Best MCP Servers for Claude Code (2026)
TL;DR: Start with Filesystem + GitHub + Fetch. Add Postgres/Redis/Sentry only when your workflow demands it.
Decision table
| Server | Best for | Setup | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filesystem | read/write project files | Low | Medium |
| GitHub | issues/PR automation | Medium | Medium |
| Fetch | docs lookup | Low | Low |
| PostgreSQL | SQL debugging | Medium | High |
| Sentry | error triage | Medium | Medium |
Recommended starter stack
- Filesystem (whitelist project dirs only)
- GitHub (repo-scoped token)
- Fetch (documentation retrieval)
Common pitfalls
- Token scope too narrow (GitHub 403)
- Tool profile set to messaging (no exec/read/write)
- No query limits on DB servers
Verification checklist
- Can agent read and create test file?
- Can it list issues in a sandbox repo?
- Can it fetch docs and cite source URLs?