Surge Newsroom MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes Surge (浪潮) newsroom timeline editing tools, allowing LLM clients like Claude Desktop to directly manage event timelines.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• PostgreSQL database with v2land schema
• Redis server
• Environment variables configured (see .env.example)

Setup

Install dependencies (if not already done):

yarn install

Build:

yarn build

Running

Default: With Express (Streamable HTTP)

The MCP server launches automatically with the regular Express service at /mcp:

yarn start   # or: node dist/app.js

The MCP endpoint is available at http://localhost:1337/mcp using the Streamable HTTP transport. Each session gets independent state.

Standalone: stdio transport

For Claude Desktop or other subprocess-based MCP clients, a standalone stdio entry point is also available at dist/mcp.js:

yarn mcp   # or: node dist/mcp.js

Claude Desktop Configuration

For the stdio transport, add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "surge-newsroom": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/v2land-redstone/dist/mcp.js"],
      "env": {
        "POSTGRES_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "POSTGRES_USER": "postgres",
        "POSTGRES_PWD": "postgres",
        "POSTGRES_DB": "v2land",
        "REDIS_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "REDIS_SSL": "false",
        "SEQUELIZE_LOGGING": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

For the Streamable HTTP transport (when the Express server is already running):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "surge-newsroom": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://localhost:1337/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Tool	Description
set_event	Set the active event/timeline ID for the session
get_current_stacks	Get current timeline state (stacks, news, off-shelf news)
create_stack	Create a new progress entry in the timeline
add_news_to_event	Add a news article to the event, optionally to a stack
add_news_to_stack	Move an existing news item into a specific stack
update_stack	Update a stack's title, description, or time
reorder_stacks	Rearrange the display order of stacks
send_chat_message	Send a message to the newsroom chatroom
ask_user_question	Ask a clarification question in the newsroom chat

Usage Pattern

1. Call set_event with the event ID to set session context
2. Call get_current_stacks to understand the current timeline
3. Use other tools to modify the timeline

Testing

Use the MCP Inspector for interactive testing.

Against the running Express server:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector --transport streamable-http http://localhost:1337/mcp

Against the standalone stdio server:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/mcp.js

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Surge Editorial Guidelines

What is a Social Event (事件)

A social event on Surge is any occurrence that affects the interests of one or more groups. It must have accompanying news that meets the platform's source standards.

Social events are not:

• Fictional matters
• Broad categories (e.g., "internet rights", "education system", "healthcare")
• Personal diaries or private matters

Progress Entries (进展)

Each progress entry represents a distinct, real-world development in the event — not commentary or opinion.

• Every progress entry must have a timestamp and a concise summary
• Descriptions must be supported by news sources (each progress entry requires at least one news article)
• Progress descriptions should be 3-5 sentences, self-contained, including key facts, data, and context so readers can understand the development without reading the original articles
• Editorials and opinion pieces should not constitute a progress entry — unless the opinion itself significantly influenced the event's trajectory
• All datetimes must use full ISO 8601 format with timezone (e.g., 2025-01-15T14:30:00Z)
• Progress entry time should be when the real event happened, not when the article was published. Extract the actual event date from the article content. If unknown, use the earliest article date among the progress entry's news items

News Sources (新闻来源)

Source Credibility Tiers

Preferred sources:

• Wire services: Reuters, AP, AFP, Xinhua (新华社), China News Service (中新社)
• Major newspapers: New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, BBC, Southern Weekend (南方周末), Caixin (财新)
• Official institutions: government statements, court documents, public company filings
• Recognized mainland news sites: The Paper (澎湃新闻), Caixin (财新)
• Recognized international media: New York Times (纽约时报), Initium Media (端传媒)

Acceptable sources:

• Well-known industry media
• Fact-checked professional media
• Provincial-level or above mainland Chinese media (e.g., Beijing News / 新京报, People's Daily / 人民日报)

Avoid:

• Social media posts, personal blogs
• Commentary/editorial articles (as news sources)
• Content aggregation websites
• Unverified self-media

Special cases:

• For parties directly involved in an event, their social media or press releases are acceptable
• Widely-circulated misinformation (2,000+ Weibo reposts, 10,000+ Zhihu upvotes) may be included only if clearly labeled as unreliable

News Formatting Requirements

• Each news item must include: URL, source (media outlet name), title, publication time
• Always prefer the original/primary reporting source over reprints or aggregators
• When the same article exists in multiple Chinese variants, prefer Simplified Chinese
• For Weibo posts: author should be listed as @username; summaries must not use original text without permission
• Titles and summaries must not distort the content of the original article
• News is not commentary or summary articles (新闻不是评论或汇总文章)

Content Quality Principles

• Pursue comprehensiveness and neutrality
• Content must be based on credible news sources
• The platform labels source credibility levels
• When multiple sources report the same event, prefer the original reporting source over reprints