5 must-have MCPs for Claude Code
The 5 I use every day. One-click copy commands, just follow along
黃志弘 Leo
Published 2026-06-25 · Updated 2026-10-07 · 2 readers
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the standard interface that connects Claude Code to outside tools. Install the 5 below and Claude can search the web, drive a browser, scrape a whole site, generate images and video, and control your tabs. Its reach roughly doubles. Every command here was checked against the official source, and each one has one-click copy. You can follow this with no engineering background.
How to use this page
Install Claude Code first. Paste each command below into your terminal and run it, swapping the gold API key text for your own. After installing, restart your Claude Code session to load them. Run claude mcp list to check that they are installed.
npx has to be wrapped in cmd /c npx (this is the official requirement for Claude Code on Windows, and it will not run without it). On Mac / Linux, use the command as is.1Perplexity MCP
Live web search, no more switching tabs
Claude calls Perplexity's Sonar models directly for live web search, questions, and deep research.
Mac / Linux
claude mcp add perplexity --env PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="YOUR_KEY" -- npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-serverWindows
claude mcp add perplexity --env PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="YOUR_KEY" -- cmd /c npx -y @perplexity-ai/mcp-serverAPI key: Requires PERPLEXITY_API_KEY. Get one from the API settings on perplexity.ai (paid API, add credit first).
Official source: github.com/perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol
2Playwright MCP
Let Claude drive a browser, click buttons, fill forms
Made by Microsoft. Real browser automation: open pages, click buttons, fill forms, take screenshots, read page structure. No API key needed, and the browser installs itself on first run.
Mac / Linux
claude mcp add playwright npx @playwright/mcp@latestWindows
claude mcp add playwright -- cmd /c npx @playwright/mcp@latestOfficial source: github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp
3Firecrawl MCP
Pull an entire site into Claude in seconds
Turn a whole site into clean Markdown (scrape / crawl / search / map / extract) for Claude to read.
Mac / Linux
claude mcp add firecrawl -e FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY -- npx -y firecrawl-mcpWindows
claude mcp add firecrawl -e FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY -- cmd /c npx -y firecrawl-mcpAPI key: Requires FIRECRAWL_API_KEY (keys start with fc- prefix). Get one at firecrawl.dev by signing up:free plan available, no credit card.
Official source: github.com/firecrawl/firecrawl-mcp-server
4Glif MCP
AI images and video, run right inside your workflow
Pull the AI workflows from glif.app (image generation, memes, multimodal models) into Claude and run them there.
Mac / Linux
claude mcp add --scope user --transport http glif "https://glif.app/api/mcp"Windows
claude mcp add --scope user --transport http glif "https://glif.app/api/mcp"API key: Not needed. The first time you use it, a browser window opens and you sign in with your Glif account. Generating images and video spends credits from your Glif account, see glif.app/mcp for details.
claude mcp remove glif first, then reinstall.Official source: github.com/glifxyz/glif-mcp-server
5Chrome MCP
Claude can see and drive the Chrome tabs you already have open
Different from Playwright. Chrome MCP connects to the Chrome you are already using, so it keeps your logins and your open tabs. It can search across tabs, take screenshots, grab content, click and fill forms. No API key needed, fully local (needs Node.js 20 or later). Setup is not a one-line command. Install the extension and the bridge first:
- Go to the official releases page and download the extension
- Install the bridge in your terminal:
npm install -g mcp-chrome-bridge - In Chrome, open
chrome://extensions/→ turn on Developer mode → Load unpacked → pick the folder you just downloaded → click connect - Finally, connect it in Claude Code (it runs on 127.0.0.1:12306 by default):
claude mcp add --transport http chrome-mcp-server http://127.0.0.1:12306/mcpThis line is the same on Mac and Windows (no npx, so no cmd /c wrapper). The earlier npm install -g line is the same on both too.
hangwin/mcp-chrome, which fits the "drive my own Chrome" job best. Google also publishes chrome-devtools-mcp, but that one is aimed at web debugging, a different purpose.Official source: github.com/hangwin/mcp-chrome
Common questions
What is MCP?
Model Context Protocol, a standard interface that connects Claude Code to outside tools and data sources. Install the matching MCP server and Claude can search the web, drive a browser, scrape sites, and generate images. Its reach grows a lot.
Installed it but nothing happens?
After the command finishes, restart your Claude Code session to load them. Run claude mcp list to confirm it was added.
Do I need a paid key?
Not always. Playwright and Chrome need no key. Firecrawl has a free plan. Perplexity needs a key, and the Perplexity API is paid. Glif uses an account sign-in with no key.