#MCP Servers Guide

Extend MCP Chat's capabilities by connecting to external Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers that provide specialized tools and integrations.

#🌐 What are MCP Servers?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers are external services that provide specialized tools and capabilities to AI assistants. They allow MCP Chat to connect to a vast ecosystem of third-party tools and services, dramatically expanding what you can accomplish.

#Key Benefits

• Expand capabilities - Access tools beyond built-in features
• Specialized functions - Industry-specific and niche tools
• Third-party integrations - Connect to external services
• Custom solutions - Build and use your own tools
• Community ecosystem - Leverage community-built servers

#🚀 Getting Started with MCP Servers

#Viewing Available Servers

"Show me available MCP servers" "What external tools can I connect to?" "List all MCP server options" "Display the MCP server library"

#Connecting to a Server

"Connect to the web fetcher MCP server" "Add the sequential thinking server" "Enable the weather service MCP server" "Connect to the code analysis server"

#Managing Connections

"What MCP servers am I connected to?" "Disconnect from the web fetcher server" "Show the status of my MCP connections" "Refresh my MCP server connections"

#📚 Built-in MCP Server Library

MCP Chat includes a curated library of popular and useful MCP servers ready for immediate use.

#🌐 Web & Data Servers

#Web Fetcher Server

Advanced web scraping and content extraction capabilities.

Capabilities:

• Intelligent web page scraping
• Content extraction and cleaning
• OCR for images and PDFs
• Browser automation
• Form submission and interaction

Example Usage: "Fetch the content from this website and summarize it" "Extract the data table from this web page" "Get the latest news from this tech blog" "Scrape product information from this e-commerce site"

#Firecrawl Server

Comprehensive web crawling and data extraction platform.

Capabilities:

• Large-scale web crawling
• Site mapping and discovery
• Content indexing
• API endpoint discovery
• Structured data extraction

Example Usage: "Crawl this entire website and create a sitemap" "Extract all product data from this online store" "Find all API endpoints on this documentation site" "Index this knowledge base for searchable content"

#🧠 AI & Analysis Servers

#Sequential Thinking Server

Advanced reasoning and problem-solving capabilities.

Capabilities:

• Step-by-step problem breakdown
• Multi-perspective analysis
• Decision trees and logic chains
• Complex reasoning workflows
• Systematic approach to challenges

Example Usage: "Think through this business decision systematically" "Analyze the pros and cons of this technical approach" "Break down this complex problem step by step" "Help me reason through this strategic choice"

#Brave Search Server

Comprehensive web search and research capabilities.

Capabilities:

• Real-time web search
• News and current events
• Academic and research content
• Image and video search
• Local business search

Example Usage: "Search for the latest AI developments" "Find research papers on machine learning" "Look up current market trends in SaaS" "Search for local restaurants near me"

#🔧 Development & Technical Servers

#E2B Code Execution Server

Secure code execution environment for multiple languages.

Capabilities:

• Safe code execution sandbox
• Multiple programming languages
• File system access
• Package installation
• Real-time code testing

Example Usage: "Run this Python script and show me the output" "Test this JavaScript function with sample data" "Execute this data analysis code" "Validate this algorithm implementation"

#Context7 Server

Advanced code documentation and library assistance.

Capabilities:

• Library documentation lookup
• Code example generation
• API reference assistance
• Framework-specific help
• Best practices guidance

Example Usage: "Show me React hooks documentation" "Find examples of using this Python library" "Get API documentation for this framework" "Show me best practices for this technology"

#☁️ Cloud & Infrastructure Servers

#Azure Server

Microsoft Azure cloud service integration.

Capabilities:

• Azure resource management
• Cloud service monitoring
• Cost analysis and optimization
• Deployment automation
• Security assessment

Example Usage: "Show me my Azure resource usage" "Analyze costs for my cloud infrastructure" "Deploy this application to Azure" "Check the health of my Azure services"

#AWS Server

Amazon Web Services integration and management.

Capabilities:

• AWS resource management
• Service monitoring and alerts
• Cost optimization analysis
• Infrastructure automation
• Security compliance checking

Example Usage: "List my EC2 instances and their status" "Analyze my AWS billing breakdown" "Deploy this lambda function" "Check security groups configuration"

#📊 Data & Analytics Servers

#Google Drive Server

Google Drive and Google Workspace integration.

Capabilities:

• File access and management
• Document creation and editing
• Collaboration tools
• Data import/export
• Workflow automation

Example Usage: "Create a new Google Doc with this content" "Access the spreadsheet from my Drive" "Share this document with my team" "Export data from Google Sheets"

#PostgreSQL Server

Database management and analysis capabilities.

Capabilities:

• Database queries and analysis
• Schema management
• Performance optimization
• Data visualization
• Backup and maintenance

Example Usage: "Query the user database for active users" "Analyze the performance of this database query" "Generate a report from the sales data" "Optimize this slow database query"

#🔧 Server Types and Connection Methods

#Remote Servers (SSE)

Production-ready servers using Server-Sent Events for communication.

Characteristics:

• Hosted externally
• Production-ready reliability
• Secure communication
• Automatic updates
• Professional service level

Connection: "Connect to the remote web fetcher server" "Add the hosted sequential thinking service"

#Local Servers (STDIO)

Development servers running locally for testing and development.

Characteristics:

• Run on your local machine
• Development and testing focus
• Direct communication
• Custom configurations
• Full control over setup

Connection: "Connect to my local MCP server on port 3000" "Add the development server running locally"

Note: Local servers are primarily for development use

#⚙️ Server Configuration

#Connection Setup

Each MCP server may require specific configuration:

#Authentication

Many servers require authentication:

• API keys for external services
• OAuth tokens for cloud services
• Database credentials for data servers
• Service account keys for enterprise tools

Example: "Configure the Google Drive server with my credentials" "Set up authentication for the Azure server"

#Custom Parameters

Servers often support custom configuration:

• Service endpoints
• Region preferences
• Output formats
• Rate limiting settings

Example: "Configure the web fetcher to use premium features" "Set the database server to use my production instance"

#Security and Permissions

Server connections respect security:

• Encrypted communication
• Secure credential storage
• Permission-based access
• Account-level isolation

Security features:

• All credentials are encrypted
• Connections use secure protocols
• Account data is isolated
• Permissions are granular

#🎯 Using MCP Servers Effectively

#Natural Language Interface

Use connected servers through natural conversation:

Web Fetcher: "Scrape the latest blog posts from this tech website" "Extract the product specifications from this page"

Sequential Thinking: "Think through the architectural decision systematically" "Analyze this problem using structured reasoning"

Code Execution: "Run this algorithm and show me the performance metrics" "Test this function with different input scenarios"

#Combining Servers

Chain multiple MCP servers for complex workflows:

Research Workflow:

1. "Search for recent articles about AI trends" (Brave Search)
2. "Fetch the full content of the top 3 articles" (Web Fetcher)
3. "Analyze the key themes systematically" (Sequential Thinking)
4. "Create a summary document" (Built-in Tools)

Development Workflow:

1. "Look up the API documentation for this library" (Context7)
2. "Write code using the API" (Built-in AI)
3. "Test the code in a sandbox" (E2B)
4. "Save the working example to my repository" (GitHub Tools)

#Server-Specific Best Practices

#Web Scraping Servers

Best practices:

• Be specific about the data you need
• Respect website terms of service
• Handle rate limiting gracefully
• Validate extracted data quality

Example: "Extract only the article text and metadata from this news site" "Scrape product prices but respect the rate limits"

#Cloud Service Servers

Best practices:

• Monitor usage and costs
• Use appropriate service regions
• Follow security best practices
• Regular health checks

Example: "Check my AWS costs and suggest optimizations" "Monitor the health of my Azure resources"

#Database Servers

Best practices:

• Use read-only connections when possible
• Optimize queries for performance
• Respect data privacy requirements
• Regular backup verification

Example: "Query the database for insights but don't modify data" "Analyze table performance and suggest indexes"

#📊 Server Management

#Monitoring Server Status

"What's the status of my connected MCP servers?" "Check if the web fetcher server is responding" "Show me server response times and health" "Are there any server connection issues?"

#Usage Tracking

"How much have I used the web fetcher this month?" "Show me my MCP server usage statistics" "What are my rate limits for connected servers?" "Track my usage across all MCP servers"

#Troubleshooting Connections

Common issues and solutions:

• "Server connection timeout" → Check network and server status
• "Authentication failed" → Verify credentials and permissions
• "Rate limit exceeded" → Wait or upgrade service plan
• "Service unavailable" → Try again later or contact provider

Diagnostic commands: "Test the connection to my MCP servers" "Refresh all server connections" "Show me detailed server error logs"

#🛠️ Custom MCP Servers

#Building Your Own Servers

MCP Chat supports connecting to custom servers you build:

Development process:

1. Create MCP-compliant server
2. Implement required protocols
3. Test with local connection
4. Deploy for production use
5. Connect from MCP Chat

Example use cases:

• Internal company tools
• Specialized industry functions
• Custom API integrations
• Proprietary data access

#Server Development Resources

"Show me how to create a custom MCP server" "What's the MCP protocol specification?" "Give me examples of custom server implementations" "How do I test my MCP server locally?"

#🎨 Advanced Server Usage

#Workflow Automation

Create powerful automated workflows using multiple servers:

Content Creation Workflow:

1. Research topic (Brave Search)
2. Gather source material (Web Fetcher)
3. Analyze and structure content (Sequential Thinking)
4. Create visuals (Built-in Tools)
5. Generate final document (Document Creation)

Business Intelligence Workflow:

1. Query business databases (PostgreSQL)
2. Fetch market data (Web APIs)
3. Analyze trends (Sequential Thinking)
4. Create visualizations (Built-in Charts)
5. Generate executive report (Document Tools)

#Conditional Server Usage

Use different servers based on conditions:

"If this is a code question, use the code execution server, otherwise use the web search server"

"For database queries, use PostgreSQL server, for web data, use the web fetcher"

#Server Chaining

Pass outputs from one server to another:

"Use the web fetcher to get this page content, then use sequential thinking to analyze the key points, then create a chart of the findings"

#💰 Server Costs and Limits

#Understanding Server Pricing

Server types and costs:

• Free servers: Basic functionality, rate limits
• Premium servers: Advanced features, higher limits
• Enterprise servers: Full features, dedicated resources
• Custom servers: Your own pricing model

Cost optimization:

• Monitor usage regularly
• Use appropriate service tiers
• Combine free and premium servers strategically

#Rate Limiting

Each server has usage limits:

• Requests per minute/hour/day
• Data transfer limits
• Concurrent connection limits
• Feature-specific restrictions

Managing limits: "Show me my rate limit status for all servers" "What happens when I hit a rate limit?" "How can I optimize my server usage?"

#🔒 Security and Privacy

#Data Protection

Security measures:

• Encrypted credential storage
• Secure communication protocols
• Account-level data isolation
• Regular security audits

Privacy considerations:

• Data handling policies
• Retention periods
• Sharing restrictions
• Compliance requirements

#Best Security Practices

1. Use minimal required permissions
2. Regularly rotate API keys
3. Monitor server access logs
4. Review connected servers periodically
5. Remove unused server connections

#💡 Pro Tips for MCP Servers

#Efficiency Tips

1. Start with built-in servers - Use the curated library first
2. Combine strategically - Chain servers for complex workflows
3. Monitor usage - Keep track of limits and costs
4. Cache results - Avoid repeated calls for same data
5. Use appropriate servers - Match servers to task requirements

#Quality Tips

1. Validate outputs - Check server results for accuracy
2. Handle errors gracefully - Plan for server failures
3. Test thoroughly - Verify server behavior before production use
4. Document workflows - Keep track of successful server combinations
5. Stay updated - Monitor server updates and new features

#Productivity Tips

1. Create templates - Save successful server usage patterns
2. Automate repetitive tasks - Use servers for routine operations
3. Build workflows - Combine multiple servers systematically
4. Share knowledge - Document effective server combinations
5. Experiment - Try new servers and combinations

#🚨 Troubleshooting Guide

#Common Server Issues

Connection Problems:

• Check internet connectivity
• Verify server status
• Refresh connections
• Clear browser cache

Authentication Errors:

• Verify API keys and tokens
• Check permission levels
• Re-authenticate if needed
• Contact server provider

Performance Issues:

• Monitor rate limits
• Check server response times
• Optimize request patterns
• Use alternative servers

#Getting Help

Support resources: "How do I troubleshoot MCP server issues?" "What support is available for server problems?" "Where can I find server documentation?" "How do I report a server bug?"

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MCP servers unlock unlimited possibilities for extending MCP Chat. Start with the built-in library and gradually explore custom solutions as your needs grow.