MCP Installer MCP server

This server is a versatile tool that allows you to install other Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers directly through Claude. It simplifies the process of setting up MCP servers from npm or PyPi packages by handling the installation for you when you ask Claude to do so.

Installation

To install the MCP installer server, you need to add it to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

Configuration Location

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration Setup

Add the following to your configuration file:

"mcpServers": {
  "mcp-installer": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": [
      "@anaisbetts/mcp-installer"
    ]
  }
}

Prerequisites

Before using this MCP installer, ensure you have:

• npx installed (comes with Node.js) for installing Node.js-based servers
• uv installed for Python-based servers

Usage

Once installed, you can ask Claude to install MCP servers for you using natural language prompts.

Example Prompts

Here are some examples of how to ask Claude to install MCP servers:

Basic Installation

To install a server from npm:

Hey Claude, install the MCP server named mcp-server-fetch

Installation with Arguments

To specify a directory path or other arguments:

Hey Claude, install the @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem package as an MCP server. Use ['/Users/username/Desktop'] for the arguments

Installation from Local Path

To install a server from a local directory:

Hi Claude, please install the MCP server at /Users/username/code/mcp-youtube

Installation with Environment Variables

To set environment variables during installation:

Install the server @modelcontextprotocol/server-github. Set the environment variable GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN to '1234567890'

Supported Sources

The MCP installer supports installing servers from:

• npm packages
• PyPi packages
• Local file paths

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.