Top Claude MCP server integrations you can set up right now

The evolution of LLMs and the power of MCPs

The evolution of Large Language Models (LLMs) can be thought of in three phases.

In the first evolution, LLMs were limited to responding to prompts based on their internal training data. They could not access external tools, which meant they couldn’t handle queries outside of what they had been trained on.

The second evolution introduced the ability for LLMs to access external tools and context. While this was a step forward in helping them respond more accurately, the process was not always intuitive.

The third evolution, which is where Multi-modal Communication Protocols (MCPs) come in, maintains the combination of LLMs and external tools but introduces a robust infrastructure for seamless access and maintenance.

How MCPs work

At its core, an MCP acts as a universal translator for AI agents.

When a user sends a query:

• The agent decides which MCP server and tool to access.
• The MCP translates the request into a format that the tool can understand.
• Then, it translates the tool’s response back for the AI agent.

Unlike basic API connections, MCPs preserve interaction context, allowing for rich and intelligent conversations between LLMs and external apps.

Setting up Claude desktop for MCP

We’ll be using Claude Desktop as the AI Agent, but you can also use alternatives like Cursor or Windsurf.

Prerequisites for Claude desktop

• Claude Code. You can download from here.

~/.claude.json (primary)

Also supports 

~/.claude/settings.json

~/.claude/settings.local.json, or

~/.claude/mcp_servers.json

• Claude Desktop

macOS/Linux: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows:%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

JSON Structure

{

  "mcpServers": {

    "myClaudeMCP": {

      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/sse/my-server",

      "headers": {

        "Authorization": "Bearer <JWT_TOKEN>"

      }

    }

  }

}

You will know its successful once you see the connector icon in Claude Desktop.

You can also check in the repository which lists hundreds of MCP servers. In this blog post we are going to take up top 7 integrations categorized via use case that will make your life easier.

Top 7 MCP integrations you need:

1. File management

 A folder where your files are scattered and cluttered, is a huge mess. MCP’s Filesystem MCP empowers Claude to access, categorize, and clean your directory – removing duplicates and organizing content intuitively.

Setup Steps (Claude Desktop + Filesystem MCP):

You provide Claude with access to the file system, enabling the AI model to thoroughly examine its contents, organize files into appropriate categories, and identify and remove any duplicate items.  You can get started from here.

• Ensure you have the Claude Desktop app and Node.js installed.
• Quit and relaunch Claude. Then test by asking:
  Example prompt: “List the contents of my src directory.” or “Organize files in this folder and remove duplicates.”

2. Email management (Gmail, etc.)

Another important and super helpful use case is to tell your AI agent to Read, reply, label, and organize emails directly via Claude. You can achieve it by:  setting up MCP to send emails via Gmail using Zapier AI actions.

•  Connect MCP to Gmail via Zapier AI Actions or Gmail Actions to allow MCP to send emails through a Zap webhook.
• Add the Zapier webhook URL and secret key to the MCP config, then restart Claude to apply changes.
• Prompt Claude to Send Email or Discord Message
  Example prompt: “Send email to alice@example.com, subject ‘Update’, body ‘Meeting at 3 PM.'”

3. Project management tools (Notion, Asana, ClickUp)

Project management tools like Notion, Asana, ClickUp uses bi-directional MCP integration that enables project updates and queries through a Zapier MCP integration  so you can automate your work.
Use case: Fetch project statuses or update tasks without leaving Claude.
Example prompt: “Update the status of ‘Marketing Launch’ in Notion to ‘In Progress’.”

DronaHQ also recently added MCP server builder, wherein you can expose your existing connectors i.e. databases and APIs as MCP tools to your AI agent. So if you are already using DronaHQ for your project, this will be the perfect fit for your team.

4. Code repositories (GitHub)

How it works: Official GitHub MCP lets Claude access and interact with codebases, automate workflows, build tools, extract and analyze data.
For setting up can check Github’s official documentation. 
Use case: Search, review, or commit code with natural language.
Example prompt: “Show me all PRs from the last week in repo frontend-ui.”

5. Real-time messaging (Twilio)

MCP bridges Claude to Twilio’s messaging APIs for sending real-time messages.
Use case: Send SMS, manage numbers, or configure Twilio accounts.
Example prompt: “Send ‘Your order has shipped!’ to +1234567890.”

6. Communication platforms (Slack, WhatsApp)

You can also use Claude to  send and receive messages through chat platforms via MCP server provider Zapier AI Actions by exposing these actions to your agent.
Use case: Monitor channels, forward messages, or send team updates.
Example prompt: “Send today’s meeting notes to #team-marketing on Slack.”

7. Design and creativity (Figma)

You can also allow Cursor to communicate with the Figma MCP for reading designs and modifying assets. For more details on how to navigate  to Claude-code-figma-mcp-server blog.
Use case: Generate UI mockups or manipulate using text.
Example prompt: “Create a login screen in Figma with a dark theme.”

8. Automated insights & reporting

Streamline your daily updates by connecting Claude to tools like Stripe, PayPal, Google Analytics, social media platforms, and Google Sheets via MCPs. This setup enables Claude to compile and send a daily Slack summary with key KPIs, track social sentiment, flag top-performing content, and even suggest new ideas—all in real time. You can setup via Zapier AI Actions Paypal.

Use case: Daily reporting and decision-making made frictionless.

Example prompt: “Summarize today’s Stripe revenue and top three tweets by engagement.”

Audiense Insights – Marketing insights and audience analysis from Audiense reports, covering demographic, cultural, influencer, and content engagement analysis.

Custom MCP server with DronaHQ

If you are already set up in DronaHQ and have internal databases and APIs set up, you can build MCP server with the existing tools which unlocks access to 75+ connectors, from SQL databases to SaaS APIs. DronaHQ also provides CLI integration along with manaul setup so that you can get started — without custom scripting
Once connected, Claude can query data, generate reports, or automate workflows with simple prompts.

Use case: Access business-critical data from multiple sources instantly with easy CLI integration.

Example prompt: “Pull active user count from our production database and compare with last week.”

My two cents:
Start small, pick the integrations that match your workflow, and let Claude become the AI teammate you always wanted — fast, connected, and fully operational.

👉 Explore the full MCP server list to discover even more ways to extend Claude.