MCP Clients & IDE Integrations
MCP servers work with a growing number of AI clients and code editors. Choose your client below for setup guides, configuration examples, and compatible servers.
Claude Desktop
Anthropic's official desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP server support. Configure servers via a JSON config file to extend Claude with file access, databases, APIs, and more.
Config: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Claude Code CLI
Anthropic's command-line coding agent with native MCP support. Configure servers via project settings or the --mcp flag for terminal-based AI development workflows.
Config: .claude/settings.json or --mcp flag
Cursor
The AI-first code editor with built-in MCP support. Configure MCP servers via .cursor/mcp.json to give Cursor's AI access to databases, APIs, file systems, and custom tools.
Config: .cursor/mcp.json
VS Code / GitHub Copilot
Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot supports MCP servers for extending AI capabilities. Configure servers in VS Code settings to connect Copilot to databases, APIs, and local tools.
Config: .vscode/settings.json
Windsurf
Codeium's AI-powered IDE with MCP support. Configure MCP servers via ~/.windsurf/mcp.json to extend Windsurf's AI with custom tools, databases, and API integrations.
Config: ~/.windsurf/mcp.json
Cline
An autonomous AI coding agent for VS Code with MCP support. Configure MCP servers through Cline's VS Code settings to give it access to external tools and data sources.
Config: VS Code settings (Cline extension settings)