MCP guides and registry insights
From choosing a server to checking its setup: practical guides, decision checklists and registry analysis with sources.
Jump to a topic (16)
Continue with a practical tool
Choose a server first, then check its configuration in your own environment.
Find MCP servers for your requirements
- You need
- Your task, preferred deployment and access requirements.
- You get
- A selection based on information recorded in the registry.
- Limit
- Declared properties are not a runtime test or a compatibility guarantee.
Build a configuration template
- You need
- Your selected server, client and operating system; keep required paths ready locally.
- You get
- Available launch templates and setup guidance.
- Limit
- Some entries have no template. Check credentials and connections yourself in your own environment.
MCP not connecting? Open the troubleshooting navigator
76 guides in 16 topics. Choose a topic for summaries or open a guide directly.
Find developer documentation
Match libraries, product versions and regions with the relevant original source.
- Documentation MCP: choose Context7, Learn or AWS
- Context7 MCP setup: check the library and version
- Microsoft Learn MCP: connect documentation to VS Code
- AWS Knowledge MCP setup: documentation and regions
Connect operations and payments
Check errors, infrastructure and test payments with explicit project selection and a bounded first request.
- MCP for monitoring and logs: choose a data connection
- Datadog MCP setup: region, OAuth and a first query
- PostHog MCP setup: check projects and analytics queries
- Axiom MCP setup: query datasets and logs
- Vercel MCP setup: projects and deployment logs
- Render MCP setup: workspace, services and logs
- Grafana MCP setup: dashboards and read access
- Sentry MCP setup: find errors in the right project
- Cloudflare MCP setup: documentation or account access
- Stripe MCP setup: start with a sandbox
Connect design and project work
Connect Figma frames, Linear issues and GitLab projects with a deliberate account choice and a reproducible first request.
- Figma MCP setup: remote, desktop and your first request
- Linear MCP setup: read issues and limit access
- GitLab MCP setup: instance, OAuth and project access
Permissions and read access
Distinguish account permissions, server modes and approvals, then limit the first call with a concrete test plan.
- Check MCP permissions: account, server and client
- MCP read-only access: enforce and test the boundary
Plan integrations and events
Choose MCP, a REST API or a webhook by task, connect n8n and process repeated events deliberately.
- MCP, REST API or webhook: which integration fits?
- Set up n8n MCP: instance access, Server Trigger and Client
- Test webhook automation: delivery and duplicate processing
Understand MCP and verify access
Distinguish tools, resources and prompts, check authentication and read registry declarations before choosing a server.
- MCP tools, resources and prompts: differences and tests
- MCP OAuth vs API keys: authentication and access checks
- MCP Registry and server.json: how to read an entry
Move and check configuration
Convert file formats, pass environment variables and check Windows paths with reproducible examples.
- Convert MCP configuration: Cursor and VS Code
- MCP environment variables: env, envFile and placeholders
- MCP on Windows: check npx, JSON paths and WSL
Web search and source verification
Set up search services, read original sources and distinguish web search from search performance data.
- Exa MCP setup: web search and source retrieval
- Firecrawl MCP setup: extract a page and check the result
- Apify MCP setup: check Actors, runs and datasets
- MCP web search: Brave, Tavily, Fetch or a browser?
- Brave Search MCP setup: API key and first search
- Tavily MCP setup: web search and page extraction
Browsers, web pages and memory
Operate a browser, retrieve page content and verify your storage across a restart.
- Desktop Commander MCP setup: files and terminal access
- Playwright MCP setup: browsers, profiles and checks
- Fetch MCP: read web pages and verify results
- Memory MCP setup: verify storage across restarts
Set up your editor and test
Connect VS Code and Cursor with complete examples, then isolate the first tool call with the Inspector.
- VS Code MCP setup: mcp.json and your first read
- Cursor MCP setup: project config, HTTP and a read test
- MCP Inspector: connect servers and test their tools
Connect work apps
Set up Notion, Slack, Jira, Confluence and Supabase with an explicit scope and a verifiable first operation.
- Asana MCP setup: V2, OAuth and project access
- Todoist MCP setup: OAuth, projects and tasks
- Notion MCP setup: OAuth, pages and access
- Slack MCP setup: authorization, search and messages
- Atlassian MCP: set up Jira and Confluence access
- Supabase MCP setup: project scope and read-only access
Setup and connections
Choose a transport, prepare the environment and connect a server.
- GitHub MCP setup: remote, Docker and read-only access
- MCP with Docker: stdio, environment and bind mounts
- MCP stdio vs Streamable HTTP: setup and transport choices
Troubleshooting
Diagnose startup failures, HTTP responses and missing tools step by step.
- MCP ENOENT: fix npx, uvx and command-not-found errors
- MCP HTTP 401 and 403: authorization and access checks
- MCP tools not showing: check tools/list and client filters
- MCP connection errors: stdio, HTTP and configuration
Work with data and files
Connect files, databases and search data with a bounded read test.
- BigQuery MCP setup: project, IAM and a read test
- Snowflake MCP setup: server object and read permissions
- Databricks MCP setup: SQL, workspace and permissions
- Prisma MCP setup: workspace and Postgres databases
- Airtable MCP setup: bases, OAuth and records
- ClickHouse MCP setup: SQL, TLS and read access
- DuckDB MCP setup: local file and MotherDuck access
- Qdrant MCP setup: collection, search and read-only
- Redis MCP setup: Docker, TLS and key permissions
- Elasticsearch MCP setup: Kibana, spaces and API keys
- MongoDB MCP setup: connection strings and read-only access
- Neon MCP setup: project scope, branches and read-only mode
- Database MCP: compare SQLite, PostgreSQL and Supabase access
- SQLite MCP setup: verify files, paths and read access
- Google Search Console MCP: setup and data checks
- MCP Filesystem setup: paths, permissions and checks
- PostgreSQL MCP: configure and check read-only access
Selection and operation
Compare candidates, test updates and hand over a working setup.
- MCP server handover: an operational checklist
- MCP server updates: a practical regression checklist
- How to compare MCP servers with an evidence checklist
Understand the registry
Interpret sources, missing declarations and changes in the dataset.
- What moves in the MCP Registry: 82,491 changes in seven days, 2,177 new entries
- What does an MCP server actually declare? Reading 31,439 registry entries
tracevero · https://tracevero.com/blog/