Mergenote

Mergenote is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that turns merged GitHub PRs into clean, formatted release notes - directly from your AI assistant.

What it does

• get_merged_prs - Fetch merged pull requests from any GitHub repo by tag range, date range, or the last 7 days (free tier)
• generate_changelog - Group PRs by category (Added, Fixed, Changed, etc.) and render a formatted changelog in markdown
• post_changelog - Post the changelog back to GitHub as a file commit, pull request, or GitHub Release

Free tier: 7-day PR window. Premium tier: unlimited history, larger repos.

Architecture

mergenote/
  packages/
    mcp-server/     # MCP server (stdio + HTTP transports, 3 tools)
    backend/        # Express licensing backend (license CRUD, PayPal webhooks)
    website/        # Static marketing site
  db/               # PostgreSQL migration runner

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• pnpm 10+ (npm install -g pnpm@10)
• PostgreSQL running locally on port 5432

Local Setup

1. Clone and install

git clone https://github.com/your-org/mergenote
cd mergenote
pnpm install

2. Configure environment

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and fill in your values

Required variables:

Variable	Description
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string
GITHUB_TOKEN	GitHub PAT with repo scope
PAYPAL_CLIENT_ID	PayPal app client ID (sandbox)
PAYPAL_CLIENT_SECRET	PayPal app client secret (sandbox)
PAYPAL_WEBHOOK_ID	PayPal webhook ID (from developer dashboard)
PAYPAL_ENV	sandbox or live
MERGENOTE_LICENSE_KEY	License key for MCP server (unlocks premium features)
LICENSE_API_URL	Backend URL for license validation (default: http://localhost:3100)
LICENSE_API_SECRET	Shared secret for backend auth
BACKEND_PORT	Port for licensing backend (default: 3100)
WEBSITE_PORT	Port for marketing site (default: 3200)
MCP_HTTP_PORT	Port for MCP HTTP transport (default: 3300)

3. Create database and run migrations

# Create the database in psql first:
# CREATE DATABASE mergenote;

pnpm db:migrate

4. Build

pnpm build

Running locally

Backend (licensing API)

pnpm dev:backend
# Starts on http://localhost:3100

Endpoints:

• GET /health - health check
• POST /api/license/validate - validate a license key
• GET /api/license/status?key=mn_live_... - get license status
• POST /api/licenses - create license (admin)
• POST /api/webhooks/paypal - PayPal subscription webhooks

MCP Server

# stdio (for Claude Desktop / Cursor)
pnpm dev:mcp

# HTTP transport (for web clients)
pnpm dev:mcp-http
# Starts on http://localhost:3300

# or run the built binary directly
node packages/mcp-server/dist/index.js

Add to your Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mergenote": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/path/to/mergenote/packages/mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "your_token",
        "MERGENOTE_LICENSE_KEY": "mn_live_...",
        "LICENSE_API_URL": "http://localhost:3100"
      }
    }
  }
}

Website

pnpm dev:website
# Serves on http://localhost:3200

Running tests

pnpm test

All tests run via Vitest. Tests are unit tests with mocked DB and GitHub API - no real network calls required.

Environment variables reference

See .env.example for a full list with descriptions.

PayPal Sandbox webhook simulation

With the backend running, simulate subscription events locally:

# Simulate SUBSCRIPTION.ACTIVATED (creates license)
curl -X POST http://localhost:3100/api/webhooks/paypal \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "id": "evt_test",
    "event_type": "BILLING.SUBSCRIPTION.ACTIVATED",
    "resource": {
      "id": "I-TEST123",
      "plan_id": "P-PROPLAN",
      "subscriber": { "email_address": "buyer@example.com" }
    }
  }'

# Simulate SUBSCRIPTION.CANCELLED (revokes license)
curl -X POST http://localhost:3100/api/webhooks/paypal \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "id": "evt_test2",
    "event_type": "BILLING.SUBSCRIPTION.CANCELLED",
    "resource": { "id": "I-TEST123" }
  }'

Note: PAYPAL_WEBHOOK_ID must be empty or verification will be skipped automatically in sandbox mode.

Deployment

Local only during development. Run deploy command only when explicitly ready for production.

License

MIT