Table of Contents
Getting Started with MCP Servers for Claude
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is Anthropic's open standard for connecting Claude to external tools and data sources. MCP servers are the bridge that makes this possible.
What is MCP?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) allows Claude to:
- Access databases and APIs
- Read and write files
- Execute code
- Interact with external services
- Use custom tools you define
Think of MCP servers as plugins that extend what Claude can do beyond just generating text.
How MCP Works
┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Claude │────▶│ MCP Client │────▶│ MCP Server │
│ (Claude │ │ (Claude │ │ (Your │
│ Desktop) │ │ Desktop) │ │ Tools) │
└─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────┐
│ External │
│ Services │
│ (DB, API) │
└─────────────┘
Installing Your First MCP Server
Step 1: Configure Claude Desktop
Find your Claude Desktop config file:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Step 2: Add the Server Configuration
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/directory"]
}
}
}
Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop. You should see a hammer icon (🔨) indicating tools are available.
Popular MCP Servers
1. Filesystem Server
Access files and directories:
{
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/you/projects"]
}
}
2. GitHub Server
Interact with GitHub repos:
{
"github": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
"env": {
"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_xxxxx"
}
}
}
3. PostgreSQL Server
Query your database:
{
"postgres": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres", "postgresql://user:pass@localhost/db"]
}
}
Building Your Own MCP Server
Basic Structure (TypeScript)
import { Server } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/index.js";
import { StdioServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js";
const server = new Server(
{
name: "my-mcp-server",
version: "1.0.0",
},
{
capabilities: {
tools: {},
},
}
);
// Define a tool
server.setRequestHandler("tools/list", async () => ({
tools: [
{
name: "get_weather",
description: "Get current weather for a location",
inputSchema: {
type: "object",
properties: {
location: { type: "string", description: "City name" }
},
required: ["location"]
}
}
]
}));
// Handle tool calls
server.setRequestHandler("tools/call", async (request) => {
if (request.params.name === "get_weather") {
const location = request.params.arguments.location;
// Your implementation here
return { content: [{ type: "text", text: `Weather in ${location}: Sunny, 72°F` }] };
}
});
// Start server
const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
await server.connect(transport);
Package.json
{
"name": "my-mcp-server",
"version": "1.0.0",
"type": "module",
"bin": {
"my-mcp-server": "./dist/index.js"
},
"dependencies": {
"@modelcontextprotocol/sdk": "^1.0.0"
}
}
Best Practices
1. Security First
- Never expose sensitive operations without authentication
- Validate all inputs from Claude
- Use environment variables for secrets
2. Clear Descriptions
Claude uses tool descriptions to decide when to use them. Be specific:
{
name: "search_codebase",
description: "Search for code patterns, function definitions, or file contents in the current project. Use this when you need to find existing implementations or understand how something is done in the codebase."
}
3. Handle Errors Gracefully
try {
const result = await riskyOperation();
return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(result) }] };
} catch (error) {
return { content: [{ type: "text", text: `Error: ${error.message}` }], isError: true };
}
Browse MCP Servers
Don't want to build from scratch? Our marketplace has pre-built MCP servers for:
- Database integrations (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis)
- API connectors (Stripe, Slack, GitHub)
- Development tools (Docker, AWS, Kubernetes)
- Custom business logic (domain-specific solutions)
Each server comes with documentation, example configurations, and community support.