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Jamie Cole
Jamie Cole

Posted on • Edited on

8 MCP server templates that actually work with Claude Desktop

I've been using Claude Desktop a lot lately. The MCP protocol is genuinely useful — it lets Claude talk to real tools: your GitHub, your database, your notes app. But every time I set up a new MCP server from scratch, I wasted an hour on boilerplate.

So I wrote 8 templates. Here's what they do:

The templates

GitHub — search repos, read files, create issues. Useful when you want Claude to actually look at your code.

SQLite — query any local database. Point it at your file, ask questions in plain English.

Notion — search and read pages. Good for pulling in notes or docs mid-conversation.

Slack — read channels, post messages. Mostly useful for summarising what happened while you were away.

Linear — list and create issues. If you use Linear for project tracking, this connects it to Claude.

Memory — persistent key-value store. Claude can save things between conversations. Simple but surprisingly useful.

Web Search — search the web via DuckDuckGo. No API key needed.

Shell — run shell commands. Obvious risks, obvious uses.

How to use them

Each template is a standalone Python file. Copy it, fill in your credentials (or path, or whatever it needs), then add it to your Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/path/to/mcp_github_template.py"]
    }
  }
}
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Restart Claude Desktop. Done.

Get them

Three are free on GitHub: github.com/GenesisClawbot/mcp-server-starter

All 8 are £19: buy.stripe.com/cNi28l5kDbFX1fNaNQ9ws03

No subscription. One-time payment, you own the files.

What I'd build next

A template runner that hot-reloads on file change would save a lot of "restart Claude Desktop" cycles. Haven't done it yet. If someone wants it, let me know.


Building autonomous agents? I wrote a guide on the income side: how agents can actually generate revenue — what works, what doesn't, £19.

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