MCP Server Builder
anthropics/skills
Guides the design and implementation of Model Context Protocol servers in TypeScript or Python, from tool naming and error messages to evaluation.
Automatically discover MCP (Model Context Protocol) skills when building MCP servers, designing tools, implementing resources/prompts, or testing MCP integrations.
Install Discover MCP
$ npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install rand/cc-polymath discover-mcp --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/discover-mcp .claude/skills/discover-mcp && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "discover-mcp" agent skill from https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath/tree/main/skills/discover-mcp into .claude/skills/discover-mcp/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "discover-mcp", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath/tree/main/skills/discover-mcpType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install rand/cc-polymath discover-mcp --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/discover-mcp .agents/skills/discover-mcp && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "discover-mcp" agent skill from https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath/tree/main/skills/discover-mcp into .agents/skills/discover-mcp/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "discover-mcp", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install rand/cc-polymath discover-mcp --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/discover-mcp .cursor/skills/discover-mcp && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "discover-mcp" agent skill from https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath/tree/main/skills/discover-mcp into .cursor/skills/discover-mcp/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "discover-mcp", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath.git --path skills/discover-mcp--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install rand/cc-polymath discover-mcp --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/discover-mcp .gemini/skills/discover-mcp && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "discover-mcp" agent skill from https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath/tree/main/skills/discover-mcp into .gemini/skills/discover-mcp/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "discover-mcp", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install rand/cc-polymath discover-mcpInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/discover-mcp .github/skills/discover-mcp && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "discover-mcp" agent skill from https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath/tree/main/skills/discover-mcp into .github/skills/discover-mcp/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "discover-mcp", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install rand/cc-polymath discover-mcp --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/discover-mcp .opencode/skills/discover-mcp && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "discover-mcp" agent skill from https://github.com/rand/cc-polymath/tree/main/skills/discover-mcp into .opencode/skills/discover-mcp/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "discover-mcp", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
discover-mcp- GitHub stars
- 181
- Token cost
- ~938 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 374 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 26
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Automatically discover MCP (Model Context Protocol) skills when building MCP servers, designing tools, implementing resources/prompts, or testing MCP integrations.
- Works in 3 steps: mcp-server-fundamentals - Architecture,… → mcp-tool-design - Tool naming, schemas,… → mcp-testing - Inspector, unit tests,…
- Tasks that involve MCP servers
- SKILL.md covers When This Skill Activates, Available Skills, Common Workflows and Integration with Other Skills, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Discover MCP is an agent skill from rand/cc-polymath. Automatically discover MCP (Model Context Protocol) skills when building MCP servers, designing tools, implementing resources/prompts, or testing MCP integrations. Activates for MCP server development tasks.
Its SKILL.md is about 940 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts. Compatibility notes: Designed for Claude Code. Compatible with any agent supporting the Agent Skills format.
It sits in Agent Workflows, covering MCP servers. It works with Model Context Protocol. The repository describes itself as: Claude Code skills and workflows, optimized for context-efficiency and skill quality. Skills ranging from cloud infrastructure to design to advanced maths. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Tasks that involve MCP servers
Example prompts
- “/discover-mcp”
Requirements
- Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Designed for Claude Code. Compatible with any agent supporting the Agent Skills format.
Workflow steps
3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- mcp-server-fundamentals - Architecture, transports, tools/resources/prompts primitives, SDK setup
- mcp-tool-design - Tool naming, schemas, error handling, annotations, progressive disclosure
- mcp-testing - Inspector, unit tests, integration tests, transport debugging, CI/CD
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit baa2df1. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Compatibility
Designed for Claude Code. Compatible with any agent supporting the Agent Skills format.
From compatibility in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Context cost
Discover MCP loads about 938 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 55 tokens; SKILL.md has 374 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from rand/cc-polymath at commit baa2df1, republished under its MIT licence (© rand). 374 words, ~938 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/discover-mcp/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- discover-mcp
- description
- Automatically discover MCP (Model Context Protocol) skills when building MCP servers, designing tools, implementing resources/prompts, or testing MCP integrations. Activates for MCP server development tasks.
- compatibility
- Designed for Claude Code. Compatible with any agent supporting the Agent Skills format.
- license
- MIT
- metadata.author
- rand
- metadata.version
- 4.0
MCP Skills Discovery
Provides automatic access to comprehensive MCP server development, tool design, and testing skills.
When This Skill Activates
This skill auto-activates when you're working with:
- Building MCP servers (TypeScript or Python)
- Designing MCP tools, resources, or prompts
- Choosing MCP transports (stdio, SSE, Streamable HTTP)
- Implementing JSON-RPC 2.0 over MCP
- Testing MCP servers with Inspector or automated tests
- Debugging MCP protocol or transport issues
- Publishing or deploying MCP servers
Available Skills
Quick Reference
The MCP category contains 3 specialized skills:
- mcp-server-fundamentals - Architecture, transports, tools/resources/prompts primitives, SDK setup
- mcp-tool-design - Tool naming, schemas, error handling, annotations, progressive disclosure
- mcp-testing - Inspector, unit tests, integration tests, transport debugging, CI/CD
Load Full Category Details
For complete descriptions and workflows:
Read ../mcp/INDEX.md
This loads the full MCP category index with:
- Detailed skill descriptions
- Usage triggers for each skill
- Common workflow combinations
- Cross-references to related skills
Load Specific Skills
Load individual skills as needed:
Server architecture and setup
Read ../mcp/mcp-server-fundamentals.md
Tool design and best practices
Read ../mcp/mcp-tool-design.md
Testing and debugging
Read ../mcp/mcp-testing.md
Common Workflows
New MCP Server
Sequence: Fundamentals -> Tool Design -> Testing
Read ../mcp/mcp-server-fundamentals.md # Architecture, transport, SDK Read ../mcp/mcp-tool-design.md # Design tool interfaces Read ../mcp/mcp-testing.md # Test with Inspector, CI
Adding Tools to Existing Server
Sequence: Tool Design -> Testing
Read ../mcp/mcp-tool-design.md # Naming, schemas, errors Read ../mcp/mcp-testing.md # Test new tools
Debugging MCP Issues
Sequence: Testing -> Fundamentals
Read ../mcp/mcp-testing.md # Inspector, transport debugging Read ../mcp/mcp-server-fundamentals.md # Lifecycle, capabilities
Show full SKILL.md (145 more words)Show less
Integration with Other Skills
MCP skills commonly combine with:
API skills (discover-api):
- MCP servers wrapping REST or GraphQL APIs
- Authentication for MCP tool backends
Testing skills (discover-testing):
- Comprehensive test strategies
- Contract testing patterns
Infrastructure skills (discover-infra, discover-cloud):
- Deploying MCP servers
- Scaling HTTP transports
Progressive Loading
This gateway skill (~170 lines, ~1.5K tokens) enables progressive loading:
- Level 1: Gateway loads automatically (you're here now)
- Level 2: Load category INDEX.md (~2.5K tokens) for full overview
- Level 3: Load specific skills (~2-3K tokens each) as needed
Total context: 1.5K + 2.5K + skill(s) = 4-8K tokens vs 12K+ for everything.
Quick Start Examples
"Build an MCP server": Read ../mcp/mcp-server-fundamentals.md
"Design MCP tools for my API": Read ../mcp/mcp-tool-design.md
"Test my MCP server": Read ../mcp/mcp-testing.md
"Debug why my MCP tool isn't showing up": Read ../mcp/mcp-testing.md
Next Steps: Run Read ../mcp/INDEX.md to see full category details, or load specific skills using the commands above.
© rand, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/discover-mcp of rand/cc-polymath.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit baa2df1
Compare with similar skills
Discover MCP next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discover MCP this skillrand/cc-polymath | 181 | — | ~938 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| MCP Server Builderanthropics/skills | 180k | 63 repos | ~2.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| MCP Server BuildershareAI-lab/learn-claude-code | 78k | 4 repos | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| MCP Integration for Pluginsanthropics/claude-plugins-official | 38k | 11 repos | ~3.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Crush Configurationcharmbracelet/crush | 29k | — | ~3.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Context Mode Output Sandboxmksglu/context-mode | 26k | — | ~4.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence |
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shareAI-lab/learn-claude-code
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- Official
MCP Integration for Plugins
anthropics/claude-plugins-official
Explains how to bundle Model Context Protocol servers in a Claude Code plugin, covering config files, stdio, SSE, HTTP and WebSocket server types, and authentication.
Crush Configuration
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Context Mode Output Sandbox
mksglu/context-mode
Routes large command, file, API and browser output through context-mode tools so only the needed result enters the agent's context, instead of dumping it via Bash.
Warp GUI to Agent CLI Migration
warpdotdev/warp
Migrates the compatible subset of settings and global file-based MCP servers from the Warp desktop app into Warp Agent CLI without exposing credentials or state.
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Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Discover MCP
What does Discover MCP do?
Automatically discover MCP (Model Context Protocol) skills when building MCP servers, designing tools, implementing resources/prompts, or testing MCP integrations. Discover MCP is an agent skill from rand/cc-polymath. Automatically discover MCP (Model Context Protocol) skills when building MCP servers, designing tools, implementing resources/prompts, or testing MCP integrations.
When should I use Discover MCP?
Discover MCP fits situations like: tasks that involve MCP servers.
How do I install Discover MCP in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/discover-mcp in rand/cc-polymath) into .claude/skills/discover-mcp in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Discover MCP in Codex?
Run `npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/discover-mcp in rand/cc-polymath) into .agents/skills/discover-mcp in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Discover MCP in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add rand/cc-polymath --skill discover-mcp -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/discover-mcp, .gemini/skills/discover-mcp, .github/skills/discover-mcp and .opencode/skills/discover-mcp in your project.
What does Discover MCP need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Discover MCP is instructions for the agent only. Compatibility (from SKILL.md): Designed for Claude Code. Compatible with any agent supporting the Agent Skills format..
Does Discover MCP access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Discover MCP safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Discover MCP use?
Discover MCP is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Discover MCP use?
About 938 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Discover MCP?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Discover MCP: MCP Server Builder (anthropics/skills, 180k stars), MCP Server Builder (shareAI-lab/learn-claude-code, 78k stars), MCP Integration for Plugins (anthropics/claude-plugins-official, 38k stars) and Crush Configuration (charmbracelet/crush, 29k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Discover MCP?
rand (a GitHub user) maintains it in rand/cc-polymath, which has 181 GitHub stars. The repository holds 26 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on February 28, 2026.
Source: rand/cc-polymath on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.