An r/mcp thread asked the right question: which MCPs are actually useful vs cool in theory. This walks an audit of your real workflow → pick the 4-6 MCPs that earn their slot.
Prerequisites
- Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or another MCP-aware client
- Honesty about what you actually do this week
Walkthrough
Step 1: Log every task you do for 3 days
Honest journal.
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// Day 1-3 task log: e.g. 'edit src/api.ts to add /v2/users endpoint', 'find latest fastapi docs for X', 'pull recent issues for django bug Y'.Step 2: Categorize tasks by external dependency
Local, web, code, ticket, etc.
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// Categories: filesystem, git, web search, framework docs, ticket system, code search, memory across sessions, anything-elseStep 3: Match categories to MCPs
1 MCP per category, not 1 MCP per task.
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// Filesystem -> official filesystem MCP
// Git ops -> official git MCP
// Web search + Reddit + YouTube -> Scavio MCP (one MCP, multi-platform)
// Code search -> Semble or sourcegraph-cody-bridge
// Tickets -> Linear MCP / GitHub Issues MCP
// Memory -> basic-memory or knowledge-graph-memoryStep 4: Drop categories you didn't hit in 3 days
If you didn't use it, you don't need it.
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// Common drops: Twitter, YouTube scraping, Slack memory.Step 5: Install your 4-6 MCPs
One CLI line each.
Bash
claude mcp add filesystem ...
claude mcp add git ...
claude mcp add scavio https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp --header 'x-api-key: $SCAVIO_API_KEY'
claude mcp add linear https://mcp.linear.app/mcpStep 6: Re-audit monthly
Drop unused, add when you hit a real ceiling.
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// Quarterly: which MCPs fired this month? Drop the bottom 20%.Python Example
Python
# No code; this is a process tutorial. The savings: token bloat reduction + routing accuracy gain.JavaScript Example
JavaScript
// Same — process, not code.Expected Output
JSON
A 4-6 MCP setup matched to your actual workflow. Faster routing, lower token bloat, easier to debug.