MCP FAQ

1. What exactly is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard open-sourced by Anthropic in November 2024. It solves the headache of "AI wants to connect to external tools and data sources, but every tool must be integrated separately." It unifies that connection into a single standard interface — think of it as plugging a "USB-C cable" into your AI: plug it in and it can connect to GitHub, databases, browsers, and anything else that supports MCP. Today there are already over 15,000 MCP-related repositories on GitHub.

2. What can MCP do for me?

• Let AI operate your GitHub repositories directly (check Issues, open PRs, read code)
• Let AI connect to databases to query data and generate reports
• Let AI control a browser to fill forms and crawl web pages for you
• Let AI read and write local files and work with office documents

Core value: AI goes from "can only chat" to "can actually get things done."

3. I'm an average user. Do I need to learn MCP?

It depends. If you just want to use something out of the box (say, have Claude manage your notes), install a pre-configured MCP server and follow the configuration tutorial — copy and paste and you're done. Only if you want AI to connect to something you've customized do you need to understand the protocol's internals. For non-developers: start by using what's ready-made; don't dig into the underlying details.

4. How is MCP different from ordinary "plugins / APIs"?

Old model: each AI tool × each external service = a separate integration, and none of them work interchangeably. MCP model: a service only needs to implement the MCP standard once, and every MCP-capable AI tool can plug in directly. For you, the difference is "configure it today, and it still works even if you switch AI tools tomorrow."

5. Are MCP and Skills the same thing?

No. Skills teach AI "how to do something" (specialized operating workflows), while MCP tells AI "what it can connect to" (external tool interfaces). For a detailed comparison, see Skill vs MCP.

6. Which MCP servers should I install?

Pick based on your needs. The most common directions:

• Development: GitHub (manage repositories), Playwright (control the browser for testing)
• Office work: file system (read/write local files), Office document processing
• Data: database connections, information retrieval
• Don't overdo it: 2–3 high-frequency ones are enough; adding too many just makes AI hesitate

7. How do I pick a trustworthy server on GitHub?

• Check stars and maintenance activity: high stars + recent commits are more reliable
• Prefer official releases: ecosystems maintained by Microsoft and GitHub (e.g., microsoft/playwright-mcp, github/github-mcp-server)
• Review how complete the README's config instructions are: the more detailed, the fewer pitfalls
• Browse the curated MCP list on this site — it's already filtered for you

8. How do I confirm it's installed correctly?

After installing and restarting the client, ask AI "what tools can you use right now?" in a chat, or check the tool list directly. Ask AI to "try a tool" (for example, "list the star count of this GitHub repo") — if it returns a result properly, the connection works.

9. Will installing MCP leak my data?

There's risk, but it's manageable: how much access an MCP server gets depends on what credentials you put in the config. Three principles — only install servers from trusted sources, grant only the minimum required permissions, and never commit tokens to public repositories. See the MCP security guide for details.

10. Do I have to configure MCP from the command line?

Not necessarily. Clients like Claude Desktop offer a graphical configuration interface; there are also many "one-click install" management tools (such as switchers like cc-switch). Developers often hand-write JSON, while ordinary users can just use the GUI.

11. What's the difference between stdio and SSE modes?

stdio: spawns a local process that talks to AI — best for local tools (files, databases) and the most common. SSE (HTTP): connects to a remote server over a URL — good for cloud services. Beginners should just follow the Server README's default.

12. I want to write my own MCP server. Is it hard?

Not hard. The official SDK supports Python and TypeScript, and a minimal "return a greeting" server can run in a few dozen lines. Before writing, it helps to study the source structure of official examples in the curated list (such as the microsoft official ecosystem).