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Guide · no engineering background required

How to connect an MCP server to your AI assistant

An MCP server is a plug that lets an assistant like Claude or ChatGPT use a real system — market data, your CRM, a custodian, your accounting file — instead of guessing. Across the 68 servers in this directory, there are only a handful of ways that plug gets connected. This page walks through each one.

First, the vocabulary

MCP server

A small piece of software that exposes one system's data and actions to an assistant in a standard way. You do not build it — the vendor or community already did.

Client

The assistant you already use: Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, Copilot. This is where you paste the connection details.

Tool

One thing the server can do, like “look up a quote” or “list this client's holdings.” Your assistant chooses which tool to call.

The two ways a server runs

Every listing in the directory is tagged Remote, Local or Both. That tag is the single biggest thing determining how you connect.

45 listings

1. Remote — paste a link

The vendor hosts the server. You give your assistant a web address and sign in. Nothing gets installed on your computer. This is the most common and the easiest.

  1. 01Open your assistant's settings and find Connectors (Claude) or Apps & Connectors (ChatGPT).
  2. 02Choose “Add custom connector” and paste the server's URL.
  3. 03Sign in or paste an API key when prompted.
  4. 04Ask a simple question to confirm it answered from live data.
Good for
Best for firms with no IT support, and for data that is already vendor-hosted.
Watch out for
The vendor sees the requests your assistant makes. Check that against your firm's vendor-review policy.
29 listings

2. Local — run a command on your machine

The server runs on your own computer or a firm server. Data never leaves your network, which is why this is the preferred route for anything with client PII.

  1. 01Install the runner the server asks for — usually uv (Python) or Node.js. One-time setup.
  2. 02Open your assistant's config file and add an entry naming the command to run.
  3. 03Put credentials in the entry's env block, not in the chat.
  4. 04Fully quit and reopen the assistant so it picks up the change.
Good for
Best for client documents, tax files, custodial exports and anything you would not email.
Watch out for
It only works while your machine is on, and each teammate must set it up separately.

What a local entry looks like — Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sec-edgar": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["sec-edgar-mcp"],
      "env": { "SEC_EDGAR_USER_AGENT": "you@firm.com" }
    }
  }
}

Read it left to right: give the connection a nickname, say what to run, and hand it the one setting it needs. Most local listings differ only in the last two lines.

The four ways you prove who you are

Each card in the directory shows an Auth tag. Here is what each one means in practice.

OAuth

24 listings

A “Sign in with…” window, like connecting an app to your Google account.

You approve access once in a browser and can revoke it later from the vendor's account settings. Nothing sensitive gets pasted into a config file. Prefer this when the vendor offers it.

API key

26 listings

A long password you copy from the vendor's dashboard.

Generate the key with the narrowest permissions offered, store it in a password manager, and paste it into the connector's key field or the config env block — never into a chat message. Rotate it when someone leaves.

None

14 listings

Public data — no login at all.

Regulatory filings, registries and open market data. Safe to try first if you just want to see how MCP behaves before involving anything client-related.

Enterprise

6 listings

Your firm's admin has to switch it on.

Common for custodians, core wealth platforms and Microsoft/Google tenants. Expect a request to IT or your relationship manager, plus a contract or entitlement review before access is granted.

A safe first connection, in order

  1. 1

    Pick a read-only, no-auth server

    Start with something public such as a filings or registry server. You learn the mechanics without exposing anything.

  2. 2

    Check the hosting tag on the card

    Remote means paste a link. Local means install a runner and edit a config file.

  3. 3

    Collect credentials before you start

    Have the API key or admin approval in hand. Half-finished connections are the most common reason a server “doesn't show up.”

  4. 4

    Add it in your assistant's connector settings

    Restart the assistant afterwards. Then confirm the tools appear in the tools list.

  5. 5

    Ask one question you can verify

    Something you already know the answer to. If it matches, the connection is real; if it's vague, the assistant is likely still guessing.

  6. 6

    Only then widen the permissions

    Add write, trading or client-record scopes deliberately, one at a time, after reviewing what each tool is allowed to do.

Before you connect anything client-related

Client data stays yours

Prefer local servers for anything touching PII or tax documents — nothing leaves your network.

Read-only first

Start with read-only tools. Grant trading or write scopes only after you have reviewed the tool annotations.

Books and records

Assistant output used with clients is generally a business record. Route it into your firm's archive.

Least-privilege keys

One key per person or per use, scoped as narrowly as the vendor allows, rotated on staff changes.

Vendor review still applies

A remote MCP server is a new data processor. Run it through the same diligence as any other vendor.

Verify, don't trust

Assistants can misread a tool result. Spot-check numbers that will reach a client document.

Ready to pick one?

Browse the directory and filter by category to find servers your firm already uses.

Browse 68 servers →