Example MCP Server Configurations¶

These are ready-to-use claude_internal/settings.json snippets for popular MCP servers. Each entry goes inside the mcpServers object in your settings file. For background on MCP, see the MCP Servers Guide.

GitHub Server¶

Gives Claude access to GitHub tools: create/read issues, read pull requests, list repositories, and more.

json { "mcpServers": { "github": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"], "env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<your-token>" } } } }

Generate a fine-grained personal access token at GitHub Settings > Developer settings > Personal access tokens. Grant only the repository permissions you need (Issues read/write, Pull Requests read, etc.).

PostgreSQL Server¶

Gives Claude read access to your database schema and data for queries and debugging.

json { "mcpServers": { "postgres": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"], "env": { "POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING": "postgresql://readonly_user:password@localhost:5432/mydb" } } } }

Always use read-only database credentials. Create a dedicated role with GRANT SELECT on the tables Claude needs. Never expose credentials with write or DDL permissions.

Filesystem Server¶

Gives Claude access to specific directories outside the project root, useful for shared documentation or data files.

json { "mcpServers": { "filesystem": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/shared-docs", "/path/to/data" ] } } }

Each positional argument is a directory the server exposes. Claude can read and write files within these directories. Omit directories you do not want Claude to access.

Slack Server¶

Gives Claude the ability to read channels, post messages, and search Slack history.

json { "mcpServers": { "slack": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-server-slack"], "env": { "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-your-bot-token" } } } }

Required OAuth scopes for the Slack app: channels:history, channels:read, chat:write, users:read. Add groups:read and groups:history if you need private channel access. Configure these in your Slack app's OAuth & Permissions page.

Custom Project Server¶

You can write a minimal MCP server to expose project-specific tools. Here is a TypeScript example that provides a lookup_user tool.

tools/mcp-user-lookup.ts:

```typescript import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js"; import { StdioServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js"; import { z } from "zod";

const server = new McpServer({ name: "user-lookup", version: "1.0.0" });

server.tool("lookup_user", { email: z.string().email() }, async ({ email }) => { const user = await db.users.findByEmail(email); // your DB logic return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(user, null, 2) }], }; });

const transport = new StdioServerTransport(); await server.connect(transport); ```

Register it in settings:

json { "mcpServers": { "project-tools": { "command": "npx", "args": ["tsx", "tools/mcp-user-lookup.ts"] } } }

Multi-Server Setup¶

A complete configuration combining multiple servers. This goes in claude_internal/settings.json.

json { "mcpServers": { "github": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"], "env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<your-token>" } }, "postgres": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"], "env": { "POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING": "postgresql://readonly_user:password@localhost:5432/mydb" } }, "filesystem": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/shared-docs" ] } } }

Set sensitive values as environment variables rather than hardcoding them. For example, use $GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN and ensure the variable is set in your shell profile. Each server runs as a separate process and Claude discovers their tools at startup.