configure-mcp

created	"2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z"
modified	"2026-06-18T00:00:00.000Z"
reviewed	"2026-05-14T00:00:00.000Z"
description	Check and configure MCP servers for project integration. Use when setting up MCP servers, checking MCP status, or adding new servers to a project.
allowed-tools	Glob, Grep, Read, Write, Edit, Bash, AskUserQuestion, TodoWrite
args	[--check-only] [--fix] [--core] [--server <name>]
argument-hint	[--check-only] [--fix] [--core] [--server <name>]
name	configure-mcp

/configure:mcp

Check and configure Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for this project.

MCP Philosophy: Servers are managed project-by-project (in .mcp.json), not user-scoped (in ~/.claude/settings.json), to keep context clean and dependencies explicit.

For server configurations, environment variable reference, and report templates, see REFERENCE.md.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use another approach when...
Setting up MCP servers for a project	Configuring user-level settings (edit ~/.claude/settings.json directly)
Checking MCP server status and validating configuration	Just viewing .mcp.json contents (use Read tool)
Adding specific servers (context7, playwright, sequential-thinking, etc.)	Installing npm/bun packages for non-MCP purposes (use package manager)
Ensuring team-shareable MCP setups	Personal-only MCP configuration (use ~/.claude/settings.json)
Installing core productivity servers	Debugging specific server runtime issues (check server logs, restart Claude Code)

Context

• Config exists: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name \'.mcp.json\'
• Git tracking: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.gitignore' -exec grep '.mcp.json' {} +
• Standards file: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name \'.project-standards.yaml\'
• Has playwright config: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name 'playwright.config.*' -print -quit
• Has TS/JS files: !find . -maxdepth 2 \( -name '*.ts' -o -name '*.py' -o -name '*.go' -o -name '*.rs' \) -print -quit
• Dotfiles registry: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name \'~/.local/share/chezmoi/.chezmoidata.toml\'

Parameters

Parse these from $ARGUMENTS:

• --check-only: Report current status, do not offer installation
• --fix: Install servers without prompting for confirmation
• --core: Install all core servers (context7, sequential-thinking)
• --server <name>: Install specific server by name (repeatable)

If no flags provided, run interactive mode (detect → report → offer to install).

Core Servers

These servers should be installed in all projects:

Server	Purpose	Env Vars
context7	Documentation context from Upstash	None
sequential-thinking	Enhanced reasoning and planning	None

Execution

Execute this MCP configuration workflow:

Step 1: Detect current state

First, test whether .mcp.json exists in the current working directory:

• If .mcp.json is absent (the Config exists context line is empty, or test -f .mcp.json would fail): print "No .mcp.json found — starting fresh." and treat mcpServers as {} for the remainder of the workflow. Do not abort. Proceed to Step 2 so the user can still install core servers or specific servers via flags / interactive mode; Step 3 will create the file from scratch.
• If .mcp.json exists: use the Read tool to load .mcp.json and parse the mcpServers object. List all configured servers and surface the result to subsequent steps. For each server, check its command type (npx, bunx, uvx, go run) and required env vars. Flag any servers with missing required environment variables.

If --check-only, skip to Step 4 (report only).

Step 2: Identify servers to install

Based on the flags:

• --core: Select context7 and sequential-thinking.
• --server <name>: Select the named server(s). Validate against the available servers in REFERENCE.md.
• No flags (interactive): Show the user what's installed vs available. Use AskUserQuestion to ask which servers to add. Suggest servers based on project context (e.g., suggest playwright if playwright.config.* exists, suggest cclsp if large TS/Python/Rust codebase).

If all requested servers are already installed, report "All servers already configured" and stop.

Step 3: Install selected servers

For each selected server:

1. Get the server configuration from REFERENCE.md.
2. If .mcp.json doesn't exist, create it with {"mcpServers": {}}.
3. Merge the server config into the existing mcpServers object. Preserve existing servers.
4. Write the updated .mcp.json with proper JSON formatting.

If cclsp is selected, also set up cclsp.json (see REFERENCE.md for language detection and setup details).

Handle git tracking:

• Check if .mcp.json is in .gitignore.
• If not tracked and not ignored, recommend adding to .gitignore for personal projects or tracking for team projects.

Step 4: Report results

Print a summary using the report format from REFERENCE.md:

• List all configured servers with their status
• Flag missing environment variables with where to set them
• Show git tracking status
• If servers were added, show next steps (restart Claude Code, set env vars)

Step 5: Update standards tracking

If .project-standards.yaml exists, update the MCP section with current server list and timestamp.

Runtime Server Management

After configuring .mcp.json, use these /mcp commands in Claude Code to manage servers without editing files:

Command	Description
/mcp	List all configured servers and connection status
/mcp enable <server>	Enable a server for the current session
/mcp disable <server>	Disable a server for the current session (session-scoped)

Note: Enable/disable are session-scoped only. Permanent changes require editing .mcp.json.

Agentic Optimizations

Context	Command
Quick status check	jq -c '.mcpServers | keys' .mcp.json 2>/dev/null
Validate JSON syntax	jq empty .mcp.json 2>&1
List environment variables needed	jq -r '.mcpServers[] | .env // {} | keys[]' .mcp.json 2>/dev/null | sort -u
Check if server installed	jq -e '.mcpServers.context7' .mcp.json >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "installed" || echo "missing"
Core servers install (automated)	/configure:mcp --core --fix
Specific server install (automated)	/configure:mcp --server context7 --fix
Check-only mode (CI/reporting)	/configure:mcp --check-only

Flags

Flag	Description
--check-only	Report status without offering to install servers
--fix	Install specified or suggested servers without prompting
--core	Install all core servers (context7, sequential-thinking)
--server <name>	Install specific server (can be repeated)

Error Handling

• Invalid .mcp.json: Offer to backup and replace with valid template
• Server already installed: Skip with informational message
• Missing env var: Warn but continue (server may work with defaults)
• Unknown server: Report error with available server names