Verified Agent Skill record

Build MCP Server

Guides developers through a discovery and design process for building an MCP server that works with Claude. It interrogates the user about their use case, recommends one deployment model (remote streamable-HTTP, MCP app via remote or MCPB, MCPB bundled local, or local stdio), selects a tool-design pattern, picks a framework, and then either scaffolds the server inline for remote HTTP or local stdio prototypes or hands off to a specialized skill for MCP app or MCPB paths.

Tasks

Interrogate the user's use case to determine the appropriate deployment model: remote streamable-HTTP server, MCP app (remote or MCPB), MCPB (bundled local), or local stdio
Recommend a single deployment model based on Phase 1 answers and select a matching tool-design pattern: one tool per action for under ~15 actions, or search + execute for large API surfaces

Inputs

User's description of what the server connects to
User's intended audience (personal, team, or public distribution)
Number of distinct actions the server will expose
Whether any tool requires mid-call user input or rich display
Upstream service authentication type

Outputs

A deployment model recommendation from the set: remote streamable-HTTP server, MCP app (remote or MCPB), MCPB bundled local server, or local stdio prototype
A tool-design pattern recommendation: one tool per action, or search + execute
A framework recommendation: Official TypeScript SDK or FastMCP 3.x
Inline scaffolding for remote HTTP with no UI or for a local stdio prototype; otherwise a design-brief handoff paragraph for specialized skills

Limitations and checks

Inline scaffolding is limited to remote HTTP servers with no UI and local stdio prototypes; MCP app and MCPB paths hand off to specialized skills
Elicitation host support is new and was confirmed only for Claude Code v2.1.76; Desktop support is unconfirmed, so capability checks and fallbacks are required
Local stdio is not recommended for distribution because users need the correct runtime and updates cannot be pushed
The skill's discovery phase must not be skipped unless the user's opening message already answers all Phase 1 questions
Confirm that Claude-specific context was fetched before any recommendation or scaffolding was produced
Verify that only one deployment model was recommended and that it matches the user's use-case answers
Ensure MCP app and MCPB paths produce a handoff with a one-paragraph design brief rather than inline scaffolding
Check that any elicitation recommendation includes a clientCapabilities.elicitation capability check and a fallback