Best MCP Servers for Claude Code in 2025

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) has transformed how developers work with Claude Code. Since Anthropic launched MCP in November 2024, the ecosystem has exploded—from under 100,000 downloads to over 8 million by April 2025. Finding the right MCP servers can dramatically enhance your AI-assisted development workflow.

This guide covers the most valuable MCP servers for Claude Code, from official Anthropic servers to battle-tested community favorites.

The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that connects AI agents like Claude Code to external tools and data sources. Instead of building custom integrations, you configure MCP servers once and unlock an entire ecosystem of capabilities.

Why MCP Servers Matter for Claude Code

Without MCP servers, Claude Code operates in isolation—limited to the files and context you manually provide. With the right MCP servers, Claude can:

Access real-time data from databases, APIs, and web sources
Interact with external services like GitHub, Slack, and Notion
Maintain persistent memory across sessions
Execute complex workflows involving multiple systems

Think of MCP servers as plugins that supercharge Claude Code's capabilities.

---

The 10 Best MCP Servers for Claude Code

1. CAS (Coding Agent System) — Context Layer

CAS provides unified memory, task management, and context engineering for Claude Code—solving the fragmented context problem that plagues AI-assisted development.

Why it stands out: While most MCP servers add individual capabilities, CAS provides a complete context layer. It combines:

Persistent memory across sessions
Task tracking with dependencies
Rules and skills that improve over time
Semantic search across all your context

Best for: Developers who want Claude to remember learnings, track work in progress, and maintain coding conventions across projects. Installation:

``bash


Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cas": {
      "command": "cas-mcp",
      "args": ["serve"]
    }
  }
}


---
2. GitHub MCP Server — Repository Integration
The official GitHub MCP server transforms Claude Code into a comprehensive development platform by enabling direct interaction with repositories.
Key Features:
Browse repositories and file contents
Create and manage issues and pull requests
Review code changes and diffs
Monitor GitHub Actions workflows
Search code across repositories

Best for: Teams using GitHub for version control who want Claude to understand their full codebase context.
Installation:

bash
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token"
      }
    }
  }
}


---
3. Filesystem MCP Server — Local File Access
The official Filesystem server gives Claude controlled access to read, create, edit, and organize files on your machine.
Key Features:
Read and write files with configurable permissions
Directory listing and navigation
File search and pattern matching
Secure sandboxed access to specified directories

Best for: Any development workflow—this is a foundational server that most developers should install.
Installation:

bash
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/path/to/allowed/directory"
      ]
    }
  }
}



  Only grant filesystem access to directories you trust Claude to modify. The server respects the paths you configure—be specific.

---
4. Sequential Thinking MCP Server — Problem Solving
This server revolutionizes how Claude approaches complex problems by introducing structured, reflective thinking patterns.
Key Features:
Step-by-step reasoning for complex tasks
Ability to revise and branch thinking paths
Dynamic hypothesis generation and testing
Improved accuracy on multi-step problems

Best for: Debugging complex issues, architectural decisions, and any task requiring careful analysis.
Installation:

bash
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking"]
    }
  }
}


---
5. PostgreSQL MCP Server — Database Context
Give Claude read-only access to your PostgreSQL database for intelligent query assistance.
Key Features:
Schema inspection and understanding
Natural language to SQL translation
Query explanation and optimization
Data exploration and analysis

Best for: Backend developers working with PostgreSQL who want Claude to understand their data model.
Installation:

bash
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "postgres": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"],
      "env": {
        "POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING": "postgresql://..."
      }
    }
  }
}


---
6. Supabase MCP Server — Backend as a Service
The official Supabase MCP server connects Claude directly with your Supabase project.
Key Features:
Manage database tables and schemas
Query data with natural language
Access Supabase configuration
Integrate with Supabase Auth and Storage

Best for: Developers building on Supabase who want seamless AI integration with their backend.
---
7. Context7 MCP Server — Documentation Injection
Context7 solves the "AI hallucination" problem by injecting up-to-date, version-specific documentation into Claude's context.
Key Features:
Fetches current documentation for libraries you're using
Version-aware—gets docs for your specific package versions
Works with React, Next.js, Python, and hundreds of other libraries
Simple activation: just add "use context7" to your prompts

Best for: Developers working with rapidly-evolving frameworks who need accurate, current documentation.
Example Usage:


Create a React Server Component using the latest Next.js 14 patterns - use context7


---
8. Playwright MCP Server — Browser Automation
With 12K+ GitHub stars, Playwright MCP is the most popular community server—enabling browser automation directly from Claude.
Key Features:
Automate web interactions (clicking, typing, navigation)
Screenshot and PDF generation
Web scraping and data extraction
End-to-end testing automation

Best for: Frontend developers, QA engineers, and anyone needing browser automation.
---
9. Slack MCP Server — Team Communication
Connect Claude to your Slack workspace for intelligent communication assistance.
Key Features:
Read and search channel messages
Draft and send messages
Summarize conversation threads
Access team context and history

Best for: Teams using Slack who want Claude to understand team communications and context.
---
10. Memory MCP Server — Knowledge Graphs
The official Memory server provides a knowledge graph-based persistent memory system.
Key Features:
Store entities and relationships
Query stored knowledge
Build persistent context over time
Semantic relationship mapping

Best for: Long-running projects where Claude needs to remember complex relationships between concepts.
---
Comparison Table
| Server | Type | Best For | Difficulty |
|--------|------|----------|------------|
| CAS | Context Layer | Full development workflow | Easy |
| GitHub | Version Control | Repository management | Easy |
| Filesystem | Core | File operations | Easy |
| Sequential Thinking | Reasoning | Complex problem solving | Easy |
| PostgreSQL | Database | Backend development | Medium |
| Supabase | Backend | Supabase projects | Easy |
| Context7 | Documentation | Framework development | Easy |
| Playwright | Browser | Testing, scraping | Medium |
| Slack | Communication | Team context | Easy |
| Memory | Knowledge | Long-term memory | Medium |
---
Getting Started with MCP Servers

Find your Claude Code MCP configuration file. On macOS, it's typically at ~/.claude/mcp.json.

Add the MCP servers you want to use to the mcpServers object in your configuration.


  
  
    Restart Claude Code to load the new MCP servers.
  
  
    Ask Claude "What MCP servers do you have access to?" to confirm they're loaded.
  

Example Complete Configuration

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cas": {
      "command": "cas-mcp",
      "args": ["serve"]
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_..."
      }
    },
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "~/projects"]
    }
  }
}

---

How to Choose the Right MCP Servers

title="Start with Essentials"

description="Begin with Filesystem and GitHub—these cover most development needs."

title="Add Context Management"

description="Install CAS for persistent memory and task tracking across sessions."

title="Database Integration"

description="Add PostgreSQL or Supabase if you work with databases regularly."

title="Specialized Needs"

description="Add Playwright for testing, Slack for team context, or Context7 for documentation."

---

Finding More MCP Servers

The MCP ecosystem is growing rapidly. Here are the best places to discover new servers:

MCP.so — Comprehensive index with 3,000+ servers and quality ratings
Awesome MCP Servers — Curated GitHub collection
MCP Market — Directory with leaderboards and reviews
Docker MCP Catalog — 270+ containerized servers

---

Conclusion

MCP servers unlock Claude Code's full potential by connecting it to the tools and data sources you use daily. Start with the essentials—Filesystem and GitHub—then add specialized servers based on your workflow.

For the best overall context management experience, CAS provides the unified memory and task tracking layer that makes Claude Code truly effective across sessions. Combined with the right specialized servers, you'll have an AI-powered development environment that understands your codebase, remembers your preferences, and integrates seamlessly with your tools.

Ready to supercharge your Claude Code setup? Start by installing CAS and two or three other servers from this list. You'll immediately notice the difference in how effectively Claude assists your development workflow.