We’ve all seen how much of a wave MCP is making in the AI space, and how everyone and their dog now has an MCP server that can make the tea and do the washing. But did you know that MCP servers don’t just assist an LLM in production, but they can also help you in your development workflows! Wait, you haven’t heard about an MCP server before? Where have you been hiding? Here’s a one-paragraph catch-up, just in case! What is an MCP Server? MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. An MCP server is an orchestration layer providing a structured way for an LLM or agent to manage context, tools, and task flow. It’s kind of like middleware for LLMs. You define the tools that an agent can use, and the LLM can choose to use them, like services, when it feels they would provide the assistance needed to complete a specific task. This is why the naming and descriptions of the MCP server are so important! MCP Model Context Protocol context tools task flow Just show me the list! Wow, you’re impatient! Ok, here’s the full list. Which have you used before? Which are new to you? What have we missed out? Let us know on Twitter or Bluesky! Twitter Bluesky Desktop Commander MCPDocker MCPDuckDuckGo MCPPlaywright MCPSequential Thinking MCPContext7 MCPSupabase MCPGitHub MCPSlack MCPLinear MCPNotion MCPSnyk MCP Desktop Commander MCP Docker MCP DuckDuckGo MCP Playwright MCP Sequential Thinking MCP Context7 MCP Supabase MCP GitHub MCP Slack MCP Linear MCP Notion MCP Snyk MCP That’s quite the list. Let’s break them up into categories and give you an insight into what they do and where you can try them out. System & Automation 1. Desktop Commander MCP The Desktop Commander MCP server enables LLM agents to control the local OS: shell commands, apps, file management. From a software development perspective, it offers the ability to: Desktop Commander MCP server Create and update big projectsPerform code reviewsRun security audits on your codeAdd test coverage to your codebase Create and update big projects Perform code reviews Run security audits on your code Add test coverage to your codebase Other features are also available for folks in the DevOps, design, and technical writer roles. 2. Docker MCP If you use Docker pretty often, this open-source Docker MCP server allows you to perform everyday tasks pretty easily, including: Docker MCP server Creating and instantiating containersDocker Compose stack deploymentContainer logs retrievalContainer listing and status monitoring Creating and instantiating containers Docker Compose stack deployment Container logs retrieval Container listing and status monitoring Also, a Kubernetes MCP Server is available if that’s more your flavor. Kubernetes MCP Server Web Browsing & Search Depending on your preferences and needs for web search or even automation, here are a few MCP servers that could be pretty useful. 3. DuckDuckGo MCP If you value the privacy that DuckDuckGo provides, you’ll be sure to want the same for your LLM agents that require real-time interactions with information on the web. The DuckDuckGo MCP server offers: DuckDuckGo MCP server Web Search: Search DuckDuckGo with advanced rate limiting and result formattingContent Fetching: Retrieve and parse webpage content with intelligent text extractionLLM-Friendly Output: Results formatted specifically for large language model consumption Web Search: Search DuckDuckGo with advanced rate limiting and result formatting Content Fetching: Retrieve and parse webpage content with intelligent text extraction LLM-Friendly Output: Results formatted specifically for large language model consumption 4. Playwright MCP Microsoft’s Playwright MCP Server provides access to the popular Playwright tool. You can install it directly into vanilla VS Code, Cursor or Windsurf or of course in Claude Desktop. As you’d expect, you can: Playwright MCP Server Playwright Test or scrape content cross-browser on Chromium, Firefox, and WebKitTest on Windows, Linux, and macOSTest headless or headed Test or scrape content cross-browser on Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit Test on Windows, Linux, and macOS Test headless or headed Reasoning & Planning 5. Sequential Thinking MCP The Sequential Thinking MCP Server performs problem-solving through structured thinking. As we’ve become quite used to in recent times, this is another tool that likes to reason out loud before taking actions, such as: Sequential Thinking MCP Server Break down complex problems into manageable stepsRevise and refine thoughts as understanding deepensBranch into alternative paths of reasoningGenerate and verify solution hypotheses Break down complex problems into manageable steps Revise and refine thoughts as understanding deepens Branch into alternative paths of reasoning Generate and verify solution hypotheses 6. Context7 MCP We’ve all been through the frustration of using out-of-date docs and information, right? Context7 pulls the latest up-to-date, version-specific documentation and code examples directly into your prompt for the LLM to use as context. You can use it to: Context7 Pull in code examples rather than relying on old or incorrect training data samplesHave a higher chance of the LLM using a real API over one it has hallucinatedWrite prompts naturally with example code Pull in code examples rather than relying on old or incorrect training data samples Have a higher chance of the LLM using a real API over one it has hallucinated Write prompts naturally with example code Backend & App Integrations 7. Supabase MCP Many of the database providers offer MCP servers now, so be sure to check the one you use. I’ll pick on Supabase MCP Server here, which allows you: Supabase MCP Server Query your database directly, just by using natural language in your promptsCreate, pause and restore Supabase projectsDebug issues with direct access to your Supabase logs Query your database directly, just by using natural language in your prompts Create, pause and restore Supabase projects Debug issues with direct access to your Supabase logs 8. GitHub MCP Hey, my good friend Bap wrote about this just recently! You should totally read his post to see how the GitHub MCP Server can: my good friend Bap wrote about this just recently GitHub MCP Server Automate GitHub workflows and processes, such as issue creation or PR code reviewsExtract and analyze data from GitHub repositories. Automate GitHub workflows and processes, such as issue creation or PR code reviews Extract and analyze data from GitHub repositories. 9. Slack MCP As a collaboration tool, the Slack MCP Server brings collaboration into AI workflows and even into our IDE. With this MCP Server, it feels like you have very basic Slack API access, allowing you to: Slack MCP Server List channels, and get channel historyPost messages or reply to threads, and add reactionsGet users and user profile information List channels, and get channel history Post messages or reply to threads, and add reactions Get users and user profile information 10. Linear MCP If you’re one of the cool kids using Linear to track your issues and manage your projects, consider using a Linear MCP Server to: Linear MCP Server Create, update or search through Linear issuesGet issues for a particular userAdd a comment to a Linear issue Create, update or search through Linear issues Get issues for a particular user Add a comment to a Linear issue 11. Notion MCP Well, if you’re a cool kid using Linear, you’re almost certainly using Notion as well! The official Notion MCP Server essentially exposes the Notion API, allowing you to: Notion MCP Server Create pages, update contentAdd comments to existing pages and contentPerform Notion searches and query Notion databases Create pages, update content Add comments to existing pages and content Perform Notion searches and query Notion databases Security 12. Snyk MCP Finally, I can’t write a list like this and not mention the Snyk MCP Server, can I? As we write code, we want it to be secure! With this MCP server, we can make sure of this by: Snyk MCP Server Trigger CLI security scans for code, dependencies, or configurations in your codebaseObtain Snyk security findings directly in your MCP-enabled tool or environment. Trigger CLI security scans for code, dependencies, or configurations in your codebase Obtain Snyk security findings directly in your MCP-enabled tool or environment. Wrapping up To summarise, there’s an MCP server for everything, and you shouldn’t just add them all, but recognise how you can empower yourself within your LLM prompts to make sure you’re making life easier for yourself. I’d love to know your thoughts on the MCP Servers I chose. Did I miss a killer MCP Service that you can’t live without? Let me know!

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What Is an MCP Server? Full Guide + 12 Best Examples for Developers

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