Claude Code MCP Servers | Complete Installation Guide

Official MCP documentation: docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/mcp

This guide provides comprehensive installation instructions for MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, enabling Claude Code to interact with external tools and services.

Prerequisites

Claude Code: Version 1.0 or higher
Node.js: Version 18+ (for npm/npx commands)
Python: Version 3.10+ with pip/uvx (for Python-based servers)
Operating System: macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL
Permissions: Write access to home directory for user configurations

Quick Start

For new users, install these three essential MCP servers to get started:

# 1. File system access (required for most projects)
claude mcp add filesystem -- npx --yes @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem $(pwd)

# 2. Git integration (for version control)
claude mcp add git --scope user -- uvx mcp-server-git

# 3. Web fetching (for accessing online resources)
claude mcp add fetch --scope user -- uvx mcp-server-fetch

After installation, restart Claude Code to activate the servers.

Configuration Commands

Command	Args (default)	Description (examples)
`-s`, `--scope`	`<scope>` (`local`)	Configuration scope (`local`, `user`, or `project`)
`-t`, `--transport`	`<transport>` (`stdio`)	Transport type (`stdio`, `sse`, `http`)
`-e`, `--env`	`<env...>`	Set environment variables (e.g. `-e KEY=value`)
`-H`, `--header`	`<header...>`	Set HTTP headers for SSE and HTTP transports (e.g. `-H "X-Api-Key: abc123" -H "X-Custom: value"`)
`-h`, `--help`		Display help for command

Scope Guidelines

Local scope (default): Personal, project-specific configurations, runs in the current directory.
User scope (-s user): Personal utilities available across all projects
Project scope (-s project): Team-shared configurations via .mcp.json

Best Practices for Scopes

Use local scope for:
- Testing new MCP servers
- Project-specific database connections
- Temporary configurations
Use user scope for:
- General-purpose tools (fetch, time, context7)
- Personal AI assistants (perplexity, sequential-thinking)
- UI/component generators used across projects
Use project scope for:
- Team-shared tools (git, filesystem)
- Project-specific databases
- CI/CD related servers

Security Best Practices

API Key Management

Never commit API keys to version control
- Use .gitignore for any files containing keys
- Review commits before pushing

Use environment variables for sensitive data

# Good: API key as environment variable
claude mcp add server-name --env API_KEY="your-key" -- command

# Avoid: API key in args (may be logged)
claude mcp add server-name -- command --api-key="your-key"

Secure storage recommendations:
- Store API keys in password managers
- Use system keychains when available
- Set file permissions to 600 for config files with secrets
- Consider using .env files (never commit these)
Scope-specific security:
- Use local scope for testing with temporary keys
- Use user scope for personal API keys
- Never put API keys in project scope (shared with team)

Service account files:

# Store outside project directory
chmod 600 ~/secrets/service-account.json

# Reference with absolute path
claude mcp add firebase --env SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_PATH=~/secrets/service-account.json

Prerequisites
Quick Start
Configuration Commands
Scope Guidelines
Security Best Practices

MCP Servers by Category

Core Development

Filesystem - File operations and management
Git - Version control integration
GitHub - Repository and issue management
Docker - Container management

AI & Search

Context7 - Up-to-date documentation lookup
Perplexity Ask - AI-powered web search
Sequential Thinking - Structured problem-solving

UI & Frontend

21st.dev Magic - AI-driven UI components
Magic UI - Magic UI design system
Playwright - Browser automation and testing
Puppeteer - Web scraping and automation

Databases

SQLite [Archived] - Local database operations
PostgreSQL [Archived] - PostgreSQL connections
Redis [Archived] - Key-value store operations
Firebase - Firebase services
Neon - Serverless PostgreSQL
Upstash - Serverless Redis/Kafka
Prisma-Local - Prisma ORM integration

Web & Documentation

Fetch - Web content fetching
Cloudflare Docs - Cloudflare documentation

Utilities

Memory - Persistent memory across sessions
Time - Time and timezone utilities
Blender - 3D modeling automation

Core Development

Filesystem

Functionality: Secure file operations with configurable access controls. Read, write, search, and manage files within specified directories.
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers

claude mcp add filesystem \
  -- npx --yes @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem \	
  $(pwd) \ # COMMAND DETECTS CURRENT DIRECTORY	
  # ADD ANY OTHER \	
  # DIRECTORIES HERE

Git

Functionality: Tools to read, search, and manipulate Git repositories. View diffs, commit history, branches, and repository status.
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers

claude mcp add git \
  --scope user \
  -- uvx mcp-server-git

GitHub

Note: These instructions use the official, new github/github-mcp-server, instead of the archived @modelcontextprotocol/server-github.

Functionality: Repository management, file operations, and GitHub API integration. Create issues, manage PRs, search repositories.
GitHub: github/github-mcp-server

From their official documentation:

Run the following command to add the GitHub MCP server using Docker:
claude mcp add github -- docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server
Then set the environment variable:
claude mcp update github -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_github_pat
Or as a single command with the token inline:
claude mcp add-json github '{"command": "docker", "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN", "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"], "env": {"GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_github_pat"}}'
Important: The npm package @modelcontextprotocol/server-github is no longer supported as of April 2025. Use the official Docker image ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server instead.

Setup: Get your token from GitHub Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens

Warning

In my experience, these commands don't work, try this:

claude mcp add github \
  --scope user \
  --transport http "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_TOKEN>"

Docker

Functionality: Docker container and image management. List containers, images, start/stop containers, view logs.
GitHub: QuantGeekDev/docker-mcp

claude mcp add mcp-server-docker \
  --scope project \ # OR user
  -- uvx docker-mcp

AI & Search

Context7

Functionality: Up-to-date Code Docs For Any Prompt.
GitHub: upstash/context7

claude mcp add context7 \
  --scope user \
  --transport http https://mcp.context7.com/mcp \
  --header "CONTEXT7_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY"

Or using SSE transport:

claude mcp add context7 \
  --scope user \
  --transport sse https://mcp.context7.com/sse \
  --header "CONTEXT7_API_KEY: YOUR_API_KEY"

Or...

claude mcp add context7 \
  -- npx --yes @upstash/context7-mcp \
  --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

You can get your API key by creating an account at context7.com/dashboard.

Claude Code Local Server Connection

claude mcp add context7 \
  --scope user \
  -- npx --yes @upstash/context7-mcp

Perplexity Ask

Functionality: AI-powered search and question answering using Perplexity's API. Get real-time web search results.
GitHub: ppl-ai/modelcontextprotocol

claude mcp add perplexity \
  --env PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=<your_api_key_here> \
  -- npx --yes server-perplexity-ask

Setup: Get API key from Perplexity Labs

Sequential Thinking

Functionality: An MCP server implementation that provides a tool for dynamic and reflective problem-solving through a structured thinking process.
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers

claude mcp add sequential-thinking \
  --scope user \
  -- npx --yes @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking

UI & Frontend

21st.dev Magic

Functionality: AI-driven UI component creation through natural language. Generate beautiful, modern UI components instantly with the Magic Component Platform.
Website: 21st.dev

claude mcp add @21st-dev/magic \
  --scope user \
  -- npx --yes @21st-dev/magic@latest API_KEY="your-api-key"

Setup: Get your API key from 21st.dev (requires account)

Usage examples:

"Create a modern pricing card component"
"Build a responsive navigation menu with dropdown"
"Generate a data table with sorting and filtering"
"Design a hero section with gradient background"
"Create an interactive dashboard widget"

Magic UI

Functionality: UI component generation with Magic UI design system. Create beautiful animations, backgrounds, and UI components with minimal errors.
GitHub: magicuidesign/mcp
Docs: magicui.design/docs/mcp

claude mcp add @magicuidesign/mcp \
  --scope user \
  -- npx --yes @magicuidesign/mcp@latest

Usage examples:

"Add a blur fade text animation"
"Add a grid background"
"Add a vertical marquee of logos"
"Create a shimmer button component"
"Add a particle effect background"

Playwright

Functionality: Advanced browser automation and testing. Cross-browser testing, mobile emulation, network interception.
GitHub: microsoft/playwright

claude mcp add playwright \
  --scope user \
  -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest

First-time setup: Playwright will automatically install browser binaries on first use

Customization options:

# With specific browser
claude mcp add playwright \
  --scope user \
  --env BROWSER=firefox \
  -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest

# With custom user agent
claude mcp add playwright \
  --scope user \
  --env USER_AGENT="Custom Bot 1.0" \
  -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest

Puppeteer

Note: These instructions use a fork merajmehrabi/puppeteer-mcp-server, instead of the deprecated @modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer.

Functionality: Browser automation and web scraping. Take screenshots, fill forms, navigate pages, extract data.
GitHub: merajmehrabi/puppeteer-mcp-server

claude mcp add puppeteer \
  --scope user \
  -- npx --yes puppeteer-mcp-server

Customization options:

# With custom settings
claude mcp add puppeteer \
  --scope user \
  --env PUPPETEER_LAUNCH_OPTIONS="{ \"headless\": false, \"defaultViewport\": { \"width\": 1280, \"height\": 720 }, \"executablePath\": \"C:/Program Files/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe\", \"args\": [] }" \
  --env ALLOW_DANGEROUS=true \
  -- npx --yes puppeteer-mcp-server

Databases

SQLite

WARNING: This repository was archived by the owner on May 29, 2025. It is now read-only.

Functionality: Database interaction and business intelligence features for SQLite. Query, insert, update, analyze data.
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers-archived

claude mcp add sqlite \
  --scope project \
  -- uvx mcp-server-sqlite \
  --db-path ./prisma/db.sqlite

Customization: Adjust --db-path to point to your SQLite database file

PostgreSQL

WARNING: This repository was archived by the owner on May 29, 2025. It is now read-only.

Functionality: Read-only database access with schema inspection capabilities. Query tables, views, analyze database structure.
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers-archived

claude mcp add postgres \
  --scope project \
  -- npx --yes @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres \
  "postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/database_name"

Note: Replace connection string with your actual PostgreSQL credentials

Redis

WARNING: This repository was archived by the owner on May 29, 2025. It is now read-only.

Functionality: Redis key-value store operations. Set, get, delete keys, manage data structures (hashes, lists, sets).
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers-archived

claude mcp add redis \
  -- npx --yes @modelcontextprotocol/server-redis \
  redis://localhost:6379

Customization: Adjust Redis URL for different hosts, ports, or authentication

Firebase

Functionality: Firebase services integration. Manage Firestore, Authentication, Storage, and other Firebase services.
GitHub: gannonh/firebase-mcp

claude mcp add firebase-mcp \
  --env SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_PATH=/absolute/path/to/serviceAccountKey.json \
  -- npx --yes @gannonh/firebase-mcp

Setup: Download service account key from Firebase Console → Project Settings → Service Accounts

Neon

Functionality: Serverless PostgreSQL database management. Create branches, manage databases, monitor performance on Neon.
GitHub: neondatabase/mcp-server-neon

claude mcp add neon \
  --env NEON_API_KEY=your_actual_api_key \
  -- npx --yes @neondatabase/mcp-server-neon start

Setup: Get API key from Neon Console → Account Settings → API Keys

Warning

In my experience, these commands don't work, try this:

claude mcp add neon \
  --scope local \ # or user
  --transport http "https://mcp.neon.tech/mcp" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_TOKEN>"

Upstash

Functionality: Serverless Redis and Kafka management. Create databases, manage data, monitor usage through natural language.
GitHub: upstash/mcp-server

claude mcp add upstash \
  --scope local \
  -- npx -y @upstash/mcp-server run \
  <UPSTASH_EMAIL> \
  <UPSTASH_API_KEY>

Setup: Get credentials from Upstash Console

Prisma-Local

Functionality: Prisma ORM integration for database management. Generate schemas, run migrations, manage database models and queries through Prisma CLI.
prisma.io: prisma/prisma

claude mcp add prisma-local \
  --scope project \
  -- npx --yes prisma mcp

Requirements: Project must have prisma installed and a schema.prisma file configured
Setup: Run in a directory with an existing Prisma project

Web & Documentation

Fetch

Functionality: Web content fetching and conversion optimized for LLM usage. Fetch and process web pages, APIs, and documents.
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers

claude mcp add fetch \
  --scope user \
  -- uvx mcp-server-fetch

Cloudflare Docs

Functionality: Access Cloudflare's documentation and developer resources. Search docs, get API references.
GitHub: cloudflare/mcp-server-cloudflare Remote SSE server (no local installation)

claude mcp add cloudflare-docs \
  --scope user \ # OR project
  --transport sse https://docs.mcp.cloudflare.com/sse

Utilities

Memory

Functionality: Knowledge graph-based persistent memory system. Store and retrieve contextual information across conversations.
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers

claude mcp add memory \
  --scope project \ # OR user
  -- npx --yes @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory

add a custom file path for the memory database:

claude mcp add memory \
  --scope user \ # OR local
  --env MEMORY_FILE_PATH=/path/to/custom/memory.json \
  -- npx --yes @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory

Time

Functionality: Time and timezone conversion capabilities. Get current time, convert between timezones using IANA names.
GitHub: modelcontextprotocol/servers

claude mcp add time \
  --scope user \
  -- uvx mcp-server-time \
  --local-timezone=Europe/Amsterdam # Optionally add your timezone

Customization: Replace Europe/Amsterdam with your local timezone

Blender

Functionality: 3D modeling and animation automation in Blender. Create objects, materials, animations through natural language.
GitHub: ahujasid/blender-mcp

claude mcp add blender \
  --scope user \
  -- uvx blender-mcp

Requirements: Blender must be installed and accessible in PATH. And a setup.py has to have been added to blender, see the project for details.

kjanat/claude-mcp-install.md

Claude Code MCP Servers | Complete Installation Guide

Prerequisites

Quick Start

Configuration Commands

Scope Guidelines

Best Practices for Scopes

Security Best Practices

API Key Management

Table of Contents

MCP Servers by Category

Core Development

Filesystem

Git

GitHub

Docker

AI & Search

Context7

Claude Code Local Server Connection

Perplexity Ask

Sequential Thinking

UI & Frontend

21st.dev Magic

Magic UI

Playwright

Puppeteer

Databases

SQLite

PostgreSQL

Redis

Firebase

Neon

Upstash

Prisma-Local

Web & Documentation

Fetch

Cloudflare Docs

Utilities

Memory

Time

Blender