What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open-source standard created by Anthropic that enables AI applications like Claude and ChatGPT to connect to external tools, data sources, and services. Think of it like a USB-C port for AI—a universal connector that lets AI models plug into various tools and databases in a consistent, standardized way.

MCP works through three main components: MCP Hosts (AI applications like Claude Desktop), MCP Clients (connectors within the host that communicate with servers), and MCP Servers (external services that provide data and tools). When you ask an AI to perform a task requiring external data, the client discovers available tools, sends requests to the appropriate server, and returns results to the AI.

What can MCP servers do?

MCP servers can connect AI to virtually any external system. Common capabilities include: accessing databases and file systems, integrating with tools like GitHub, Slack, and Notion, executing code and running tests, managing cloud infrastructure, scraping web data, and automating workflows. Each server exposes specific tools the AI can use during conversations.

MCP is used by developers, enterprises, and AI enthusiasts who want to extend AI capabilities. Major AI providers including OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic support MCP. It's particularly popular among developers building AI agents, companies creating enterprise knowledge assistants, and teams automating complex workflows.

How do I install an MCP server?

MCP servers can be installed in AI applications like Claude Desktop or Cursor. Typically, you add the server configuration to your app's settings file (like claude_desktop_config.json), specifying the server command and any required environment variables. Many servers are available via npm or can be run directly from their GitHub repositories.

MCP includes built-in security features like authentication specs and permission controls. However, as with any integration, you should review server code before installation, use environment variables for sensitive credentials, only install servers from trusted sources, and follow the principle of least privilege when granting permissions.

What's the difference between MCP and regular APIs?

While MCP uses APIs under the hood, it's specifically designed for AI context. Regular APIs serve general web applications, while MCP provides a standardized interface that AI models can discover and use autonomously. MCP servers are tool-agnostic, schema-driven, and reusable across different AI agents without custom integration code.

Can I build my own MCP server?

Yes! MCP provides SDKs in TypeScript, Python, C#, Java, and other languages to help you build custom servers. You can create servers that expose your own tools, connect to proprietary systems, or wrap existing APIs in an MCP-compatible interface. The official documentation provides guides and examples to get started.

Discover Top MCP Servers

Official MCP Servers

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Bright Data

1,834

Empowers AI agents to access, discover, and extract real-time web data, bypassing restrictions and bot detection.

Scout Monitoring

Provide AI Assistants with real-time application performance and error data for targeted code analysis and fixes.

Firecrawl

4,195

Empowers LLMs with advanced web scraping capabilities for content extraction, crawling, and search functionalities.

Web Scraping & Data Collection

ElevenLabs

1,126

Enables interaction with Text to Speech and audio processing APIs for MCP clients.

API Development

Magic

4,073

Generate modern UI components instantly from natural language descriptions within your IDE.

Developer Tools

Browserbase

3,000

Enables LLMs to control cloud browsers for web interaction, data extraction, and task automation using Browserbase and Stagehand.

Browser Automation

Featured MCP Servers

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Task Master

24,572

Streamline AI-driven development workflows by automating task management with Claude.

Featured

FastAPI

11,333

Exposes FastAPI endpoints as Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools with zero configuration.

Featured

Ghidra

6,981

Enables Large Language Models (LLMs) to autonomously reverse engineer applications by exposing Ghidra's core functionality through an Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.

Featured

Excel

3,050

Enables Excel file manipulation capabilities without requiring Microsoft Excel installation.

Featured

Unity

2,649

Enables communication between Unity and Large Language Models for automating workflows and controlling the Unity Editor.

Featured

Godot

1,308

Enables AI assistants to interact with the Godot game engine by launching the editor, running projects, and capturing debug output.

Featured

Top MCP Servers

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TrendRadar

42,071

Aggregates trending topics from over 35 platforms, offering intelligent filtering, automated multi-channel notifications, and AI-powered conversational analysis for deep news insights.

Analytics & Monitoring

Context7

40,764

Fetches up-to-date documentation and code examples for LLMs and AI code editors directly from the source.

Learning & Documentation

MindsDB

38,164

Build AI applications that can learn and answer questions over large-scale federated data sources using a federated query engine.

Database Management

GitHub

25,613

Enables advanced automation and interaction capabilities with GitHub APIs for developers and tools using the Model Context Protocol.

API Development

Playwright

25,037

Automates browser interactions for Large Language Models (LLMs) using Playwright.

Security & Testing

GPT Researcher

24,695

Conducts in-depth web and local research on any topic, generating comprehensive reports with citations.

Data Science & ML

Latest MCP Servers

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FIO Bank

Enables AI assistants to access FIO Bank account transactions and financial data through a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.

API Development

Skim

Extracts the essential structure from large command outputs, returning only the schema to AI agents to optimize context and token usage.

Developer Tools

YouTube Search & Download

Provides an MCP server to search, retrieve information about, and download YouTube videos and audio content without requiring a YouTube API key.

Developer Tools

Opencode Config

Simplifies the configuration process for OpenCode setups, allowing users to adjust settings without programming knowledge.

Developer Tools

Pcap Analyzer

Automate PCAP analysis and network troubleshooting by encapsulating common Wireshark workflows into structured tools for agents and scripts.

Analytics & Monitoring

Discord Selfbot

Empowers Discord users with extensive automation capabilities and full autonomy through a comprehensive set of over 60 selfbot tools.

Social Media Management

MCP Clients

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Zed

72,487

Edit code with high performance and multiplayer collaboration.

Developer Tools

Cline

56,619

Automates coding tasks directly within your IDE using AI, capable of creating/editing files, executing commands, and using the browser with user permission.

Developer Tools

Cherry Studio

37,200

Enables users to interact with multiple large language model (LLM) providers through a single desktop client.

Developer Tools

LibreChat

32,808

Self-host a privacy-first, versatile ChatGPT alternative supporting multiple AI models and advanced features.

Other

Goose

25,419

Automates complex development tasks using an extensible, open-source AI agent.

API Development

5ire

4,897

A cross-platform AI assistant and Model Context Protocol (MCP) client that connects to various services and local knowledge bases.

Developer Tools

Top Agent Skills

What are Agent Skills?

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Skill Writer

96,002

Author and optimize custom Agent Skills for Claude Code with standardized structures, frontmatter, and discovery-optimized descriptions.

Productivity & Workflow

Opus 4.5 Migration

47,204

Migrates codebases and prompts from previous Claude models to Opus 4.5 by updating model strings and refining system instructions for optimal performance.

API Development

Command Development

46,336

Provides comprehensive guidance and patterns for creating, configuring, and organizing custom slash commands within Claude Code.

Productivity & Workflow

Plugin Settings

46,336

Implements a standardized pattern for project-specific plugin configuration and state management using YAML frontmatter and Markdown files.

Productivity & Workflow

Plugin Structure

46,336

Standardizes the directory layout and manifest configuration for Claude Code plugins to ensure seamless integration and automatic component discovery.

Developer Tools

MCP Integration

46,252

Integrates external services and APIs into Claude Code plugins using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Developer Tools