Miki Makhlevich

Posted on Apr 6 • Originally published at makhlevich.substack.com

I Tested Every MCP Client So You Don't Have To 🔥

#mcp #ai #anthropic #tutorial

Listen up, developers! 👀 I just spent DAYS diving into the MCP rabbit hole so you can save your precious time. If you're building AI apps, this is the guide you've been searching for.

The Quick MCP Rundown

MCP servers connect AI agents to apps through structured communication. They're the translators making AI actually useful in real applications.

The Client Showdown: What Nobody Tells You

Here's where it gets juicy. The CLIENT side is where everyone's getting it wrong! 🔥
I've personally checked EVERY. SINGLE. MCP client out there, and let me tell you — they are NOT created equal. Some will waste your time, while others are absolute gems that'll supercharge your development.
Skip to the end for my no-BS recommendations based on what you actually need.
Updated regularly! Found something missing? Comment below for quick updates!

Engineers? These Are Your Go-To Clients 👨‍💻

Claude Desktop

The Official Solution
✅ Native MCP support
✅ Easy configuration
❌ Requires technical setup

Quick Setup:
Settings → Developer → Edit Config

{  
  "mcpServers": {  
    "mcp-server-name": {  
      "command": "npx",  
      "args": [  
        "required",  
        "args"  
      ]  
    }  
  }  
}

💡 Pro Tip: Always restart Claude after saving!

Claude Code

The Command-Line Champion
✅ Supports both SSE & stdio
✅ Lightweight interface
❌ No Resources support

Lightning-Fast Setup:
For stdio:

claude mcp add <name> <command> [args...]

For SSE:

claude mcp add --transport sse <name> <url>

Cursor

The Developer's Dream IDE
✅ First code editor with MCP
✅ Supports SSE transport
✅ Seamless coding integration

Quick Setup:
Settings → MCP → Add a new MCP server
For stdio - see JSON as in Claude Desktop. For SSE:

{  
  "mcpServers": {  
    "mcp-server-name": {  
      "url": "http://the/url/to/your/mcp"  
    }  
  }  
}

Cline

The VSCode Powerhouse
✅ Open-source AI agent
✅ Marketplace support
✅ Maintains existing workflow

Quick Setup:
MCP Servers tab → Select provider

Or configure custom with the same JSON patterns you already know:
MCP Servers → Installed → Configure MCP Servers

Windsurf by Codeium

The Robust Alternative
✅ Familiar configuration
✅ Advanced integration

Quick Setup:
Settings → Advanced Settings or via Command Palette → Windsurf Settings → Cascade → View raw config

⚠️ MCP server name should NOT start with @

Goose CLI

The Beginner-Friendly Terminal
✅ Intuitive approach
✅ No manual JSON editing
✅ Desktop version available

Quick Setup:

goose configure

Then select Add Extension and follow prompts (Command-line Extension for stdio, Remote Extension for SSE).

Non-Engineers? The Painful Truth 😩

There's a MASSIVE gap in the market right now. Claude Desktop is basically your only option, and even that requires technical knowledge (as it only supports stdio which requires locally running the server).

Even the MCP experts are struggling with this:

Know something I don't? Drop it in the comments!

The Hidden Gems Most People Miss 💎

These clients adopted MCP early but don't get enough credit:

Continue — s VSCode / JetBrains extension. Although still considered experimental, have full supports for all MCP features.
5ire — an AI assistant and MCP client. Has built in MCPs under Tools (right panel), supporting only stdio (command) transport clients, or connecting clients from the marketplace they provide.
Zed — a code editor. Currently only supporting MCPs as Zed extensions, having only one MCP extension for Postgres.
Copilot-MCP — a VSCode extension. Dedicated to integrate MCPs with GitHub Copilot Chat.
LibreChat — open-source app compatible with any AI provider. Supports MCPs as Tools.
GenAIScript — a JavaScript tool to programmatically assemble prompts for LLMs, MCP servers can be configured in the defTool, using the same syntax as the Claude JSON.
Emacs Mcp.el — Emacs client for interacting with MCP servers. Supporting structured communication, asynchronous operations, and integration with popular Emacs packages.
oterm — a text-based terminal client for Ollama (that does not yet support MCPs, but the tool attempts to bridge the servers with it). Adding servers is done in the config.json similarly to the Claude JSON.
Sourcegraph Cody — a VSCode extension that performs as AI coding assistant. Requires editing your VSCode JSON settings.
Witsy — a desktop AI assistant, requires API keys for LLM providers. Supports only outsourced MCP servers providers (not suitable for local MCPs), Configure the MCPs in Settings → Plugins → MCP.
Theia AI/IDE by EclipseSource — a platform for building custom Cloud & Desktop IDEs and tools. Currently supports only stdio.
Tester MCP client by Apify — connects to any MCP server using SSE, designed for testing the MCP server.

BONUS: Agent-Building Tools That Support MCP 🤖

BeeAI Framework — open-source framework to implement multi-agent patterns. To connect to MCP it requires programming the connection in python or TypeScript. Found a useful example in this blog post.
SpinAI — a TypeScript framework for creating AI agents. Can add MCPs from outsourced providers using the command line (not suitable for local MCPs).
Fast-Agent — a lightweight framework for creating and managing agents and workflows using MCP, supporting all the features.
mcp-agent — a python based library to help you build AI agents that supports MCPs.
Microsoft Copilot — a graphical, low-code tool for building agents and agent flows, allows connecting MCP servers only through SSE and still in testing and trial (only in preview regions).
core by OpenSumi- an MCP client, framework to build AI Native IDE products.

The Bottom Line: My No-BS Recommendations ⚡

Best for SSE: Cursor or Cline
Best CLI: Claude Code or Goose
Best for GitHub Users: Copilot-MCP
Best for Testing: Apify MCP tester

What's Next for MCP?

MCPs are about to EXPLODE in popularity. Early adopters will have the advantage as this becomes industry standard.

Want to stay ahead? Join the MCParty Slack Community for insider updates.

Found a mistake? Let me know in the comments and I'll update within 24 hours!

Written in collaboration with Shira Ayal.

DEV Community