mcp-server-dev

What it is

mcp-server-dev is a Claude Code plugin from Anthropic for designing and building MCP servers that work seamlessly with Claude. Per its description, it guides you through deployment models (remote HTTP, MCPB, local), tool design patterns, auth, and interactive MCP apps. It contains three skills that together form a full build path. The entry point is build-mcp-server. It asks what you're connecting to, who will use it, how big the action surface is, and whether you need in-chat UI. From those answers it picks a deployment model and a tool-design pattern, then recommends one of four paths. The first is remote streamable-HTTP, which is the default recommendation for anything wrapping a cloud API and is scaffolded inline. The second is an MCP app, which hands off to build-mcp-app. The third is MCPB, which hands off to build-mcpb. The fourth is a local stdio prototype, scaffolded inline with a note on upgrading to MCPB. The two specialized skills cover specific needs. build-mcp-app adds interactive UI widgets, such as forms, pickers and confirm dialogs, that render inline in chat. It works on remote servers and MCPB bundles. build-mcpb packages a local stdio server with its runtime, so users can install it without Node or Python. It is intended for servers that must touch the local machine. Each skill ships reference files for material that doesn't fit in the main instructions. These cover auth flows (DCR/CIMD), writing tool descriptions, widget templates, manifest schemas and security hardening.

Who it's for

• Developers building MCP servers intended to work with Claude
• Developers wrapping a cloud API as a remote streamable-HTTP MCP server
• Developers who want interactive in-chat UI widgets (forms, pickers, confirm dialogs) in their MCP server
• Developers whose server must touch the local machine and who want to package it so users can install it without Node/Python

Requirements

Examples

/mcp-server-dev:build-mcp-server

help me build an MCP server