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MCP Python SDK

by Model Context Protocol (Anthropic)

The official Python SDK for Model Context Protocol servers and clients. Maintained by the Model Context Protocol project. 22,984 GitHub stars and 5 commits on main in the last 30 days.

22,984·5 tools·Released NOV 2024·MIT
pip install mcp
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The official Python SDK for Model Context Protocol servers and clients. Maintained by the Model Context Protocol project. 22,984 stars and 5 commits on main in the last 30 days.

Reviewed by M. Nouriel · MAY 2026

INSTALL THIS SERVER

{ "mcpServers": { "my-mcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_mcp_server" ] } } }
PrereqPyPI: `mcp`. SDK for building MCP servers in Python; example config shows a server built using this SDK. Path: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS).
{ "mcpServers": { "my-mcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_mcp_server" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "my-mcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_mcp_server" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "my-mcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_mcp_server" ] } } }
{ "mcpServers": { "my-mcp-server": { "command": "python", "args": [ "-m", "my_mcp_server" ] } } }

5 TOOLS AVAILABLE

create_server
Construct an MCP server in Python with the official SDK
Admin
register_tool
Register a Python function as an MCP tool
Admin
register_resource
Expose data as an MCP resource
Admin

OUR ASSESSMENT

Strengths
  • 22,984 GitHub stars.
  • 5 commits on main in the last 30 days.
  • Pure MIT license (Anthropic, PBC).
  • Maintained by the Model Context Protocol project.
  • Reference implementation for the protocol.
Weaknesses
  • SDK-level scope; ergonomics improved by frameworks like FastMCP.
  • API surface evolves with the protocol; pin versions in production.
  • No built-in auth; each server must implement its own.
Security Notes

SDK has no auth by default. Servers built with the SDK must add authentication for production. Recommended pattern: middleware-style auth check before tool invocation.

Best For

Python developers who want the official reference implementation; teams building MCP servers that need protocol-level control; FastMCP users who want to peek beneath the abstraction.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Language
python
Transport
stdiostreamable-httpsse
Clients
Claude DesktopClaude CodeCursorVS CodeWindsurf
License
MIT
npm
mcp
Last Release
mcp (PyPI latest)MAY 14, 2026
First Released
NOV 1, 2024

ADOPTION METRICS

// GitHub Stars
22,984

// Reading this22,984 stars on modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk. 5 commits on main in the last 30 days. License pure MIT confirmed via direct LICENSE file inspection.

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

// Reading thisPairs with FastMCP (Python), the MCP TypeScript SDK, Go SDK, and C# SDK in the official MCP language layer.

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 14, 2026
02
Cross-referenced
5 directories
PulseMCP, MCP.so, Glama, Smithery, Official MCP Registry
03
Verified against
Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor
Installed and tested across clients
04
Last re-checked
MAY 14, 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 page4.7editorial22,984MAY 14, 2026
PulseMCP— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 14, 2026
MCP.so— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 14, 2026
Glama— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 14, 2026
Smithery— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 14, 2026
Official MCP Registry— unratedunavailableunavailableMAY 14, 2026

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

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