build-mcp-server
This skill should be used when the user asks to "build an MCP server", "create an MCP", "make an MCP integration", "wrap an API for Claude", "expose tools to Claude", "make an MCP app", or discusses building something with the Model Context Protocol. It is the entry point for MCP server development — it interrogates the user about their use case, determines the right deployment model (remote HTTP, MCPB, local stdio), picks a tool-design pattern, and hands off to specialized skills.
Profile →npx skills add anthropics/claude-plugins-official --skill build-mcp-server --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Build an MCP Server You are guiding a developer through designing and building an MCP server that works seamlessly with Claude. MCP servers come in many forms — picking the wrong shape early causes painful rewrites later. Your first job is **discovery, not code**. **Load Claude-specific context first.** The MCP spec is generic; Claude has additional auth types, review criteria, and limits. Before answering questions or scaffolding, fetch `https://claude.com/docs/llms-full.txt` (the full export of the Claude connector docs) so your guidance reflects Claude's actual constraints. Do not start scaffolding until you have answers to the questions in Phase 1. If the user's opening message already answers them, acknowledge that and skip straight to the recommendation. --- ## Phase 1 — Interrogate the use case Ask these questions conversationally (batch them into one message, don't interrogate one-at-a-time). Adapt wording to what the user has already told you. ### 1. What does it connect to? | If it connects to… | Likely direction | |---|---| | A cloud API (SaaS, REST, GraphQL) | Remote HTTP server | | A local process, filesystem, or desktop app | MCPB or local stdio | | Hardware, OS-lev
- Phase 1 — Interrogate the use case
- 1. What does it connect to?
- 2. Who will use it?
- 3. How many distinct actions does it expose?
- 4. Does a tool need mid-call user input or rich display?
- 5. What auth does the upstream service use?
- Phase 2 — Recommend a deployment model
- ⭐ Remote streamable-HTTP MCP server (default recommendation)
- Elicitation (structured input, no UI build)
- MCP app (remote HTTP + interactive UI)
- MCPB (bundled local server)
- Local stdio (npx / uvx) — not recommended for distribution
- Phase 3 — Pick a tool-design pattern
- Pattern A: One tool per action (small surface)
What does the build-mcp-server skill do?
This skill should be used when the user asks to "build an MCP server", "create an MCP", "make an MCP integration", "wrap an API for Claude", "expose tools to Claude", "make an MCP app", or discusses building something with the Model Context Protocol. It is the entry point for MCP server development — it interrogates the user about their use case, determines the right deployment model (remote HTTP, MCPB, local stdio), picks a tool-design pattern, and hands off to specialized skills.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add anthropics/claude-plugins-official --skill build-mcp-server --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From anthropics/claude-plugins-official, a repository with 33,027 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.