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FastMCP (Python)

by PrefectHQ

The fast, Pythonic way to build MCP servers and clients. Maintained by PrefectHQ. 25,133 GitHub stars and 92 commits on main in the last 30 days. The dominant Python MCP framework.

25,133·5 tools·Released FEB 2025·Apache-2.0
pip install fastmcp
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The fast, Pythonic way to build MCP servers and clients. Maintained by PrefectHQ. 25,133 stars and 92 commits on main in the last 30 days. The dominant Python MCP framework.

Reviewed by M. Nouriel · MAY 2026

INSTALL THIS SERVER

{ "mcpServers": { "my-fastmcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_fastmcp_server" ] } } }
PrereqPyPI: `fastmcp`. Framework for building MCP servers in Python; example config is for a server you have written using FastMCP. Path: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS).
{ "mcpServers": { "my-fastmcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_fastmcp_server" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "my-fastmcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_fastmcp_server" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "my-fastmcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_fastmcp_server" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "my-fastmcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_fastmcp_server" ] } } }

5 TOOLS AVAILABLE

create_server
Scaffold a new MCP server in Python with FastMCP decorators
Admin
register_tool
Register a Python function as an MCP tool with type hints
Admin
register_resource
Expose a Python value or stream as an MCP resource
Admin

OUR ASSESSMENT

Strengths
  • 25,133 GitHub stars. Top Python MCP framework.
  • 92 commits on main in the last 30 days.
  • Apache-2.0 license.
  • PrefectHQ maintenance with commercial backing.
  • Decorator-based ergonomics with type-hint inference.
  • Supports all three MCP transports (stdio, SSE, streamable HTTP).
Weaknesses
  • Framework lock-in versus hand-rolling JSON-RPC.
  • Decorator magic can obscure protocol-level behaviour during debugging.
  • API surface evolves quickly; pin versions in production.
Security Notes

Framework has no auth by default. Servers built with FastMCP must add their own authentication for production deployments (recommended approach: middleware decorator pattern documented in the README).

Best For

Python developers building MCP servers who want the lowest-friction path; Prefect users extending their data orchestration to MCP; teams that prefer decorator-based APIs over manual JSON-RPC wiring.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Language
python
Transport
stdiostreamable-httpsse
Clients
Claude DesktopClaude CodeCursorVS CodeWindsurf
License
Apache-2.0
GitHub
PrefectHQ/fastmcp · ★ 25,133
npm
fastmcp
Last Release
fastmcp (PyPI latest)MAY 12, 2026
First Released
FEB 1, 2025

ADOPTION METRICS

// GitHub Stars
25,133

// Reading this25,133 stars on PrefectHQ/fastmcp. 92 commits on main in the last 30 days.

// Popularity Rank
#1
Globally · #1 in Dev Tools

// Reading thisPairs with the official Python SDK (modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk), the TypeScript SDK, and mark3labs/mcp-go in the MCP framework slot. FastMCP is the most-starred Python entry.

SOURCES & VERIFICATION

We don't take any single directory's word for it. Before scoring, we cross-reference 5 public MCP sources, install the server ourselves against the clients we cover, and record when we last re-verified.

01
Discovered
Manual submission
First indexed MAY 12, 2026
02
Cross-referenced
5 directories
PulseMCP, MCP.so, Glama, Smithery, Official MCP Registry
03
Verified against
Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code
Installed and tested across clients
04
Last re-checked
MAY 12, 2026
Weekly re-verification
// How other directories see it

The same server, 5 different lenses. We reconcile these signals into our editorial score, which is why our number sometimes diverges from a directory-aggregate star count.

SourceTheir ratingTheir star countTheir downloadsLast synced
AutomationSwitch This page4.7editorial25,133MAY 12, 2026
PulseMCP— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 12, 2026
MCP.so— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 12, 2026
Glama— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 12, 2026
Smithery— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 12, 2026
Official MCP Registry— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 12, 2026

// Counts are directory-reported; we don't adjust them. Discrepancies usually come from different snapshot times or star-caching.

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// Get in touch

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