Use the /mcp Command to Inspect Your MCP Servers
MCP servers can silently fail without any obvious error in your conversation. The /mcp command is the fastest way to find out what's actually connected and healthy.
/mcp
Type /mcp in any Claude Code session and you'll see a live list of all configured MCP servers, their connection state, and how many tools each one is exposing. If something shows as disconnected or errored, you can restart it right there without leaving the terminal.
# Example /mcp output
✓ postgres connected — 6 tools
✗ github error — 0 tools (authentication failed)
✓ filesystem connected — 8 tools
✓ brave-search connected — 1 tool
A server might be in an error state because:
- An API key expired or wasn't set
- The server process crashed after a dependency update
- A per-project config references a server that isn't installed globally
Once you've fixed the underlying issue (updated the key in ~/.claude/settings.json, reinstalled the package, etc.), /mcp lets you restart just that server without restarting your whole session.
/mcp is your first diagnostic stop whenever a tool you expected to work suddenly isn't there.
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MCP servers aren't just for third-party integrations — you can build your own to give Claude direct access to your internal tools, databases, APIs, and workflows. A custom MCP server turns any system your team uses into a tool Claude can call natively from your session.
MCP servers can be scoped at three levels — user (available everywhere you work), project (shared with the team via version control), or enterprise (managed by your organization). Pick the right scope so each project gets exactly the tools it needs without cluttering unrelated ones.
Instead of manually editing settings JSON to add MCP servers, use the claude mcp command — add servers with one line, list what's configured, remove ones you don't need, and scope them to the right level, all from the terminal.