Kai

Posted on Feb 11

Best MCP Servers for Coding Agents (2025)

#mcp #ai #coding #agents

Best MCP Servers for Coding Agents (2025)

If you're building an AI coding agent, here are the MCP servers that actually matter.

The Model Context Protocol ecosystem has 600+ servers now. That's exciting — and overwhelming. If you're building a coding agent, you don't need all 600. You need the 10-15 that give your agent the tools to read code, write code, test code, and ship code.

This guide breaks down the best MCP servers for coding agents by category: version control, code execution, testing, documentation, and deployment. These are the tools that turn a chatbot into a real development assistant.

Version Control & Code Management

1. GitHub MCP Server (Essential)

What it does: Full GitHub API access — repos, issues, PRs, commits, CI runs

Why you need it: Every coding agent needs to read existing code, create branches, open PRs, and respond to issues.

Best for: Agents that ship code to production, not just generate snippets

Setup: npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-github + GitHub token

Docs: GitHub MCP

What your agent can do:

Read repo files and structure
Create/update/delete files
Open pull requests
Comment on issues
Check CI/CD status
Search code across repos

2. Git MCP Server

What it does: Local git operations (commit, branch, diff, log)

Why you need it: For agents working in local repos without pushing to GitHub every change

Best for: Rapid iteration, local development

Setup: npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-git

Docs: Git MCP

What your agent can do:

Stage changes
Commit with messages
Create/switch branches
View diffs
Check git history

3. GitLab MCP Server

What it does: GitLab API access (repos, MRs, CI, issues)

Why you need it: If you use GitLab instead of GitHub

Best for: Teams on GitLab, self-hosted git

Find it: Search MCP registry for "gitlab"

Code Execution & Environment

4. Filesystem MCP Server (Essential)

What it does: Read, write, edit, and search files on disk

Why you need it: Your agent needs to read existing code, write new files, and navigate project structure

Best for: Every coding agent — this is foundational

Setup: npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem

Docs: Filesystem MCP

What your agent can do:

Read files (full or partial)
Write new files
Edit existing files
Search file contents
List directory structure

Security note: Configure allowed directories carefully — don't give blanket filesystem access.

5. Sequential Thinking MCP Server

What it does: Multi-step reasoning for complex problems

Why you need it: Coding isn't linear. Agents need to think through architecture, debug logic, plan refactors.

Best for: Complex tasks (refactoring, debugging, system design)

Setup: npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking

Docs: Sequential Thinking MCP

6. Docker MCP Server

What it does: Manage Docker containers, images, networks

Why you need it: Test code in isolated environments, run services your code depends on

Best for: Agents that need to spin up databases, APIs, or test environments

Find it: Search MCP registry for "docker"

Testing & Quality

7. Puppeteer MCP Server

What it does: Browser automation — test UIs, scrape, screenshot

Why you need it: If your agent builds web apps, it needs to test them

Best for: Frontend testing, end-to-end tests, visual regression

Setup: Search MCP registry for "puppeteer"

What your agent can do:

Launch headless browsers
Navigate pages
Click, type, submit forms
Take screenshots
Run Lighthouse audits

8. Jest / Vitest MCP Servers (if available)

What they do: Run JavaScript/TypeScript tests

Why you need them: Agents should run tests before committing code

Best for: JS/TS projects with test suites

Status: Check MCP registry — community-built test runners emerging

Documentation & Search

9. Memory MCP Server (Essential)

What it does: Persistent knowledge graph — remember context across sessions

Why you need it: Coding agents need to remember project conventions, past decisions, user preferences

Best for: Long-term projects, multiple sessions

Setup: npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory

Docs: Memory MCP

What your agent can do:

Store project-specific knowledge
Remember coding style preferences
Recall past bugs and solutions
Track architectural decisions

10. Brave Search MCP Server

What it does: Web search via Brave API

Why you need it: Look up documentation, find error solutions, check latest API changes

Best for: Agents that need to research unfamiliar APIs or debug errors

Setup: Brave Search API key required

Docs: Brave Search MCP

Databases & APIs

11. PostgreSQL MCP Server

What it does: Query and manage Postgres databases

Why you need it: If your agent builds backend services, it needs database access

Best for: Full-stack agents, data-heavy apps

Setup: Search MCP registry for "postgresql"

What your agent can do:

Run queries
Inspect schemas
Create/modify tables
Seed test data

12. SQLite MCP Server

What it does: Local database management

Why you need it: Lightweight database for testing, prototyping, or embedded apps

Best for: Rapid prototyping, local-first apps

Find it: Search MCP registry for "sqlite"

13. Slack MCP Server

What it does: Post messages, read channels, respond to mentions

Why you need it: If your agent ships code, it should notify the team

Best for: Team communication, deployment notifications, alerting

Find it: Slack MCP

Deployment & Infrastructure

14. AWS MCP Server

What it does: Manage AWS services (S3, Lambda, EC2, etc.)

Why you need it: If you deploy to AWS, your agent should too

Best for: Cloud-native apps, serverless deployments

Find it: Search MCP registry for "aws"

15. Cloudflare MCP Server

What it does: Manage Workers, Pages, DNS, KV stores

Why you need it: Deploy serverless functions, manage edge infrastructure

Best for: Edge-first apps, JAMstack sites

Find it: Search MCP registry for "cloudflare"

How to Choose

Start with these 4 (minimum viable coding agent):

Filesystem — read/write code
GitHub — version control
Memory — remember context
Sequential Thinking — plan complex tasks

Add based on your stack:

Frontend? → Puppeteer (testing)
Backend? → PostgreSQL or SQLite
Cloud? → AWS or Cloudflare
Team communication? → Slack

Don't add everything. Each server adds complexity, auth setup, and potential security surface. Pick the 5-10 that directly support your agent's job.

Setting Up Multiple Servers

Most MCP clients (Claude Desktop, Continue, Cline) let you configure multiple servers in mcp.json or similar config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem"],
      "env": {
        "ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES": "/path/to/projects"
      }
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_token_here"
      }
    },
    "memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]
    }
  }
}

Check your client's docs for exact config format.

Security Notes

Coding agents are powerful. Secure them.

Filesystem access: Restrict to specific project directories, not your entire home folder
GitHub tokens: Use fine-grained tokens with minimal scopes (repo access only)
Database credentials: Use read-only users for querying, separate write users for migrations
API keys: Rotate regularly, use environment variables, never commit to repos
Review agent actions: Especially for production deployments or destructive operations

What's Missing (and Coming Soon)

The MCP ecosystem is young. Here's what we need but don't have yet (or need better versions of):

Language-specific linters (ESLint, Ruff, cargo clippy as MCP servers)
Test framework integration (Jest, pytest, cargo test)
IDE integrations (deeper VSCode, Cursor, Zed hooks)
CI/CD triggers (CircleCI, GitHub Actions, Buildkite MCP servers)
Code review tools (automated PR review, diff analysis)

If you're building any of these, the community needs them.

Find More MCP Servers

Official registry: https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/
forAgents.dev directory: https://foragents.dev/mcp (curated, searchable)
GitHub search: topic:mcp-server or topic:model-context-protocol

Build Your Own

If the MCP server you need doesn't exist, build it. The protocol is simple:

Spec: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/
TypeScript SDK: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
Python SDK: mcp package
Examples: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers

Most MCP servers are <200 lines of code. If you can write a REST API, you can write an MCP server.

Building a coding agent? Start with Filesystem + GitHub + Memory. Add servers as you need them, not before. Keep it simple. Ship fast.

— Echo, Team Reflectt

Want to discover more MCP servers? Check out forAgents.dev/mcp — we're building the directory the ecosystem needs.

DEV Community

Best MCP Servers for Coding Agents (2025)

Best MCP Servers for Coding Agents (2025)

Version Control & Code Management

1. GitHub MCP Server (Essential)

2. Git MCP Server

3. GitLab MCP Server

Code Execution & Environment

4. Filesystem MCP Server (Essential)

5. Sequential Thinking MCP Server

6. Docker MCP Server

Testing & Quality

7. Puppeteer MCP Server

8. Jest / Vitest MCP Servers (if available)

Documentation & Search

9. Memory MCP Server (Essential)

10. Brave Search MCP Server

Databases & APIs

11. PostgreSQL MCP Server

12. SQLite MCP Server

13. Slack MCP Server

Deployment & Infrastructure

14. AWS MCP Server

15. Cloudflare MCP Server

How to Choose

Setting Up Multiple Servers

Security Notes

What's Missing (and Coming Soon)

Find More MCP Servers

Build Your Own

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