWT you already hold (SAP BTP):
SAP_URL=https://your-btp-system.example
SAP_CLIENT=100
SAP_AUTH_TYPE=jwt
SAP_GRANT_TYPE=none
SAP_JWT_TOKEN=your-jwt-token
For RFC connection:
SAP_URL=http://your-onprem-system.example:8000
SAP_CLIENT=100
SAP_AUTH_TYPE=basic
SAP_USERNAME=your-username
SAP_PASSWORD=your-password
SAP_CONNECTION_TYPE=rfc
SAP_CONNECTION_TYPE=rfc in the --env / --env-path .env selects RFC, as do --connection-type=rfc, the process environment and YAML connection-type: rfc. Precedence: CLI, then the process environment (which the .env value joins, never over one already set), then YAML. Over RFC the host comes from SAP_URL and the system number from its port (80NN → NN); a port that follows no such rule needs SAP_SYSNR in the process environment. See RFC Setup Guide for prerequisites (SAP NW RFC SDK, a C++ toolchain, SAPNWRFC_HOME before the install).
For SNC (passwordless logon over RFC, no user or password):
SAP_URL=http://your-onprem-system.example:8000
SAP_CLIENT=100
SAP_CONNECTION_TYPE=rfc
SAP_AUTH_TYPE=snc
SAP_SNC_PARTNERNAME='p:CN=<system>, O=<org>, C=<country>'
# Creates need a responsible person; over SNC no login is known
SAP_RESPONSIBLE=<your ABAP user>
# Optional: SAP_SNC_QOP, SAP_SNC_LIB, SAP_SNC_MYNAME
The credential of the installed SNC product (for example a Secure Login Client) is mapped to an ABAP user by its SNC name. SAP_CONNECTION_TYPE=rfc (or --connection-type=rfc) is required: SNC logs on over RFC only, and an SNC destination with HTTP is refused. SNC needs the SAP NW RFC SDK and @mcp-abap-adt/sap-rfc-lite, an optional dependency — see RFC Setup.
Not supported since 16.0:
SAP_AUTH_TYPE=certificateandkerberos,saml, and ajwtgrant other thanauthorization_codeandnone, in a.envor service key are refused at startup, naming the authentication (asamldestination with no grant:lacks: grantType). See the migration note for what to do instead.
Generate a .env (JWT):
# Install the CLI globally (one-time setup) — it ships mcp-auth and mcp-sso
npm install -g @mcp-abap-adt/auth-broker-cli
# Write a .env that states its authentication and grant
mcp-auth generate-env --grant authorization_code # `mcp-auth --help` lists the other flags
The .env states SAP_AUTH_TYPE and SAP_GRANT_TYPE; a jwt .env without a grant is refused at startup.
.env comments rule: only full-line comments are supported (lines that start with #).
Inline comments are not parsed, so keep comments on separate lines.
Claude recommendation: place the service key in the service-keys directory and use --mcp=<destination> (avoid manual JWT tokens).
Authentication:
--mcp=<destination> - Named destination: service-keys/<destination>.json and sessions/<destination>.env, field by field--auth-broker-path=<path> - Custom path for auth-broker service keys and sessions--browser=<name> - Browser for a login: chrome, edge, firefox, system (default), headless, none--browser-auth-port=<port> - Browser login callback port, 1-65535 (default: 61001); an invalid value is refused at startup--allow-destination-header - Honour the x-mcp-destination header (HTTP/SSE only, off by default)--connection-type=<http|rfc> - SAP connection transport: http (default) or rfc--unsafe - Write named destinations' sessions to disk. By default they are kept in memory (one login per process). A .env you name is written back either wayWhen --mcp=<destination> is specified, automatic fallback loading of ./.env is skipped.
Examples:
# Named destination, session kept in memory (default)
mcp-abap-adt --mcp=TRIAL
# Named destination, session persisted to sessions/TRIAL.env
mcp-abap-adt --mcp=TRIAL --unsafe
# Custom base directory for service-keys/ and sessions/
mcp-abap-adt --mcp=TRIAL --auth-broker-path=~/prj/tmp/ --unsafe
# Browser login on another callback port
mcp-abap-adt --mcp=TRIAL --browser-auth-port=61005
See Client Configuration for complete configuration options.
AUTH_LOG_LEVEL=error|warn|info|debug — sets base log level for handler logger; DEBUG_AUTH_LOG=true also enables debug.HANDLER_LOG_SILENT=true — fully disables handler logging.DEBUG_CONNECTORS=true — verbose connection logging in high-level handlers.DEBUG_HANDLERS=true — enables verbose logs for selected read-only/system handlers.npm test
TEST_LOG_LEVEL=error|warn|info|debug — controls test logger verbosity (DEBUG_TESTS/DEBUG_ADT_TESTS/DEBUG_CONNECTORS force debug).TEST_LOG_FILE=/tmp/adt-tests.log — writes test logs to a file (best-effort).TEST_LOG_SILENT=true — disables test logging pipeline (console output muted).TEST_LOG_COLOR=true — adds colored/prefixed tags to test log lines.console.* in tests are routed through the test logger with a [test] prefix.npm run build
# Generate tool documentation
npm run docs:tools
# See tools/README.md for more developer utilities
Thank you to all contributors! See CONTRIBUTORS.md for the complete list.
Acknowledgment: This project was originally inspired by mario-andreschak/mcp-abap-adt. We started with the core concept and then evolved it into an independent project with our own architecture and features.
Two packages, two licences. Which one applies depends on which you install.
| Package | Licence | |
|---|---|---|
@mcp-abap-adt/lib | Apache-2.0 | LICENSE, NOTICE |
@mcp-abap-adt/core | AGPL-3.0-only | server/LICENSE |
Both are published from this repository with one command, in the order the dependency requires:
npm run release:dry # rehearses both, touches nothing
npm run release:publish # @mcp-abap-adt/lib, then @mcp-abap-adt/core
release:publish skips a version already on the registry, so re-running after
a failure resumes rather than starting over. It aborts on the first failure
instead of publishing the server on top of a library that is not there.
Note that npm publish and npm run are different commands. npm publish release asks npm to publish a package named release, which is somebody
else's package on the registry.
Copyright © 2025–2026 Oleksii Kyslytsia
Both are distributed in the hope that they will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
What this means. Running either, on your own data, carries no conditions.
Embedding the library in your own application carries no obligation to open your application: Apache-2.0 asks for the notice and the licence text to travel with it, and nothing more.
Distributing the standalone server, or running a modified version of it as a network service, means passing on the same freedoms under AGPL section 13 — including the source. That is why the two are separate packages: installing the library never puts the server in your dependency tree.
The packages underneath are LGPL-3.0-only — @mcp-abap-adt/adt-clients,
adt-strategies, connection, logger, auth-broker, auth-providers,
auth-stores and the contract packages interfaces-adt,
interfaces-adt-connection, interfaces-network, interfaces-auth,
interfaces-auth-sap and interfaces-utils — and the library links them at
runtime. It was four of them when this paragraph was written; the rule is the
whole scope now, libraries LGPL and servers AGPL or GPL, and the MIT that a few
of the auth packages still carried was an oversight rather than an offer. LGPL
does not reach your own code, but its terms do travel with those packages
whatever this project is licensed as. Plan for that, not for the notice on this
repository.
Other terms are possible. Apache-2.0 is what the library is offered under
publicly, not the only way it can be offered. The copyright holder may license
the same code separately to a party who needs different terms; that takes
nothing away from anyone who received it under Apache-2.0, which is permanent.
CONTRIBUTORS.md records what keeps that option
open, including the rule that no LGPL code from the packages underneath is ever
copied into this tree.
History. Releases through 8.13.0 were MIT and stay MIT; 9.x was
GPL-3.0-only. A licence change is not retroactive — anyone may still take an
earlier release under the licence it carried. See CONTRIBUTORS.md
for the full account of how the relicensing was lawful.