MCP integrations

Connect Claude Code to external tools and services using the Model Context Protocol. Add, manage, and troubleshoot MCP servers.

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets Claude Code connect to external tools and services — databases, APIs, internal systems, and more. When you connect an MCP server, Claude gains new tools it can invoke during a session.

What MCP adds

Without MCP, Claude can only use built-in tools like file reads, shell commands, and web fetch. With an MCP server connected, Claude can also call tools provided by that server — for example:

• Querying a database with natural language
• Creating or updating records in a project management tool
• Fetching data from a private API that requires authentication
• Running company-specific workflows

MCP servers expose their tools to Claude, and Claude calls them the same way it calls any other tool — with your permission.

/mcp — manage connections

Run /mcp to open the MCP server management panel. From here you can see connected servers, their status, and enable or disable individual servers.

> /mcp

You can also enable or disable servers directly:

# Enable a specific server
/mcp enable my-server

# Disable a specific server
/mcp disable my-server

# Enable all servers
/mcp enable

# Reconnect a server
/mcp reconnect my-server

Adding an MCP server

Use the claude mcp add CLI subcommand to register a new server. The command supports three transport types: stdio (subprocess), HTTP, and SSE (Server-Sent Events).

Stdio server (subprocess)

# Add a server that runs as a local subprocess
claude mcp add my-server -- npx my-mcp-server

# With environment variables
claude mcp add -e API_KEY=your_key_here my-server -- npx my-mcp-server

# With additional subprocess flags
claude mcp add my-server -- my-command --some-flag arg1

HTTP server

claude mcp add --transport http sentry https://mcp.sentry.dev/mcp

SSE server

claude mcp add --transport sse my-server https://example.com/mcp

# With a custom header (e.g. for API key authentication)
claude mcp add --transport sse corridor https://app.corridor.dev/api/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer your_token_here"

Configuration scope

By default, servers are added to the local scope (your current project directory). Use --scope to change this:

Scope	Where the config is saved	When to use
local	Current project directory	Project-specific servers
user	Your home directory	Servers you want in every project
project	Shared project config	Servers the whole team should use

# Add a server to your user-wide config
claude mcp add --scope user my-server -- npx my-mcp-server

Config file format

MCP server configurations are stored in a JSON file. The structure looks like this:

stdio server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["my-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Authentication for MCP servers

Some HTTP and SSE servers require OAuth authentication. Use --client-id and --client-secret when adding the server:

claude mcp add --transport http \
  --client-id your_client_id \
  --client-secret \
  my-oauth-server https://example.com/mcp

The --client-secret flag prompts you to enter the secret interactively (or you can set it via the MCP_CLIENT_SECRET environment variable).

If the server requires a fixed redirect URI (pre-registered with the OAuth provider), use --callback-port to pin a specific port:

claude mcp add --transport http \
  --client-id your_client_id \
  --client-secret \
  --callback-port 8080 \
  my-oauth-server https://example.com/mcp

Example: connecting a database MCP server

1. Add the server

   Register the database MCP server as a stdio subprocess:

   claude mcp add -e DATABASE_URL=postgres://localhost:5432/mydb \
     db-server -- npx @example/postgres-mcp
   
2. Verify the connection

   Start a Claude Code session and run /mcp to confirm the server shows as connected.

   > /mcp
   

   You should see db-server listed with a connected status.

3. Use the new tools

   Claude now has access to the database tools exposed by the server. Ask it to use them in plain language:

   > How many users signed up in the last 7 days?
   

   > Show me all orders with a status of "pending" that are older than 48 hours.
   

   Claude will call the database tools automatically and return the results.

Troubleshooting MCP connections

Server shows as 'failed' in /mcp

Check that the command or URL is correct and that any required environment variables are set. For stdio servers, verify the package is installed:

npx my-mcp-server --help

Use /mcp reconnect my-server to retry the connection after fixing the issue.

Server shows as 'needs-auth'

The server requires authentication but Claude doesn’t have valid credentials. Re-add the server with --client-id and --client-secret, or check that your OAuth token is still valid.

Tools from the server aren't appearing

The server may have connected but failed to expose its tool list. Check the server’s own logs or documentation. You can also try /mcp disable my-server followed by /mcp enable my-server to force a reconnect.

Warning: command looks like a URL

If you see a warning like “The command looks like a URL but is being interpreted as a stdio server”, you forgot the --transport flag. Add --transport http or --transport sse:

claude mcp add --transport http my-server https://example.com/mcp