Best MCP servers for Claude Code

Ranking

Critical advisories are distinct OSV advisories in runtime dependencies, counted once per package. “Our MCP code check” looks for code that spawns processes, reads or writes files or uses the network, in the repo’s own code only; a server whose logic lives in a dependency shows nothing here. Directories such as awesome-mcp-servers list servers but are not servers, so they are not ranked here.

Do these servers work with Claude Code?

MCP is an open protocol, so each server can be connected to any MCP client, Claude Code included. We have not tested each server with Claude Code, and the ranking is the same on our pages for Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode, because it does not depend on the client. What differs is how you add a server and what Claude Code documents about it:

• Add a local (stdio) server with claude mcp add <name> -- <command>, or a remote one with claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>. /mcp inside Claude Code shows server status.
• Three scopes: local (default, only you, this project), project (a .mcp.json in the repo, shared with your team) and user (all your projects).
• Claude Code asks for approval in interactive sessions before it uses project-scoped servers from a .mcp.json file.
• Anthropic’s own warning: “Verify you trust each server before connecting it. Servers that fetch external content can expose you to prompt injection risk.”
• Setup instructions written for another client still work: the docs explain how to turn a URL, an npx command or an mcpServers JSON block into a claude mcp add command.

Source: Anthropic, Claude Code docs: Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP (checked 1 Nov 2026). Each server’s own README has its exact install command.

And Claude Code itself?

Claude Code scores 65 this week (#11 of 52 overall, #4 in Coding agents) with the safety label □ No dependencies scanned. An MCP server runs with your agent’s permissions, so check both. Is Claude Code safe?

Questions about MCP servers for Claude Code

What are the best MCP servers for Claude Code?

By StackGrade score this week: Context7 (57, caution), MCP reference servers (48, no issues found), Playwright MCP (45, no issues found). “Best” only means the highest StackGrade score from public maintenance, adoption and docs signals among the 4 MCP servers tracked. It is not a hands-on test with Claude Code.

Are MCP servers safe to use with Claude Code?

Safety labels this week across the 4 tracked MCP servers: 1 caution, 3 no issues found; 1 of them lists at least one critical advisory in runtime dependencies. These come from an automated scan, not a manual audit. An MCP server runs with your agent’s permissions, so read each server’s README and check the label before you connect it.

Does every MCP server work with Claude Code?

MCP is an open protocol, so each server can be connected to any MCP client, Claude Code included. StackGrade has not tested each server with Claude Code. The ranking does not depend on the client; what differs is how you add a server.

How do I add an MCP server to Claude Code?

Add a local (stdio) server with claude mcp add <name> -- <command>, or a remote one with claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>. /mcp inside Claude Code shows server status. Three scopes: local (default, only you, this project), project (a .mcp.json in the repo, shared with your team) and user (all your projects). Source: Anthropic, Claude Code docs: Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP (checked 1 Nov 2026). Each server’s own README has its exact install command.

How this ranking works

• Score (0 to 100): percentiles among all 52 tracked tools for maintenance (30%), adoption (30%) and README docs (20%); community is not measured yet. Methodology
• Safety label: separate from the score, from a weekly automated scan of dependencies (OSV), install hooks, remote-code patterns, agent instruction files and MCP server code. Not a manual audit. All safety labels
• Which servers: every tool we track whose type is MCP server. 4 servers is a short list; we add servers in the weekly discovery run.

Same ranking with setup notes for Codex and OpenCode · All agent skills and MCP servers · Compare tools side by side