client setup · updated August 2026

Add MCP servers to Cline

Cline runs MCP servers from inside VS Code and can even help you install them: the extension manages its own server list in a dedicated panel.

The config Cline expects

Lives in: cline_mcp_settings.json, via the extension's MCP Servers panel

One entry per server, under the top-level mcpServers key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "the-server-package"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Swap the placeholder for a real server: every server page on this site renders the exact block, ready to paste.

Official setup guide: Cline documentation ↗

Five proven servers to start with

The highest-ranked servers we track; each page carries the paste-ready config.

01 Playwright MCP 25,988,876 installs/mo · ★ 36,436 · commit 2026-08-21 02 Chrome DevTools MCP 7,879,708 installs/mo · ★ 49,617 · commit 2026-08-23 03 Context7 4,108,483 installs/mo · ★ 61,171 · commit 2026-08-24 04 Firebase MCP 10,734,044 installs/mo · ★ 4,460 · commit 2026-08-25 05 Storybook MCP Addon 7,699,261 installs/mo · ★ 268 · commit 2026-08-21

Prefer running nothing locally? Start from a hosted endpoint instead: the best remote MCP servers.

Quick answers

Where does Cline keep its MCP configuration?

In cline_mcp_settings.json, via the extension's MCP Servers panel. The official documentation covers edge cases and the newest options.

Do all MCP servers work with Cline?

Any server speaking standard MCP transports should work: local servers run as a process your client starts, remote servers are a URL you point it at. Each server page on this site shows its exact config, and states when a server needs credentials first.

About this page

Client mechanics come from each client's public documentation, linked above; anything we are not certain of defers to those docs rather than guessing. Server rankings are ours: monthly installs, GitHub stars, and commit recency, recomputed nightly. How we verify.