MCP Server Guide

Connect AI assistants to external tools and data sources

One-sentence explanation

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open protocol that lets AI assistants access external tools, databases, and APIs.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open protocol that enables AI assistants to connect to external tools, databases, and APIs.

Why it matters

MCP allows your AI assistant to operate file systems, databases, APIs, and other real tools - like giving a brain eyes, ears, and hands. No longer just "chatting", but actually "doing things".

What is MCP?

Explained Simply

AI Assistant itself = A smart brain
MCP Server        = Connecting the brain to eyes, ears, hands

Without MCP vs With MCP

❌ Without MCP:

User: Help me check the latest GitHub Issues
AI: I cannot directly access GitHub, please manually copy content for me

✅ With MCP (GitHub Server):

User: Help me check latest Issues
AI: [Automatically connects to GitHub API]
    Issue #42: Bug in login form (2 hours ago)
    Issue #43: Feature request for dark mode (4 hours ago)
    [AI can directly analyze and provide suggestions]

What Can MCP Do?

Core Capabilities

📂 Access File System: Read/write local files
🗄️ Connect Databases: Query PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
🌐 Call APIs: GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack
☁️ Cloud Service Integration: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
🔧 Execute Commands: Run tests, build projects, deploy code
📊 Data Analysis: Read CSV, process JSON, generate reports

Real Application Scenarios

Scenario	Required MCP Server	Effect
Code Review	GitHub MCP	AI directly reads PRs, provides review comments
Database Query	PostgreSQL MCP	AI generates and executes SQL, returns results
Log Analysis	Filesystem MCP	AI reads log files, diagnoses issues
Deployment Check	AWS MCP	AI checks EC2 status, optimizes configuration
Task Management	Jira MCP	AI creates Issues, updates status

Quick Start

Step 1: Check if Your AI Tool Supports MCP

Tools supporting MCP:

✅ Claude Code (Anthropic official)
✅ Cursor (v0.42+)
✅ Cline (VS Code extension)
✅ Continue (open-source AI assistant)

Protocol version compatibility

MCP is currently in rapid iteration. Ensure your AI tool and MCP server versions are compatible. Using official servers is recommended for best compatibility.

Step 2: Install MCP Server

Node.js/TypeScript
Python

Using official MCP CLI (Recommended):

# Install MCP CLI
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/cli

# Install GitHub MCP Server
npx @modelcontextprotocol/create-server github

# Configure
npx mcp-server-github configure

Manual Configuration (Cursor example):

Create config file ~/.cursor/mcp_servers.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
      }
    },
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}

Install Python MCP SDK:

# Install MCP Python SDK
pip install mcp

# Create custom MCP server
mcp init my-server

Configuration example:

{
  "servers": {
    "python-server": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_server", "--config", "config.json"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Basic Python MCP Server:

from mcp.server import Server
from mcp.types import Tool, TextContent

app = Server("my-python-server")

@app.call_tool()
async def get_data(arguments: dict) -> list[TextContent]:
    # Implement your tool logic
    result = {"status": "success", "data": arguments}
    return [TextContent(type="text", text=str(result))]

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run()

Security note

MCP servers have system-level access (files, databases, APIs). Only install servers from trusted sources and carefully review their permission configurations.

Step 3: Test MCP Connection

Test prompt:

@github List the latest 5 Issues from my-repo repository

Success output:

Connected to GitHub MCP Server
Repository: username/my-repo

Recent Issues:
1. #42 - Login form bug [open] (2 hours ago)
2. #43 - Dark mode feature request [open] (4 hours ago)
3. #41 - Performance optimization suggestion [closed] (1 day ago)
...

Common MCP Servers

1. GitHub MCP

Features:

View Issues, PRs, Commits
Create/update Issues
Read code files
Query CI/CD status

Installation:

npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-github

Configuration:

{
  "github": {
    "command": "mcp-server-github",
    "env": {
      "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
    }
  }
}

Usage examples:

@github Analyze change patterns in last 10 commits
@github Provide fix suggestions for Issue #42
@github Review code changes in PR #15

2. PostgreSQL MCP

Features:

Execute SQL queries
Analyze database performance
Generate query optimization suggestions
Create database schemas

Installation:

npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres

Configuration:

{
  "postgres": {
    "command": "mcp-server-postgres",
    "env": {
      "DATABASE_URL": "${DATABASE_URL}"
    }
  }
}

Usage examples:

@postgres Query number of users registered in past 7 days
@postgres Analyze index usage on users table
@postgres Generate SQL for user activity report

3. Filesystem MCP

Features:

Read/write local files
Search file contents
Batch process files
Analyze project structure

Configuration:

{
  "filesystem": {
    "command": "mcp-server-filesystem",
    "args": ["/path/to/project"]
  }
}

Usage examples:

@filesystem Analyze code complexity of all .ts files in src/
@filesystem Find all files containing TODO comments
@filesystem Count project lines of code (by language)

4. AWS MCP

Features:

View EC2 instance status
Manage S3 buckets
Query CloudWatch logs
Check Lambda functions

Configuration:

{
  "aws": {
    "command": "mcp-server-aws",
    "env": {
      "AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "${AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID}",
      "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY": "${AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY}",
      "AWS_REGION": "us-east-1"
    }
  }
}

Usage examples:

@aws List all running EC2 instances
@aws View Lambda error logs from past hour
@aws Analyze S3 storage cost optimization suggestions

5. Jira MCP

Features:

Create/update Issues
Query Sprint progress
Generate time reports
Analyze team efficiency

Configuration:

{
  "jira": {
    "command": "mcp-server-jira",
    "env": {
      "JIRA_URL": "${JIRA_URL}",
      "JIRA_EMAIL": "${JIRA_EMAIL}",
      "JIRA_TOKEN": "${JIRA_TOKEN}"
    }
  }
}

Usage examples:

@jira Create a Bug: Login page loads slowly
@jira View all incomplete tasks in current Sprint
@jira Generate team time report for this week

Advanced Usage

Tip 1: Combine Multiple MCP Servers

Scenario: Complete development workflow

Step 1: @jira Check today's tasks
Step 2: @github Create feature branch
Step 3: @filesystem Analyze files needing modification
Step 4: [AI generates code]
Step 5: @github Create Pull Request
Step 6: @jira Update task status to "Code Review"

Tip 2: Create Automated Workflows

Example: Automated code review process

# Prompt template

Please execute complete code review workflow:

@github Get file changes from PR #[number]
@filesystem Read complete content of related files
Analyze code quality (performance, security, best practices)
@github Add review comments to PR
Generate review summary report

Tip 3: Data Analysis Pipeline

Scenario: Analyze production database performance

@postgres Query slow query logs (past 24 hours)
Analyze query patterns, find performance bottlenecks
Generate optimization suggestions (indexes, query rewrites)
@filesystem Save report to reports/db-optimization.md
@jira Create optimization task, attach report link

Custom MCP Servers

Why Customize?

Scenarios:

Company internal APIs (CRM, ERP systems)
Self-hosted databases or tools
Special workflows

Creating Simple MCP Server

TypeScript
Python

Example: Internal API MCP Server

// custom-api-server.ts
import { Server } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/index.js';
import { StdioServerTransport } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js';

const server = new Server({
  name: 'custom-api-server',
  version: '1.0.0',
}, {
  capabilities: {
    tools: {},
  },
});

// Define tool: get user information
server.setRequestHandler('tools/call', async (request) => {
  if (request.params.name === 'get_user') {
    const userId = request.params.arguments?.userId;
    // Call your internal API
    const response = await fetch(`https://api.internal.com/users/${userId}`);
    const data = await response.json();

    return {
      content: [{
        type: 'text',
        text: JSON.stringify(data, null, 2),
      }],
    };
  }
});

// Start server
const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
await server.connect(transport);

Example: Data Processing MCP Server

from mcp.server import Server
from mcp.types import Tool, TextContent
import pandas as pd

app = Server("data-analyzer")

@app.list_tools()
async def list_tools() -> list[Tool]:
    return [
        Tool(
            name="analyze_csv",
            description="Analyze CSV file and return statistics",
            inputSchema={
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "file_path": {"type": "string"}
                },
                "required": ["file_path"]
            }
        )
    ]

@app.call_tool()
async def call_tool(name: str, arguments: dict) -> list[TextContent]:
    if name == "analyze_csv":
        df = pd.read_csv(arguments["file_path"])
        stats = df.describe().to_string()
        return [TextContent(type="text", text=stats)]

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run()

Usage configuration:

{
  "custom-api": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["custom-api-server.js"]
  }
}

Ready to build your own MCP server?

Our hands-on project course will take you from zero to complete MCP integration.

👉 View hands-on projects →

Security Best Practices

Security first

MCP servers can access sensitive data and system resources. Must follow security best practices to protect your system and data.

1. API Token Management

❌ Insecure:

{
  "github": {
    "env": {
      "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_abc123def456"  // Hardcoded
    }
  }
}

✅ Secure:

{
  "github": {
    "env": {
      "GITHUB_TOKEN": "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"  // Environment variable
    }
  }
}

# .env file (ensure added to .gitignore)
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here

2. Minimize Permissions

Grant only necessary permissions:

GitHub Token: Read-only (unless write needed)
Database: Read-only user (analysis scenarios)
AWS: Limit specific services and operations

3. Audit Logs

Record MCP operations:

{
  "logging": {
    "level": "info",
    "file": "~/.mcp/logs/operations.log"
  }
}

Recommended MCP Resources

Official Resources

Community Resources

Vibe Coding Tools - MCP Collection
- 100+ MCP server configurations
- GitHub, GitLab, Jira connections
- AWS, Azure, GCP integrations
- Browse MCP library →

FAQ

Q: Does MCP affect AI response speed?

Answer:

Slight impact (typically +0.5-2 seconds)
Depends on external API response speed
Filesystem MCP has almost no impact

Performance optimization

If response is slow, check if external services (APIs, databases) are slow. Can optimize using caching or limiting query scope.

Q: Is MCP data sent to AI servers?

Answer:

MCP executes locally first
Only results sent to AI (not raw credentials)
Sensitive data can be filtered locally

Example flow:

AI request: @github Get Issue
Local MCP server: Calls GitHub API
Returns result: Issue data (no Token)
AI analysis: Generate suggestions based on returned data

Privacy protection

You can implement filtering logic in MCP server to ensure sensitive information (passwords, keys, personal info) is not sent to AI.

Q: How many MCP servers can one AI assistant use?

Answer:

Technically unlimited
Practically: 5-10 most commonly used
Too many increases configuration complexity

Recommendation:

Core MCP (must install):
- Filesystem (local files)
- GitHub (code repository)

On-demand MCP:
- PostgreSQL (if using SQL)
- AWS (if using cloud services)
- Jira (if using task management)

Q: How to debug MCP server connection issues?

Troubleshooting steps:

Check config file: Ensure JSON format correct, paths valid
Verify environment variables: echo $GITHUB_TOKEN check if set
View logs: AI tools usually have MCP connection logs
Manual test: Directly run MCP server command to test

Common errors:

# Error 1: Command not found
# Solution: Check if npx or node installed

# Error 2: Insufficient permissions
# Solution: Check Token permission scope

# Error 3: Environment variable not set
# Solution: source .env or restart terminal

Debug mode

Most MCP servers support --debug or --verbose flags for detailed debug output.

Q: What's the difference between MCP and API?

Core differences:

Feature	MCP	Traditional API
Design Purpose	AI assistant integration	General data exchange
Invocation Method	Natural language (@github)	HTTP requests
Context Aware	Yes (understands intent)	No (needs explicit params)
Learning Curve	Low (natural interaction)	High (need to learn API)

Example:

MCP method:
User: @github Help me find most active contributors in this project
AI: [Understands intent] → [Calls multiple GitHub APIs] → [Analyzes data] → [Returns result]

API method:
1. Check docs for /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contributors
2. Write code to call API
3. Parse JSON response
4. Manually sort and analyze

Recommended learning path

You just read: MCP Server Integration Guide ✅

Next steps:

⏭️ Cursor Rules Configuration - Make AI follow your coding standards
🤖 AI Agents Usage Guide - Specialized AI assistant configuration
🚀 Start complete course - Systematically learn AI coding workflow

Related in-depth reading:

AI Coding Roadmap - Complete learning path
AI Tools Comparison - Understand MCP support
Hands-on Projects - MCP applications in projects

Last updated: 2025-11-02

Related resources:

Cursor Rules - Project standard configuration
AI Agents - Specialized assistants
MCP Official Documentation

What is MCP?​

Explained Simply​

Without MCP vs With MCP​

What Can MCP Do?​

Core Capabilities​

Real Application Scenarios​

Quick Start​

Step 1: Check if Your AI Tool Supports MCP​

Step 2: Install MCP Server​

Step 3: Test MCP Connection​

Common MCP Servers​

1. GitHub MCP​

2. PostgreSQL MCP​

3. Filesystem MCP​

4. AWS MCP​

5. Jira MCP​

Advanced Usage​

Tip 1: Combine Multiple MCP Servers​

Tip 2: Create Automated Workflows​

Tip 3: Data Analysis Pipeline​

Custom MCP Servers​

Why Customize?​

Creating Simple MCP Server​

Security Best Practices​

1. API Token Management​

2. Minimize Permissions​

3. Audit Logs​

Recommended MCP Resources​

Official Resources​

Community Resources​

FAQ​

What is MCP?

Explained Simply

Without MCP vs With MCP

What Can MCP Do?

Core Capabilities

Real Application Scenarios

Quick Start

Step 1: Check if Your AI Tool Supports MCP

Step 2: Install MCP Server

Step 3: Test MCP Connection

Common MCP Servers

1. GitHub MCP

2. PostgreSQL MCP

3. Filesystem MCP

4. AWS MCP

5. Jira MCP

Advanced Usage

Tip 1: Combine Multiple MCP Servers

Tip 2: Create Automated Workflows

Tip 3: Data Analysis Pipeline

Custom MCP Servers

Why Customize?

Creating Simple MCP Server

Security Best Practices

1. API Token Management

2. Minimize Permissions

3. Audit Logs

Recommended MCP Resources

Official Resources

Community Resources

FAQ