name: mcp-integration description: This skill guides connecting MCP servers to Claude Code plugins for external service integration. Use when configuring MCP servers, setting up authentication, or integrating external tools.

MCP Integration

Overview

Connect Model Context Protocol servers to Claude Code plugins to expose external service capabilities as tools.

Configuration Methods

Dedicated .mcp.json (Recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["server.js"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${MY_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Inline in plugin.json

{
  "name": "my-plugin",
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": { ... }
  }
}

Server Types

stdio (Local Process)

{
  "type": "stdio",
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-server"]
}

HTTP (REST API)

{
  "type": "http",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer ${API_TOKEN}"
  }
}

SSE (Server-Sent Events)

{
  "type": "sse",
  "url": "https://mcp.example.com/sse",
  "headers": {
    "X-API-Key": "${API_KEY}"
  }
}

WebSocket

{
  "type": "websocket",
  "url": "wss://mcp.example.com/ws"
}

Environment Variables

Use ${VAR_NAME} for dynamic values:

{
  "env": {
    "DATABASE_URL": "${DATABASE_URL}",
    "API_KEY": "${API_KEY}"
  }
}

Plugin Portability

Use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} for relative paths:

{
  "command": "node",
  "args": ["${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/server/index.js"]
}

Security Best Practices

1. Use HTTPS/WSS - Never use HTTP for remote servers
2. Never hardcode tokens - Use environment variables
3. Pre-allow specific tools - Avoid wildcards in permissions
4. Document required variables - List in README

Testing

# Verify MCP configuration
/mcp

# Check server status
/mcp status

Workflow

1. Select server type based on deployment
2. Create .mcp.json configuration
3. Use ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} for portability
4. Document environment variables
5. Test locally via /mcp command
6. Configure tool permissions
7. Handle authentication and errors