mcp-builder

A Python-based MCP server to install other MCP servers.

The purpose of this server is to provide a complete, user-friendly, and cross-platform way to install and configure MCP servers.

TODO

• Support for more MCP Clients (e.g. Cursor, Windsurf, ...)

• Support for more MCP server types and sources (e.g., Node.js, Java, etc.)

• Support recovery mechanism for failed installations

• ...

Features

• Package Repository Installation: Install MCP servers from PyPI or npm packages

• Local Installation: Install MCP servers from local directories

• Configuration Management: Configure environment variables and arguments for installed servers

• Automatic Detection: Automatically detect the type of MCP server (Node.js or Python)

• Cross-Platform Support: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Related MCP server: MCP Server Deepdive

Requirements

• Python 3.10 or higher

• pip (for Python packages)

• Node.js and npm (optional, for JavaScript packages)

Installation

Install from Source

git clone https://github.com/xd3an/mcp-builder.git
cd mcp-builder
pip install -e .

Usage

Running Directly

After installation, you can run the MCP Builder directly:

# Using the entry point
mcpbuilder

# Or as a module
python -m mcp_builder.server

Development Mode

For development and testing, you can use the MCP CLI tools:

# Install MCP CLI tools
pip install "mcp[cli]"

# Run in development mode
mcp dev path/to/mcp_builder/server.py

# npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector python -m mcp_builder.server

MCP Client Integration

Claude Desktop Integration

To use MCP Builder with Claude Desktop, add it to your claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-builder": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "mcp_builder.server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The configuration file is located at:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Example Commands

Once integrated with Claude Desktop, you can ask Claude to:

read https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp help me install playwright-mcp in my claude config

How It Works

MCP Builder modifies the Claude Desktop configuration file to register MCP servers. It supports:

1. Node.js Packages: Installs using npx and configures Claude to use them

2. Python Packages: Configures Claude to use Python modules

3. Local Repositories: Installs dependencies and configures Claude to use local code