MCP Quick Start Guide¶
Fast reference for common MCP server management tasks. For comprehensive guidance, see MCP Management Guide.
Visual Overview¶
30-Second Setup¶
# 1. Initialize collection
skillmeat collection init default
# 2. Add filesystem server (popular starting point)
skillmeat mcp add filesystem anthropics/mcp-filesystem \
--env ROOT_PATH="$HOME/projects"
# 3. Deploy to Claude Desktop
skillmeat mcp deploy filesystem
# 4. Verify it's working
skillmeat mcp health filesystem
# Output: Status: healthy, Deployed: yes
Done! Filesystem server is now available in Claude Desktop.
Common Tasks¶
Add and Deploy Server¶
# Add GitHub server with credentials
skillmeat mcp add github anthropics/mcp-github \
--env GITHUB_TOKEN="your_token"
# Deploy immediately
skillmeat mcp deploy github
# Verify deployment
skillmeat mcp health github
Update Server Configuration¶
# Change environment variable
skillmeat mcp env set filesystem ROOT_PATH "/new/path"
# Redeploy with new config
skillmeat mcp deploy filesystem
Check Server Status¶
# Single server
skillmeat mcp health filesystem
# All servers
skillmeat mcp health --all
# Verbose (with errors)
skillmeat mcp health filesystem --verbose
Remove Server¶
# Undeploy first
skillmeat mcp undeploy filesystem
# Remove from collection
skillmeat mcp remove filesystem
# Verify removal
skillmeat mcp list
Popular Servers¶
Filesystem Access¶
# Setup
skillmeat mcp add filesystem anthropics/mcp-filesystem \
--env ROOT_PATH="$HOME/projects" \
--description "Access to project files"
# Deploy
skillmeat mcp deploy filesystem
# Use in Claude: Ask to "read file.txt" or "list directory contents"
GitHub Operations¶
# Setup
skillmeat mcp add github anthropics/mcp-github \
--env GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_your_token" \
--env GITHUB_USER="your-username" \
--description "GitHub repository operations"
# Deploy
skillmeat mcp deploy github
# Use in Claude: Ask to "check my GitHub repos" or "list pull requests"
Database Access¶
# Setup
skillmeat mcp add database anthropics/mcp-database \
--env DB_URL="sqlite:////home/user/project.db" \
--env DB_TYPE="sqlite" \
--description "Project SQLite database"
# Deploy
skillmeat mcp deploy database
# Use in Claude: Ask to "query the database" or "run SQL commands"
Git Operations¶
# Setup
skillmeat mcp add git anthropics/mcp-git \
--env GIT_REPO_PATH="$HOME/projects/myrepo" \
--description "Git repository operations"
# Deploy
skillmeat mcp deploy git
# Use in Claude: Ask to "check git status" or "show recent commits"
Troubleshooting Quick Fixes¶
Server Won't Deploy¶
# 1. Check network
ping github.com
# 2. Check repository exists
skillmeat mcp show filesystem
# 3. Force re-clone
skillmeat mcp deploy filesystem --force
# 4. Check logs
skillmeat mcp logs filesystem
Server Not Found in Claude¶
# 1. Restart Claude Desktop completely
# macOS: pkill -9 Claude
# Linux: pkill -9 claude
# 2. Verify deployment
skillmeat mcp list
# 3. Check if really deployed
cat ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json | jq '.mcpServers'
Server Deployed But Not Working¶
# 1. Check health status
skillmeat mcp health filesystem
# 2. View server logs
skillmeat mcp logs filesystem --tail 20
# 3. Verify environment variables
skillmeat mcp env get filesystem
# 4. Check paths exist
ls -l ~/projects # if ROOT_PATH=~/projects
Need to Undo Changes¶
# Automatic rollback to last backup
skillmeat mcp restore
# Or specific backup
skillmeat mcp restore ~/.config/Claude/backup_2024-01-15.json
Web UI Quick Start¶
- Start web server:
skillmeat web start - Open browser:
http://localhost:8000 - Navigate to MCP Servers tab
- Add Server button → Fill details → Save
- Deploy button → Confirm → Done
Command Reference¶
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| List servers | skillmeat mcp list |
| Show details | skillmeat mcp show <name> |
| Add server | skillmeat mcp add <name> <repo> |
| Set env var | skillmeat mcp env set <name> <key> <value> |
| Get env var | skillmeat mcp env get <name> |
| Deploy | skillmeat mcp deploy <name> |
| Dry run | skillmeat mcp deploy <name> --dry-run |
| Check health | skillmeat mcp health <name> |
| View logs | skillmeat mcp logs <name> |
| Remove | skillmeat mcp remove <name> |
| Backup | skillmeat mcp backup |
| Restore | skillmeat mcp restore |
Examples by Use Case¶
Read/Write Project Files¶
skillmeat mcp add filesystem anthropics/mcp-filesystem \
--env ROOT_PATH="$HOME/projects"
skillmeat mcp deploy filesystem
# Now Claude can read and write files in ~/projects
Manage GitHub Repositories¶
skillmeat mcp add github anthropics/mcp-github \
--env GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_xxx"
skillmeat mcp deploy github
# Claude can now list repos, create issues, manage PRs
Query Project Database¶
skillmeat mcp add database anthropics/mcp-database \
--env DB_URL="sqlite:////home/user/.skillmeat/data.db"
skillmeat mcp deploy database
# Claude can run SQL queries on your database
Multi-Server Setup¶
# Deploy all servers at once
skillmeat mcp add filesystem anthropics/mcp-filesystem --env ROOT_PATH="$HOME"
skillmeat mcp add github anthropics/mcp-github --env GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_xxx"
skillmeat mcp add git anthropics/mcp-git --env GIT_REPO_PATH="$HOME/myrepo"
# Deploy all
skillmeat mcp deploy --all
# Check all healthy
skillmeat mcp health --all
Next Steps¶
- See Full Management Guide for comprehensive docs
- See Real-World Examples for advanced setups
- See Operations Guide for admin tasks