mcp-servers-reference

# MCP Servers Reference > Skill by [ara.so](https://ara.so) — MCP Skills collection. ## Overview The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a standardized interface that lets AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, Windsurf) connect to external tools and services. This reference catalogs 50 essential, vetted MCP servers across 9 categories: core development, databases, infrastructure, productivity, fintech, web3, trading, creator tools, and reasoning/memory. **Critical context**: Over 20,000 MCP servers exist in public registries, but most are abandoned, insecure, or poorly maintained. This curated list focuses on official or well-maintained community servers with verified install commands. ## The Three Non-Negotiable Rules 1. **Don't install more than 5-7 servers** — Tool bloat degrades agent performance and reasoning quality. Pick 3-5 that match your actual workflow. 2. **Treat every server like untrusted code** — Pin versions, scope tokens to read-only until tested, prefer vendor-official over forks. 3. **Never enable writes against production from an agent loop** — Point at read replicas, snapshots, or dev environments for anything that can mutate data. ## Installation Patterns ### Claude Code (Desktop) ```bash # Local server (npx/uvx) claude mcp add github npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github # Hosted server (HTTP transport) claude mcp add supabase --transport http https://mcp.supabase.com ``` ### Codex ```bash # Add via CLI codex mcp add github -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github # Or edit ~/.codex/config.toml [mcp.servers.github] command = "npx" args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"] env = { GITHUB_TOKEN = "github_pat_xxx" } ``` ### Gemini CLI ```json // Edit ~/.gemini/settings.json { "mcpServers": { "github": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"], "env": { "GITHUB_TOKEN": "github_pat_xxx" } } } } ``` ## Server Categories & Recommendations ### Core Development (Start Here) **GitHub** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add github npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github # Env: GITHUB_TOKEN (create at github.com/settings/tokens) # Use cases: Create issues, review PRs, search repos, manage branches # Gotcha: Needs repo/write scopes for PRs; start with read-only ``` **Context7** (Official, Hosted/Local) ```bash # Hosted (recommended) claude mcp add context7 --transport http https://api.context7.com/mcp # Local claude mcp add context7 npx -y @context7/mcp-server # Use cases: Deep codebase indexing, semantic search across repos # Gotcha: Heavy memory use on large monorepos ``` **Playwright** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add playwright npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-playwright # Use cases: Browser automation, web scraping, E2E testing # Gotcha: No write protection — can mutate sites you're logged into ``` **Filesystem** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add filesystem npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem # Env: ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES=/path/to/project # Use cases: Read/write files, navigate directories # Gotcha: Scope to project dirs only; dangerous system-wide ``` **Brave Search** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add brave npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search # Env: BRAVE_API_KEY (get at brave.com/search/api) # Use cases: Web research, real-time data lookup ``` ### Database & Backend **PostgreSQL** (Official-Archived, Local) ```bash claude mcp add postgres npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres # Env: DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db # Gotcha: Full write access; ONLY point at dev/staging ``` **Supabase** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add supabase --transport http https://mcp.supabase.com # Requires: Supabase project URL + anon/service key # Use cases: Database queries, storage, auth operations # Gotcha: Service role key has admin access; use anon key + RLS ``` **Neon** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add neon --transport http https://mcp.neon.tech # Env: NEON_API_KEY (from neon.tech console) # Use cases: Serverless Postgres, branch databases ``` **SQLite** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add sqlite npx -y @benborla29/mcp-server-sqlite # Env: SQLITE_DB_PATH=/path/to/db.sqlite # Use cases: Local dev databases, lightweight analytics ``` **Redis** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add redis npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-redis # Env: REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379 # Use cases: Cache inspection, session debugging ``` ### Infrastructure & Ops **Cloudflare** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add cloudflare --transport http https://mcp.cloudflare.com # Env: CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN (read-only recommended) # Use cases: DNS management, worker deployment, analytics # Gotcha: Can deploy code and change DNS; read-only until tested ``` **Vercel** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add vercel --transport http https://mcp.vercel.com # Env: VERCEL_TOKEN (from vercel.com/account/tokens) # Use cases: Deploy previews, check build logs, manage env vars # Gotcha: Can trigger production deployments ``` **AWS** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add aws npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-aws # Env: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_REGION # Use cases: S3 operations, Lambda management, CloudWatch logs # Gotcha: Use IAM policies to restrict; never admin credentials ``` **Sentry** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add sentry --transport http https://mcp.sentry.io # Env: SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN (read-only scope) # Use cases: Error investigation, release tracking ``` **Kubernetes** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add k8s npx -y @kubernetes/mcp-server # Env: KUBECONFIG=/path/to/config (or uses default) # Use cases: Pod inspection, log streaming, deployment status # Gotcha: Can delete resources; use read-only RBAC ``` ### Productivity & Team Tools **Slack** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add slack npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-slack # Env: SLACK_BOT_TOKEN, SLACK_APP_TOKEN # Use cases: Send messages, search history, manage channels # Gotcha: Can post to any channel bot is in; test in sandbox first ``` **Linear** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add linear --transport http https://mcp.linear.app # Auth: OAuth flow on first connect # Use cases: Create/update issues, query project status ``` **Notion** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add notion --transport http https://mcp.notion.so # Auth: OAuth flow (grants page-level access) # Use cases: Create pages, update databases, search workspace ``` **Jira/Confluence** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add atlassian --transport http https://mcp.atlassian.com # Auth: OAuth (select Jira sites on connect) # Use cases: Ticket management, wiki search ``` **Google Drive** (Official-Archived, Local) ```bash claude mcp add gdrive npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-gdrive # Env: GOOGLE_CREDENTIALS_JSON (service account JSON) # Use cases: File search, doc reading, folder navigation ``` ### Fintech & Payments **Stripe** (Official, Hosted/Local) ```bash # Hosted (recommended) claude mcp add stripe --transport http https://mcp.stripe.com # Local claude mcp add stripe npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-stripe # Env: STRIPE_SECRET_KEY (use test key: sk_test_...) # Gotcha: ONLY use test keys; can create real charges in live mode ``` **PayPal** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add paypal --transport http https://mcp.paypal.com # Env: PAYPAL_CLIENT_ID, PAYPAL_SECRET (sandbox credentials) # Gotcha: Verify you're in sandbox mode; can process real payments ``` **Plaid** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add plaid --transport http https://mcp.plaid.com # Env: PLAID_CLIENT_ID, PLAID_SECRET (sandbox/dev environment) # Gotcha: Has access to real banking data; use dev environment only ``` ### Web3 & Blockchain **Base MCP** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add base --transport http https://mcp.base.org # Env: BASE_RPC_URL (use testnet: sepolia-base) # Gotcha: Can sign transactions; ONLY connect testnet wallets ``` **Solana Agent Kit** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add solana npx -y solana-agent-kit-mcp # Env: SOLANA_RPC_URL, SOLANA_PRIVATE_KEY (devnet only) # Use cases: Read wallet state, fetch NFTs, query programs # Gotcha: Can broadcast transactions; use burner wallets ``` **Thirdweb** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add thirdweb npx -y @thirdweb-dev/mcp-server # Env: THIRDWEB_SECRET_KEY (from thirdweb.com/dashboard) # Use cases: Contract deployment, IPFS upload, wallet management # Gotcha: Has write access to contracts; use testnets ``` **The Graph** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add graph npx -y @graphprotocol/mcp-server # Env: GRAPH_API_KEY (read-only, from thegraph.com) # Use cases: Query subgraphs, blockchain data indexing ``` **Etherscan** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add etherscan npx -y etherscan-mcp-server # Env: ETHERSCAN_API_KEY (free tier at etherscan.io) # Use cases: Contract verification, transaction lookup, gas prices ``` ### Trading & Markets **Alpaca** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add alpaca npx -y @alpacahq/mcp-server # Env: APCA_API_KEY_ID, APCA_API_SECRET_KEY, APCA_PAPER=true # Gotcha: ALWAYS set APCA_PAPER=true; can place real trades ``` **CCXT** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add ccxt npx -y ccxt-mcp-server # Env: CCXT_EXCHANGE=binance, CCXT_API_KEY, CCXT_SECRET (testnet) # Use cases: Multi-exchange trading, market data # Gotcha: Can execute trades on live accounts; use testnet ``` **Polygon.io** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add polygon npx -y @polygon.io/mcp-server # Env: POLYGON_API_KEY (from polygon.io) # Use cases: Real-time stock/crypto prices, historical data ``` **CoinGecko** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add coingecko --transport http https://mcp.coingecko.com # Env: COINGECKO_API_KEY (optional, for pro tier) # Use cases: Crypto prices, market cap, trending coins ``` ### Creator Tools & Media **Higgsfield** (Official, Hosted) ```bash claude mcp add higgsfield --transport http https://mcp.higgsfield.ai # Auth: OAuth flow # Use cases: AI video generation, style transfer ``` **DaVinci Resolve** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add resolve npx -y davinci-resolve-mcp # Requires: DaVinci Resolve installed with scripting API enabled # Use cases: Timeline editing, color grading automation, render jobs ``` **Figma** (Official, Hosted/Local) ```bash # Hosted claude mcp add figma --transport http https://mcp.figma.com # Auth: OAuth (grants file access) # Use cases: Read designs, export assets, update prototypes ``` **ElevenLabs** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add elevenlabs npx -y @elevenlabs/mcp-server # Env: ELEVEN_API_KEY (from elevenlabs.io) # Use cases: Text-to-speech, voice cloning, audio generation ``` **YouTube** (Community, Local) ```bash claude mcp add youtube npx -y youtube-mcp-server # Env: YOUTUBE_API_KEY (from console.cloud.google.com) # Use cases: Search videos, fetch transcripts, channel analytics ``` ### Reasoning & Memory **Sequential Thinking** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add sequential-thinking npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking # Use cases: Multi-step reasoning, complex problem decomposition # No env vars needed; pure reasoning augmentation ``` **Memory** (Official, Local) ```bash claude mcp add memory npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory # Use cases: Persistent context across sessions, user preferences # Stores: ~/.mcp/memory.json (local file storage) ``` ## Configuration Best Practices ### Environment Variables ```bash # Create .env file (never commit) GITHUB_TOKEN=github_pat_xxxxx DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/devdb STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_xxxxx AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIA... AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=... SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-... # Load in agent config # Claude: Automatically reads from .env in project root # Codex: Specify in ~/.codex/config.toml env section # Gemini: Specify in ~/.gemini/settings.json env object ``` ### Token Scoping (GitHub Example) ```bash # Read-only (safe exploration) # Scopes: repo:status, public_repo, read:user # Write access (for PRs, commits) # Scopes: repo, workflow # Start narrow, expand only when needed ``` ### Multi-Environment Pattern ```toml # ~/.codex/config.toml [mcp.servers.postgres-dev] command = "npx" args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"]