MCP Servers Deep Dive: 50+ Integrations for Claude Code

What is MCP?

How MCP Works

Example Flow:

1. →Your Request: "Create a GitHub issue for this bug"
2. →Claude Code: Understands intent, selects appropriate MCP tool
3. →MCP Server (GitHub): Authenticates with your token, creates issue
4. →Result: "Created issue #123: Fix authentication bug"

MCP Server Categories

Interactive MCP Explorer

Use this interactive explorer to browse all available MCP servers. Filter by category, search by name, and get setup instructions:

Top 5 MCP Server Setup Guides

1. GitHub MCP Server

The most popular MCP server—manage issues, PRs, and repos directly from Claude Code.

Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

What you can do:

• →List and create issues
• →Review and merge PRs
• →Search repositories
• →View commit history
• →Manage branches

2. PostgreSQL MCP Server

Query your database directly from Claude Code—perfect for data analysis and debugging.

3. Notion MCP Server

Integrate your Notion workspace for documentation and knowledge management.

Step 1: Create Integration

1. →Go to notion.so/my-integrations
2. →Click "New integration"
3. →Give it a name (e.g., "Claude Code")
4. →Copy the "Internal Integration Secret"

Step 2: Share Pages

1. →Open pages you want Claude to access
2. →Click "..." → "Connect to" → Your integration name

Step 3: Configure

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notion": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-notion"],
      "env": {
        "NOTION_TOKEN": "secret_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

What you can do:

• →Search pages and databases
• →Read page content
• →Update pages
• →Query databases with filters

4. Slack MCP Server

Send notifications and messages directly from your development workflow.

Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-slack"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-xxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "SLACK_TEAM_ID": "T0XXXXXXX"
      }
    }
  }
}

5. Brave Search MCP Server

Add web search capability to Claude Code for real-time information.

Step 1: Get API Key

1. →Go to brave.com/search/api
2. →Sign up for free tier (2000 queries/month)
3. →Copy your API key

Step 2: Configure

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-brave-search"],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "BSAxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

What you can do:

• →Search the web for documentation
• →Find latest library versions
• →Research best practices
• →Get current information beyond training data

Security Considerations

Pre-Installation Checklist

Tool Shadowing Attack

A malicious MCP server can declare tools with common names (like Read, Write, Bash) that shadow built-in tools. When Claude invokes what it thinks is the native Read tool, the MCP server intercepts the call.

Protection:

1. →Only install MCP servers from trusted sources (Anthropic official, verified publishers)
2. →Use allowedTools to whitelist specific tools
3. →Monitor network for unexpected outbound connections

Secrets Management

Advanced Patterns

Pattern 1: Multi-Server Workflows

Chain multiple MCP servers for complex workflows:

Example: "Research best auth practices, create a spec in Notion, then make a GitHub issue for implementation"

1. →Brave Search: Research JWT best practices
2. →Notion: Create "Auth Spec" page with findings
3. →GitHub: Create issue linking to Notion spec

Pattern 2: Database-Driven Development

Use PostgreSQL MCP for data-informed coding:

# Step 1: Analyze current data
"Show me the most common error types in the logs table"

# Step 2: Implement fix based on data
"Create an error handler for the top 3 error types"

# Step 3: Verify fix
"Query logs from the last hour - are those errors still occurring?"

Pattern 3: Automated Documentation

Sync code changes with documentation:

# After implementing a feature
"Update the Notion API documentation page with the new endpoints I just created"

# Create changelog entry
"Add a changelog entry in Notion for today's changes, summarizing the auth updates"

Troubleshooting

Debugging Commands

# List all MCP servers and their status
claude mcp list

# View logs for specific server
claude mcp logs github

# Restart a specific server
claude mcp restart github

# Test server connection
claude mcp test github

Verify Configuration

# Check your settings.json
cat ~/.claude/settings.json | jq '.mcpServers'

# Should show something like:
# {
#   "github": { "command": "npx", ... },
#   "postgres": { "command": "npx", ... }
# }

Test Your Knowledge

Next Steps

Now that you understand MCP servers:

1. →Explore the AI Ecosystem - Combine Claude Code with Perplexity, Kimi, and more
2. →Master Hooks - Trigger actions automatically
3. →Build Custom Skills - Create reusable agent capabilities