MCP Servers
Model Context Protocol - Connect AI to Everything
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI models like Claude connect to external tools, APIs, and data sources. Build powerful AI integrations that extend what's possible with large language models.
What is MCP?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard created by Anthropic that enables AI assistants to securely connect to external data sources and tools.
MCP Client
Applications like Claude Desktop or IDEs that want to access external capabilities
MCP Server
Lightweight services that expose specific capabilities through the standardized protocol
Resources & Tools
The actual data, APIs, or functions that the server exposes to the AI
Tools
Functions that the AI can call to perform actions. Examples include:
Read/write files on your computer Execute database queries Call external APIs Run shell commands
Resources
Data that the AI can read and understand. Examples include:
File contents and documents Database records API responses System information
Prompts
Pre-built templates that help the AI understand how to use a server's capabilities effectively.
Contextual instructions Usage examples Best practices
Security
MCP is designed with security in mind:
Local execution (your data stays local) Explicit permission model Sandboxed operations Audit logging
Why MCP Matters
One protocol to connect AI to any tool or data source. Build once, use everywhere.
Simple to implement. SDKs available for Python, TypeScript, and more languages.
100+ community servers already available. New integrations added daily.
MCP Servers Directory
Browse the growing ecosystem of MCP servers. Find the perfect integration for your workflow.
Filesystem
OfficialRead, write, and manage files on your local filesystem with secure sandboxing
GitHub
OfficialInteract with GitHub repositories, issues, pull requests, and more
PostgreSQL
OfficialConnect to PostgreSQL databases for queries and schema exploration
Slack
OfficialRead and send messages, manage channels, and interact with Slack workspaces
Google Drive
OfficialAccess and manage files in Google Drive with full read/write capabilities
Puppeteer
OfficialWeb browser automation for scraping, testing, and interacting with websites
Community Servers
Notion
Read and write Notion pages, databases, and workspace content
Linear
Manage Linear issues, projects, and team workflows
Google Calendar
Create, read, and manage Google Calendar events
Todoist
Manage tasks, projects, and labels in Todoist
Docker
Manage Docker containers, images, and compose stacks
AWS
Interact with AWS services including S3, EC2, Lambda, and more
Kubernetes
Manage Kubernetes clusters, deployments, and resources
GitLab
Interact with GitLab repositories, CI/CD, and merge requests
SQLite
Query and manage SQLite databases locally
MongoDB
Connect to MongoDB for document queries and aggregations
BigQuery
Run queries on Google BigQuery datasets
Discord
Send messages and interact with Discord servers
Email (IMAP)
Read and search emails from IMAP-compatible email servers
Fetch
Make HTTP requests to any API endpoint
Brave Search
Search the web using Brave Search API
Exa
Neural search for finding relevant content across the web
Built an MCP Server?
Share your MCP server with the community. Submit to the official directory.
Build Your Own MCP Server
Create custom MCP servers to connect Claude to your own tools and data sources. SDKs available for Python and TypeScript.
Install SDK
Choose Python or TypeScript SDK
Define Tools
Create functions Claude can call
Add Resources
Expose data for Claude to read
Configure
Add to Claude Desktop config
# Install the MCP SDK
# pip install mcp
from mcp.server import Server
from mcp.types import Tool, TextContent
# Create server instance
server = Server("my-mcp-server")
# Define a tool
@server.tool()
async def get_weather(city: str) -> str:
"""Get the current weather for a city."""
# Your implementation here
return f"Weather in {city}: Sunny, 72°F"
# Define a resource
@server.resource("config://settings")
async def get_settings():
"""Return application settings."""
return {"theme": "dark", "language": "en"}
# Run the server
if __name__ == "__main__":
server.run()What Can You Build with MCP?
MCP unlocks powerful AI workflows. Here are some popular use cases.
AI-Powered Code Review
Connect Claude to your GitHub repository to automatically review pull requests, suggest improvements, and check for security vulnerabilities.
MCP Servers Used:
Example prompt:
"Ask Claude to review the latest PR and check for potential bugs"
Database Assistant
Let Claude query your databases, analyze data patterns, and generate reports without exposing raw credentials.
MCP Servers Used:
Example prompt:
"Ask Claude to analyze sales trends from the last quarter"
Automated Documentation
Generate and update documentation by having Claude read your codebase and write comprehensive docs.
MCP Servers Used:
Example prompt:
"Ask Claude to document all API endpoints in your project"
DevOps Automation
Manage infrastructure, deploy applications, and troubleshoot issues with AI assistance.
MCP Servers Used:
Example prompt:
"Ask Claude to check the status of your production cluster"
Smart Calendar Management
Let Claude schedule meetings, find available times, and manage your calendar based on natural language requests.
MCP Servers Used:
Example prompt:
"Ask Claude to find a time for a team meeting next week"
Research Assistant
Search the web, gather information, and synthesize findings into comprehensive reports.
MCP Servers Used:
Example prompt:
"Ask Claude to research competitor pricing strategies"
Real-World MCP Success Stories
A Fortune 500 company reduced incident response time by 60% using MCP to connect Claude to their monitoring and ticketing systems.
A 3-person startup ships features 2x faster by using MCP to give Claude access to their entire codebase and deployment pipeline.
A research team processes 100GB+ datasets by connecting Claude to their data warehouse via MCP for natural language queries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about MCP servers
MCP is an open standard created by Anthropic that allows AI assistants like Claude to securely connect to external tools, data sources, and APIs. It provides a standardized way for AI models to interact with the outside world.
Most MCP servers can be installed via npm or pip. For example, to install the filesystem server: 'npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem'. Then add the server configuration to your Claude Desktop settings file.
Yes, MCP is designed with security in mind. Servers run locally on your machine, your data never leaves your computer unless you explicitly configure it to, and there's an explicit permission model for all operations.
Currently, MCP is natively supported in Claude Desktop (Anthropic's desktop application). The protocol is open, so other AI providers could implement support in the future.
Absolutely! Anthropic provides SDKs for Python and TypeScript to build custom MCP servers. You can expose any tool, API, or data source to Claude through your custom server.
Tools are functions that Claude can call to perform actions (like writing a file or making an API call). Resources are data that Claude can read (like file contents or database records). Both are exposed through MCP servers.
MCP runs locally on your machine, giving you full control over security and data. It's an open protocol (not proprietary), and servers can expose both tools and resources. It's designed for power users and developers who need deep integrations.
Not directly, but Claude can orchestrate between multiple MCP servers in a single conversation. For example, Claude could read data from a database server and write results to a filesystem server.
MCP itself is free and open source. However, you need Claude Pro ($20/month) or Claude Team to use Claude Desktop, which is currently the main MCP client.
The official MCP servers repository on GitHub contains both Anthropic-built and community-contributed servers. There's also a growing ecosystem of third-party servers for various integrations.
Ready to Extend Claude with MCP?
Connect Claude to your tools and data sources today