MCP server guides

Each guide is written from what our own checks found and from each client's documentation.

When a server does not work

• MCP server not connecting: what our checks findWhy a remote MCP server does not connect, from our own checks of every remote server: each outcome, how often it happens, and which clients speak which transport.
• MCP server tools not showingWhat it means when an MCP server lists no tools, how our check reads the tool list, and how many servers start without any.
• Is an MCP server down? How we tellHow plug.directory decides that an MCP server is up, slow or down, and how the servers we check came out yesterday.
• MCP server environment variablesThe environment variables MCP server packages ask for most often, how many servers need one, and how a check runs them.
• Local vs remote MCP servers: stdio, Streamable HTTP and SSEHow many MCP servers run locally over stdio and how many remotely over Streamable HTTP or SSE, and which clients can use each.

Add a server to your client

• Claude Desktop
• Claude Code
• Cursor
• VS Code
• Devin Desktop
• Zed
• Cline
• Continue
• Goose
• LM Studio
• Gemini CLI
• Codex
• mcp-client-cli
• oterm
• TUUI
• BoltAI
• Agenvoy
• Amp
• AnythingLLM
• Augment Code
• Bob Shell
• ECA
• Kiro
• Kiro CLI