Skip to main content

MCP Servers Overview

Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers extend Claude Code's capabilities by providing specialized tools and integrations. MCP servers run independently and communicate with Claude Code through a standardized protocol.

What are MCP Servers?​

MCP servers are external processes that provide:

  • Custom Tools: Specialized functions for specific domains
  • Data Integrations: Connect to databases, APIs, and services
  • Domain Expertise: Industry-specific knowledge and workflows
  • External Services: File systems, cloud providers, development tools

Available MCP Servers​

think-tool​

Advanced reasoning and analysis capabilities.

Features:

  • Deep reasoning modes
  • Multi-step problem solving
  • Context analysis
  • Decision trees

Learn more →

database-mcp​

Database integration and management tools.

Features:

  • Multi-database support (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB)
  • Query optimization
  • Schema management
  • Migration tools

api-explorer-mcp​

REST and GraphQL API exploration and testing.

Features:

  • API discovery
  • Endpoint testing
  • Schema validation
  • Documentation generation

file-manager-mcp​

Advanced file system operations.

Features:

  • Bulk file operations
  • Smart search and filtering
  • File type detection
  • Content analysis

git-advanced-mcp​

Extended Git functionality beyond basic operations.

Features:

  • Advanced merge strategies
  • Commit analysis
  • Branch management
  • Repository statistics

cloud-provider-mcps​

Cloud service integrations (AWS, GCP, Azure).

Features:

  • Resource management
  • Deployment automation
  • Monitoring setup
  • Cost optimization

MCP Server Architecture​

┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Claude Code   │◄──►│   MCP Server    │◄──►│  External APIs  │
│    (Client)     │    │   (Provider)    │    │   & Services    │
└─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘

Communication Flow​

  1. Tool Request: Claude Code requests a tool from MCP server
  2. Processing: MCP server processes request with external services
  3. Response: MCP server returns results to Claude Code
  4. Integration: Claude Code integrates results into workflow

Server Configuration​

Basic Setup​

// .claude/mcp-servers.json
{
  "servers": {
    "think-tool": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@claude/think-tool"],
      "env": {}
    },
    "database-mcp": {
      "command": "database-mcp",
      "args": ["--config", "db-config.json"],
      "env": {
        "DATABASE_URL": "postgresql://localhost/myapp"
      }
    }
  }
}

Advanced Configuration​

{
  "servers": {
    "api-explorer": {
      "command": "api-explorer-mcp",
      "args": ["--port", "3001"],
      "env": {
        "API_TIMEOUT": "30000",
        "RATE_LIMIT": "100"
      },
      "timeout": 60000,
      "restart": true
    }
  },
  "global": {
    "timeout": 30000,
    "retries": 3,
    "logging": "info"
  }
}

Server Categories​

Development Tools​

Servers that enhance the development experience:

  • code-analyzer-mcp: Static code analysis and metrics
  • dependency-manager-mcp: Package management and security scanning
  • test-runner-mcp: Advanced testing capabilities
  • linter-mcp: Code style and quality enforcement

External Integrations​

Servers that connect to external services:

  • github-mcp: Advanced GitHub operations
  • slack-mcp: Team notifications and collaboration
  • jira-mcp: Project management integration
  • monitoring-mcp: Application observability

Data & Analytics​

Servers for data processing and analysis:

  • analytics-mcp: Usage metrics and insights
  • reporting-mcp: Automated report generation
  • visualization-mcp: Chart and graph creation
  • ml-pipeline-mcp: Machine learning workflows

Security & Compliance​

Servers focused on security and regulatory compliance:

  • security-scanner-mcp: Vulnerability detection
  • compliance-checker-mcp: Regulatory requirement validation
  • audit-logger-mcp: Comprehensive audit trails
  • secrets-manager-mcp: Secure credential management

Server Lifecycle​

Installation​

# Install from npm registry
npm install -g @claude/think-tool

# Install from custom source
git clone https://github.com/company/custom-mcp
cd custom-mcp && npm install && npm link

# Add to Claude Code configuration
claude-code mcp add think-tool

Updates​

# Update all servers
claude-code mcp update

# Update specific server
claude-code mcp update think-tool

# Check for updates
claude-code mcp check-updates

Management​

# List configured servers
claude-code mcp list

# Server status
claude-code mcp status think-tool

# Server logs
claude-code mcp logs think-tool --tail=100

# Restart server
claude-code mcp restart think-tool

Creating Custom MCP Servers​

Basic Server Structure​

// src/server.ts
import { Server } from '@claude/mcp-sdk';

const server = new Server({
  name: 'my-custom-server',
  version: '1.0.0'
});

// Register tools
server.addTool({
  name: 'analyze-code',
  description: 'Analyze code quality and structure',
  parameters: {
    type: 'object',
    properties: {
      file_path: { type: 'string' },
      analysis_type: { type: 'string' }
    }
  },
  handler: async (params) => {
    // Tool implementation
    const analysis = await analyzeCode(params.file_path);
    return {
      content: analysis,
      isError: false
    };
  }
});

server.start();

Tool Implementation​

// Tool with external API integration
server.addTool({
  name: 'deploy-service',
  description: 'Deploy service to cloud platform',
  parameters: {
    type: 'object',
    properties: {
      service_name: { type: 'string' },
      environment: { type: 'string' },
      config: { type: 'object' }
    },
    required: ['service_name', 'environment']
  },
  handler: async ({ service_name, environment, config }) => {
    try {
      const deployment = await cloudProvider.deploy({
        name: service_name,
        env: environment,
        configuration: config
      });
      
      return {
        content: `Service ${service_name} deployed successfully to ${environment}`,
        data: {
          deployment_id: deployment.id,
          url: deployment.url,
          status: deployment.status
        }
      };
    } catch (error) {
      return {
        content: `Deployment failed: ${error.message}`,
        isError: true
      };
    }
  }
});

Resource Management​

// Resource (prompts, templates, data)
server.addResource({
  uri: 'prompt://code-review-template',
  name: 'Code Review Template',
  description: 'Template for comprehensive code reviews',
  mimeType: 'text/plain'
});

server.addResourceHandler('prompt://', async (uri) => {
  const templateName = uri.split('//')[1];
  const template = await loadTemplate(templateName);
  return {
    contents: [{
      uri,
      mimeType: 'text/plain',
      text: template
    }]
  };
});

Server Security​

Authentication​

// API key authentication
server.addMiddleware({
  authenticate: (request) => {
    const apiKey = request.headers['x-api-key'];
    return validateApiKey(apiKey);
  }
});

// OAuth integration
server.addMiddleware({
  oauth: {
    provider: 'github',
    scopes: ['repo', 'read:user']
  }
});

Input Validation​

// Strict parameter validation
server.addTool({
  name: 'process-data',
  parameters: {
    type: 'object',
    properties: {
      data: { 
        type: 'string',
        pattern: '^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$',
        maxLength: 1000
      }
    },
    additionalProperties: false
  },
  handler: async ({ data }) => {
    // Sanitize input
    const sanitized = sanitizeInput(data);
    return processData(sanitized);
  }
});

Performance Optimization​

Caching​

// Response caching
server.addTool({
  name: 'expensive-operation',
  handler: async (params) => {
    const cacheKey = `operation:${JSON.stringify(params)}`;
    
    // Check cache first
    const cached = await cache.get(cacheKey);
    if (cached) return cached;
    
    // Perform operation
    const result = await expensiveComputation(params);
    
    // Cache result
    await cache.set(cacheKey, result, { ttl: 300 });
    return result;
  }
});

Connection Pooling​

// Database connection pooling
const pool = new Pool({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
  max: 20,
  idleTimeoutMillis: 30000
});

server.addTool({
  name: 'query-database',
  handler: async ({ query, params }) => {
    const client = await pool.connect();
    try {
      const result = await client.query(query, params);
      return result.rows;
    } finally {
      client.release();
    }
  }
});

Monitoring & Observability​

Health Checks​

server.addHealthCheck({
  name: 'database-connection',
  check: async () => {
    try {
      await database.ping();
      return { status: 'healthy' };
    } catch (error) {
      return { 
        status: 'unhealthy', 
        error: error.message 
      };
    }
  }
});

Metrics Collection​

// Custom metrics
server.addMetrics({
  counters: ['tool_calls', 'errors'],
  histograms: ['response_time', 'payload_size'],
  gauges: ['active_connections']
});

// Tool execution metrics
server.addTool({
  name: 'tracked-operation',
  handler: async (params) => {
    const start = Date.now();
    server.metrics.counter('tool_calls').inc();
    
    try {
      const result = await operation(params);
      server.metrics.histogram('response_time').observe(Date.now() - start);
      return result;
    } catch (error) {
      server.metrics.counter('errors').inc();
      throw error;
    }
  }
});

Best Practices​

1. Server Design​

  • Single Responsibility: Each server should have a focused purpose
  • Stateless Operations: Avoid maintaining server-side state when possible
  • Error Handling: Implement comprehensive error handling
  • Documentation: Provide clear tool descriptions and examples

2. Performance​

  • Lazy Loading: Load resources only when needed
  • Connection Reuse: Pool connections to external services
  • Caching: Cache expensive operations appropriately
  • Timeouts: Set reasonable timeouts for all operations

3. Security​

  • Input Validation: Validate all inputs thoroughly
  • Authentication: Secure access to sensitive operations
  • Rate Limiting: Prevent abuse with rate limiting
  • Audit Logging: Log all significant operations

4. Development​

  • Testing: Include comprehensive test suites
  • Versioning: Use semantic versioning
  • Documentation: Maintain up-to-date documentation
  • Monitoring: Include health checks and metrics

Server Discovery​

# Search for available servers
claude-code mcp search "database"

# Show server details
claude-code mcp info database-mcp

# Install from registry
claude-code mcp install database-mcp

Community Servers​

Popular community-maintained MCP servers:

  • github-mcp: Advanced GitHub integration
  • docker-mcp: Container management
  • kubernetes-mcp: K8s cluster operations
  • terraform-mcp: Infrastructure as code
  • monitoring-mcp: Application observability

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Server Not Starting: Check configuration and dependencies
  2. Connection Errors: Verify network connectivity and permissions
  3. Tool Failures: Review tool parameters and error messages
  4. Performance Issues: Check server resources and caching

Debug Commands​

# Debug server startup
claude-code mcp debug think-tool

# View server logs
claude-code mcp logs think-tool --level=debug

# Test server connectivity
claude-code mcp ping think-tool

Next Steps​