The golf.json file is the main configuration file for your Golf project. Place this file in your project root directory to configure your MCP server.
​
name
string
required
The name of your MCP server instance.
{
  "name": "MyProject"
}
​
description
string
A brief description of your Golf project.
{
  "description": "A GolfMCP project"
}
​
host
string
default:"127.0.0.1"
The network interface the server will bind to.
{
  "host": "127.0.0.1"
}
​
port
integer
default:"3000"
The port number the server will listen on.
{
  "port": 3000
}
​
transport
string
default:"sse"
The transport protocol for client-server communication.Options:
  • "sse" - Server-Sent Events
  • "streamable-http" - HTTP with streaming support
  • "stdio" - Standard input/output
{
  "transport": "sse"
}
​
opentelemetry_enabled
boolean
default:"false"
Enable OpenTelemetry distributed tracing for your MCP server.
{
  "opentelemetry_enabled": true
}
​
opentelemetry_default_exporter
string
default:"otlp_http"
The default exporter to use for OpenTelemetry traces when enabled.Options:
  • "otlp_http" - OTLP HTTP exporter (for Jaeger, Grafana Tempo, etc.)
  • "console" - Console exporter (for debugging)
{
  "opentelemetry_default_exporter": "otlp_http"
}
When using otlp_http, you must set the OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT environment variable. See the environment variables section below.

​
Example configuration

{
  "name": "{{project_name}}",
  "description": "A GolfMCP project",
  "host": "127.0.0.1",
  "port": 3000,
  "transport": "sse",
  "opentelemetry_enabled": true,
  "opentelemetry_default_exporter": "otlp_http"
}

​
Environment variables for OpenTelemetry

When OpenTelemetry is enabled, configure these environment variables in your .env file:

​
Required for OTLP HTTP exporter

​
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT
string
required
The endpoint URL for your OpenTelemetry collector.Example: http://localhost:4318/v1/traces

​
Optional

​
OTEL_SERVICE_NAME
string
The service name for traces. Defaults to the name from golf.json.
​
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS
string
Additional headers for the OTLP exporter.Example: Authorization=Bearer your-token
​
OTEL_TRACES_EXPORTER
string
Override the exporter type.Example: console for debugging

​
Example .env file

# OpenTelemetry configuration
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:4318/v1/traces
OTEL_SERVICE_NAME=my-mcp-server
# OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS=Authorization=Bearer your-cloud-provider-token
The {{project_name}} placeholder will be replaced with your actual project name when you run golf init.