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MCP installations

Goal: Decide when to use an MCP server vs a CLI, and wire up the recommended ones.
Level Beginner
Time ~10 min
Prerequisites An AI assistant (Claude Code); the CLI for the service when one exists (gh, acli, …)

Why

Prefer the CLI over MCP. It is more efficient.

An MCP server loads its full tool schema into every turn — that bloats the context window and is less optimised. A CLI call costs a few tokens and returns only what you ask for.

Reach for MCP only when no CLI covers the service.

⚠️ Always verify your sources. Audit what you install before connecting any server.

Recommended servers

Service Official MCP CLI alternative Recommended
GitHub api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ gh CLI — gh covers issues, PRs, releases, API at a fraction of the context
Atlassian (Jira / Confluence) mcp.atlassian.com/v1/mcp acli (Jira only at GA) CLI for Jira · MCP for Confluence (no CLI yet)
Playwright @playwright/mcp npx playwright + official skill CLI — drives a real browser (playwright open, codegen, --headed). The skill wraps it
Figma mcp.figma.com/mcp none for design data MCP
Notion mcp.notion.com/mcp none official MCP

Steps

  1. 🔎 Check for a CLI first — if the service has one (GitHub → gh, Jira → acli), install and authenticate it instead of an MCP server.
  2. 🔌 If MCP is the only option, add the server to your .mcp.json: 
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "figma": { "url": "https://mcp.figma.com/mcp" }
  }
}
  3. 🛡️ Audit the server before connecting — read its docs and the permissions it requests.
  4. ✅ Restart your assistant so it picks up the new configuration.

Verify

  • The MCP tools appear in your assistant (e.g. /mcp in Claude Code lists connected servers).
  • For a CLI, run a read-only command (gh auth status, acli jira me) and confirm it returns.

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