Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal, understands your codebase, and helps you code faster by executing routine tasks, explaining complex code, and handling git workflows
—
Claude Code integrates with Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to extend capabilities with external tools, data sources, and services. MCP enables secure, standardized communication between Claude Code and third-party tools.
Configure MCP servers through JSON configuration files.
{
"servers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"/path/to/allowed-directory"
],
"env": {
"NODE_ENV": "production"
}
},
"git": {
"command": "mcp-server-git",
"args": [
"--repository",
".",
"--branch",
"main"
]
},
"database": {
"command": "python3",
"args": [
"/path/to/mcp-database-server.py",
"--connection-string",
"postgresql://localhost/mydb"
],
"env": {
"DB_PASSWORD": "${DB_PASSWORD}"
}
}
}
}Configuration Options:
command: Executable command to start the MCP serverargs: Array of command-line argumentsenv: Environment variables for the server processClaude Code supports various pre-built MCP servers for common functionality.
Provides secure file system access with path restrictions.
{
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"/allowed/directory",
"--read-only",
"--exclude-hidden"
]
}
}Filesystem Server Features:
Git repository operations and information.
{
"git": {
"command": "mcp-server-git",
"args": [
"--repository", "/path/to/repo",
"--branch", "main",
"--allow-push"
]
}
}Git Server Capabilities:
Web search and content retrieval.
{
"web-search": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/web-search-server.js"],
"env": {
"SEARCH_API_KEY": "${SEARCH_API_KEY}",
"MAX_RESULTS": "10"
}
}
}Web Search Features:
Database query and management operations.
{
"database": {
"command": "python3",
"args": [
"/path/to/db-server.py",
"--connection-string", "postgresql://localhost/mydb",
"--read-only"
],
"env": {
"DB_PASSWORD": "${DB_PASSWORD}"
}
}
}Database Server Capabilities:
Manage MCP servers through CLI commands and configuration.
# List available MCP servers
/mcp --list
# Add new MCP server
/mcp --add server-name
# Remove MCP server
/mcp --remove server-name
# Check server status
/mcp --status
# Restart server
/mcp --restart server-name
# View server logs
/mcp --logs server-nameServer Management Features:
Configure MCP servers via command-line arguments.
# Single MCP config file
claude --mcp-config servers.json
# Multiple MCP config files
claude --mcp-config server1.json server2.json
# MCP with debugging
claude --mcp-config servers.json --mcp-debug
# MCP timeout configuration
MCP_TIMEOUT=30000 MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT=10000 claude --mcp-config servers.jsonCommand-line Options:
--mcp-config: Specify MCP server configuration files--mcp-debug: Enable MCP debugging outputMCP_TIMEOUT: Overall MCP operation timeoutMCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT: Individual tool execution timeoutAccess MCP server tools directly through Claude Code.
# Use filesystem tools
"Read the config file using the filesystem server"
# Use git tools
"Show recent commits using git server"
# Use database tools
"Query the users table using database server"
# Use web search tools
"Search for React best practices using web search"Tool Discovery:
MCP servers can provide resources like files, database records, or web content.
{
"resources": [
{
"uri": "file:///path/to/config.json",
"name": "Application Configuration",
"description": "Main application configuration file",
"mimeType": "application/json"
},
{
"uri": "git://repository/commit/abc123",
"name": "Recent Commit",
"description": "Latest commit in main branch",
"mimeType": "text/plain"
}
]
}Resource Features:
MCP servers support various authentication methods.
{
"servers": {
"secure-api": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/secure-server.js"],
"env": {
"API_KEY": "${API_KEY}",
"CLIENT_SECRET": "${CLIENT_SECRET}"
},
"auth": {
"type": "oauth",
"clientId": "your-client-id",
"scopes": ["read", "write"]
}
}
}
}Authentication Types:
Support for streaming responses and real-time updates.
{
"streaming-server": {
"command": "python3",
"args": ["/path/to/sse-server.py"],
"features": ["sse", "streaming"],
"env": {
"ENABLE_STREAMING": "true"
}
}
}SSE Features:
Create custom MCP servers for specific needs.
# Python MCP server example
from mcp import Server, Tool, Resource
class CustomMCPServer(Server):
def __init__(self):
super().__init__("custom-server", "1.0.0")
@Tool("custom-tool")
async def custom_tool(self, param1: str, param2: int = 10):
"""Custom tool implementation"""
result = await self.process_data(param1, param2)
return {"result": result, "success": True}
@Resource("custom-resource")
async def custom_resource(self, uri: str):
"""Custom resource provider"""
data = await self.fetch_resource(uri)
return {
"content": data,
"mimeType": "application/json"
}
# Start server
if __name__ == "__main__":
server = CustomMCPServer()
server.run()Custom Server Features:
{
"code-analyzer": {
"command": "python3",
"args": [
"/path/to/code-analyzer-server.py",
"--languages", "python,javascript,typescript",
"--max-file-size", "1MB"
]
}
}Code Analysis Tools:
{
"api-tester": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"/path/to/api-test-server.js",
"--base-url", "https://api.example.com"
],
"env": {
"API_TOKEN": "${API_TOKEN}",
"TIMEOUT": "30000"
}
}
}API Testing Tools:
{
"docs": {
"command": "python3",
"args": [
"/path/to/docs-server.py",
"--docs-dir", "/path/to/documentation",
"--format", "markdown"
]
}
}Documentation Tools:
Debug MCP server issues and handle errors gracefully.
# Enable MCP debugging
claude --mcp-debug --mcp-config servers.json
# Check server health
/mcp --status
# View server logs
/mcp --logs server-name --tail
# Restart failed server
/mcp --restart server-name
# Validate configuration
/doctor --check-mcpError Types:
Optimize MCP server performance and resource usage.
{
"optimization": {
"serverTimeout": 30000,
"toolTimeout": 10000,
"maxConcurrentRequests": 5,
"connectionPoolSize": 10,
"cacheEnabled": true,
"cacheTTL": 300
}
}Performance Features:
Understanding the MCP protocol for advanced usage.
{
"protocol": {
"version": "1.0",
"capabilities": {
"tools": true,
"resources": true,
"prompts": true,
"completion": true
},
"transport": "stdio"
}
}Protocol Features:
Install with Tessl CLI
npx tessl i tessl/npm-anthropic-ai--claude-code