SOP-007: MCP Servers

DOCUMENT CONTROL

Field	Value
SOP ID	SOP-007
Version	1.0
Status	Active

Purpose

Configure Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to extend Claude Code capabilities with external tools and services.

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) allows Claude Code to:

• Connect to external services
• Use custom tools
• Access databases
• Integrate with APIs

Configuration Location

MCP servers are configured in:

• Global: ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Project: .claude/mcp.json

Adding MCP Servers

Configuration Format

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-name"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Common MCP Servers

Server	Purpose
filesystem	File system access
github	GitHub integration
postgres	PostgreSQL access
sqlite	SQLite database
puppeteer	Browser automation

Example: GitHub MCP

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Verifying MCP Status

In Claude Code:

• /mcp - Show MCP server status

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Server not starting	Check command path
Authentication error	Verify env variables
Connection timeout	Check network/firewall

Best Practices

MCP Tips

1. Use project-local config for project-specific servers
2. Store sensitive keys in environment variables
3. Test servers individually before combining
4. Check server logs for errors

Next Steps

• SOP-008: Hooks
• SOP-010: Plugins