rdoser13rdoser13/free-claude-skills/setting-up-mcps/SKILL.md

setting-up-mcps

Skill3 starsChanged 3 months agoMITView on GitHub

Guide users through connecting Claude Code to external tools via MCP (Model Context Protocol). Use when setting up new MCP servers, troubleshooting MCP connections, adding integrations like GitHub, Notion, Sentry, or databases, or when user mentions "MCP", "integrations", "connect to tools", or asks how to give Claude access to external services.

Reads credentials

In this repository14 other files it gives its agents.
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The file

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

6 rules. About 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 4 are very specific to this project.

≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈2
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
4
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

Common
Distinctive
Very specific

Distinctive:
Follow this checklist for any new MCP:
line 25
Very specific:
Use --transport http or --transport sse
line 39
Very specific:
Important: All flags (--transport, --env, --scope, --header) must come before the server name.
line 90
Distinctive:
Ask Claude something that uses the tool:
line 110
Very specific:
Windows "Connection closed": Add cmd /c before npx commands
line 147
Very specific:
Auth failing: Use /mcp → "Clear authentication" and retry
line 149

≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.

Files

SKILL.md

Setting Up MCPs

MCP (Model Context Protocol) connects Claude Code to external tools like GitHub, Notion, databases, and more.

Quick Reference

Action	Command
Add cloud service	`claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>`
Add local tool	`claude mcp add --transport stdio <name> -- <command>`
List connections	`claude mcp list`
Check status	`/mcp` (inside Claude Code)
Authenticate	`/mcp` → select service → "Authenticate"
Remove connection	`claude mcp remove <name>`

Setup Workflow

Follow this checklist for any new MCP:

- [ ] Step 1: Identify the service type (cloud or local)
- [ ] Step 2: Get the MCP URL or command
- [ ] Step 3: Run the add command
- [ ] Step 4: Verify with `claude mcp list`
- [ ] Step 5: Authenticate if needed (`/mcp`)
- [ ] Step 6: Test with a simple request

Step 1: Identify Service Type

Cloud services (GitHub, Notion, Sentry, etc.):

Use --transport http or --transport sse
Require a URL like https://mcp.servicename.com/...
Usually need browser authentication

Local tools (databases, file servers, custom scripts):

Use --transport stdio
Require a command like npx -y package-name
May need API keys via --env

Step 2: Get Setup Information

Find the service's MCP documentation. Look for:

URL for cloud services
npm package or command for local tools
Required environment variables (API keys)

Popular hosted MCP servers (check each vendor's own docs for the current endpoint, since these move):

Service	Transport	Auth
GitHub	http	OAuth or a personal access token
Notion	http	OAuth
Linear	http	OAuth
Sentry	http	OAuth
Stripe	http	API key header
Postgres / SQLite	stdio	connection string via `--env`

Vendors change endpoints and auth methods often. Always confirm the field names against the vendor's own MCP documentation rather than copying a config from a third-party aggregator. Different clients expect different keys for the same thing (url vs serverUrl vs httpUrl), and a wrong key fails silently instead of erroring.

Step 3: Run the Add Command

Cloud service (HTTP):

claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>

Cloud service with auth header:

claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url> --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Local tool (stdio):

claude mcp add --transport stdio <name> -- <command>

Local tool with API key:

claude mcp add --transport stdio <name> --env API_KEY=<value> -- <command>

Important: All flags (--transport, --env, --scope, --header) must come before the server name. Use -- to separate the name from the command.

Step 4: Verify Connection

claude mcp list

Confirm the new connection appears in the list.

Step 5: Authenticate (If Required)

Inside Claude Code:

Type /mcp
Select the service
Choose "Authenticate"
Complete browser login

Step 6: Test

Ask Claude something that uses the tool:

GitHub: "List my open pull requests"
Notion: "Show my recent pages"
Database: "List the tables"

Scopes

Scope	Flag	Use Case
local (default)	none	Personal, this project only
project	`--scope project`	Team-shared via `.mcp.json` in Git
user	`--scope user`	Personal, all your projects

Example:

claude mcp add --transport http github --scope user https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/

Management Commands

# List all connections
claude mcp list

# Get details for one
claude mcp get <name>

# Remove connection
claude mcp remove <name>

# Check status inside Claude Code
/mcp

Troubleshooting

Quick fixes:

Windows "Connection closed": Add cmd /c before npx commands
Tools not appearing: Restart Claude Code after adding MCPs
Auth failing: Use /mcp → "Clear authentication" and retry
Timeout errors: Set MCP_TIMEOUT=30000 claude for longer startup

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