Best MCP servers for Claude Code (2026)

MCP servers let Claude Code work with GitHub, drive a browser and read current library docs straight from the terminal. Below are the servers most often recommended, split into a starter set and a next tier you add as needed. Every command is built from the configs in each server’s official README or docs, or from the official Claude Code documentation (checked 2026-10-15).

Starter set: install these three first

github-mcp-server

Read and create repositories, issues and pull requests from Claude Code, connecting to GitHub’s remote MCP server with a personal access token.

claude mcp add --transport http github https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"

GitHub stars ★33,624 · Source: Claude Code MCP docs · Details

Playwright MCP

Official from Microsoft. Let Claude drive a browser to check pages, fill forms and draft end-to-end tests, using accessibility snapshots instead of screenshots.

claude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latest

GitHub stars ★38,158 · Source: microsoft/playwright-mcp README · Details

context7

Fetches current library documentation and code examples so Claude stops writing against outdated APIs.

claude mcp add --transport http context7 https://mcp.context7.com/mcp

GitHub stars ★63,053 · Source: README Cursor install link · Details

Next tier: add what fits your work

serena

IDE-style semantic tools such as symbol search, references and renames. Install Serena itself first.

claude mcp add serena -- serena start-mcp-server --context claude-code --project "$(pwd)"

GitHub stars ★30,270 · Source: Serena docs · Details

chrome-devtools-mcp

Control Chrome through DevTools to inspect the console, network and performance.

claude mcp add --transport stdio chrome-devtools -- npx -y chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

GitHub stars ★53,561 · Source: README mcpServers JSON · Details

dbhub

Connects to Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, SQLite and more to run SQL. Use a read-only database user in the connection string.

claude mcp add --transport stdio db -- npx -y @bytebase/dbhub --dsn "postgresql://readonly:pass@prod.db.com:5432/analytics"

GitHub stars ★3,651 · Source: Claude Code MCP docs · Details

draw.io MCP

Official from draw.io. Creates diagrams from draw.io XML or Mermaid; it uses MCP Apps to show diagrams in chat, so how they appear depends on your client.

claude mcp add --transport http drawio https://mcp.draw.io/mcp

GitHub stars ★5,642 · Source: jgraph/drawio-mcp README (hosted MCP App server) · Details

Excalidraw MCP

From the Excalidraw organisation. Creates hand-drawn style diagrams that render interactively in MCP Apps-compatible clients.

claude mcp add --transport http excalidraw https://mcp.excalidraw.com

GitHub stars ★5,521 · Source: excalidraw/excalidraw-mcp README (remote) · Details

Brave Search MCP server

Official from Brave. Web, news, image and video search through the Brave Search API; needs a Brave Search API key.

claude mcp add --env BRAVE_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY_HERE --transport stdio brave-search -- npx -y @brave/brave-search-mcp-server --transport stdio

GitHub stars ★1,498 · Source: brave/brave-search-mcp-server README · Details

Tavily MCP

Official from Tavily. Web search, extract and crawl built for AI; the command below signs in with OAuth.

claude mcp add --transport http tavily https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp

GitHub stars ★2,431 · Source: tavily-ai/tavily-mcp README (remote, OAuth) · Details

exa-mcp-server

Official from Exa. Web and code search through the Exa search engine.

claude mcp add --transport http exa https://mcp.exa.ai/mcp

GitHub stars ★5,131 · Source: README Cursor install link · Details

Choosing a scope

Without a flag, servers are added in the local scope (you only, this project only). Add --scope user to use a server in every project, or --scope project to write it to a shared .mcp.json in the project root. Then run /mcp in Claude Code to check the connection and tools; servers that use OAuth (such as Tavily) sign in from there too.

Working with Japanese services

Official MCP servers from freee, Money Forward Cloud Accounting, kintone, Backlog, Chatwork and Ekispert are collected in Official MCP servers for Japanese services.

FAQ

What is the command to add an MCP server to Claude Code?

For a remote server, claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>. For a local server, claude mcp add --transport stdio <name> -- <launch command>. Pass environment variables with --env KEY=value.

Where does Claude Code store added MCP servers?

Local and user scope servers are stored in ~/.claude.json; project scope servers go in .mcp.json at the project root.

Which MCP servers should I install first?

GitHub (repositories, issues and pull requests), Playwright (browser automation) and Context7 (current library documentation) are the usual starting set.