How to install and configure an MCP server
A walkthrough of adding an MCP server to Claude Code or Cursor, from install command to first tool call.
Most MCP servers install one of two ways: a local process launched over stdio (common for filesystem, browser, and database servers) or a hosted endpoint over streamable HTTP (common for SaaS integrations like GitHub or Linear).
For a stdio server, you typically add an entry to your client's MCP config pointing at an npx command and any required environment variables, like an API token. For a hosted server, you usually just authorize it through an OAuth flow in the client. Either way, restart the client, and the server's tools should show up in the next session.