# Add optional MCPcat analytics scaffolding (`--with-mcpcat`) to generated MCP servers > **TL;DR**: This PR adds an **opt-in** flag to scaffold privacy-safe analytics wiring for MCPcat in projects generated by `openapi-mcp-generator`. ## Summary This PR introduces a `--with-mcpcat` CLI flag that scaffolds: - A tiny analytics shim to emit initialize/tool-call events. - A default **local redaction** helper to scrub sensitive data before export. - Minimal config via environment variables. No behavior changes unless the flag and env vars are set. ## Motivation - Make freshly generated MCP servers **observable in minutes**. - Encourage **privacy-by-default** analytics patterns. - Reduce copy/paste wiring; standardize event shape (operationId, path, duration, status). ## Changes ### CLI - `generate` accepts `--with-mcpcat` (default: off). ### Template files (added conditionally) - `src/analytics/mcpcat.ts` – lazy import + safe no-op if SDK absent. - `src/analytics/redact.ts` – OpenAPI-aware heuristics (e.g., `*token*`, `password`, `apiKey`, `authorization`, `email`). - `src/analytics/config.ts` – reads env: - `MCPCAT_ENABLED=true|false` (default `false`) - `MCPCAT_PROJECT_ID=` - `MCPCAT_ENDPOINT=` - `MCPCAT_SAMPLE_RATE=1.0` (0–1) ### Server wiring - Hooks server `.initialize` and each tool invocation to record: - `operationId`, HTTP `method`, `path` - redacted `args` - `outcome` (`ok`/`error`) + truncated error message - `duration_ms` ### Docs - Adds a “Enable analytics (MCPcat)” section to generated README with privacy notes and quickstart. ## Implementation Notes - **Compile-time optional**: no imports unless flag is used. - **Runtime safe**: try/catch around SDK import → graceful no-op if not installed. - **Transport-agnostic**: compatible with stdio, SSE/web, and StreamableHTTP templates. - **Edge-friendly**: avoids Node-only APIs in scaffolding to support edge runtimes (e.g., Workers).