MCP Configuration Guide

Configuration File Structure

MCP servers are configured in .claude/.mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "executable",
      "args": ["arg1", "arg2"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Common Server Configurations

Memory Server

Store and retrieve key-value data:

{
  "memory": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]
  }
}

Filesystem Server

File operations with restricted access:

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

Brave Search Server

Web search capabilities:

{
  "brave-search": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
    "env": {
      "BRAVE_API_KEY": "${BRAVE_API_KEY}"
    }
  }
}

Puppeteer Server

Browser automation:

{
  "puppeteer": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer"]
  }
}

Environment Variables

Reference env vars with ${VAR_NAME} syntax:

{
  "api-server": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["server.js"],
    "env": {
      "API_KEY": "${MY_API_KEY}",
      "BASE_URL": "${API_BASE_URL}"
    }
  }
}

Configuration Loading Order

Scripts check for config in this order:

process.env (runtime environment)
.claude/skills/mcp-management/.env
.claude/skills/.env
.claude/.env

Validation

Config must:

Be valid JSON
Include mcpServers object
Each server must have command and args
env is optional but must be object if present

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