Fine-tuned Enable Template

Selectively enable MCP server features and capabilities through granular configuration controls.

When to Use This Setting

Apply this setting when you need to:

• Activate specific MCP server capabilities that are disabled by default in your environment
• Create a curated set of enabled features tailored to your project requirements
• Gradually roll out MCP server functionality by enabling features incrementally Consider alternatives when:
• You want all MCP features enabled by default and only need to disable specific ones
• Your project does not use any MCP servers and this configuration would have no effect

Quick Start

Configuration

Copy
name: fine-tuned-enable-template
type: setting
category: mcp

Example Application

Copy
claude setting:apply fine-tuned-enable-template

Example Output

Setting applied. Changes:
- enabledMcpjsonServers: ["memory", "github", "filesystem"]
- mcpServers: configured with startup parameters
- All unlisted servers remain disabled

Core Concepts

MCP Enable Strategy Overview

Aspect	Details
Whitelist Model	Only explicitly listed servers are activated; all others remain dormant
Startup Configuration	Each enabled server can have custom startup parameters and environment variables
Feature Granularity	Individual server capabilities can be toggled independently
Environment Isolation	Different projects can enable different server subsets for appropriate access

Enable Flow Architecture

+---------------------------+
|  Project Configuration    |
+---------------------------+
         |
         v
+---------------------------+
|  MCP Enable Filter        |
+---------------------------+
|  Whitelist:               |
|  [memory, github,        |
|   filesystem]             |
+---------------------------+
         |
    +----+----+----+
    |    |    |    |
    v    v    v    x
  mem  git  fs   other
  [ON] [ON] [ON] [OFF]
         |
         v
+---------------------------+
|  Active MCP Environment   |
|  Only whitelisted servers |
|  are running              |
+---------------------------+

Configuration

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
enabledMcpjsonServers	array	[]	Whitelist of MCP server names to activate from .mcp.json files
mcpServers	object	{}	Direct server configuration with startup commands and arguments
mcpServers.[name].command	string	N/A	The executable command to start a specific MCP server
mcpServers.[name].args	array	[]	Command-line arguments passed to the MCP server on startup
mcpServers.[name].env	object	{}	Environment variables specific to the MCP server process

Best Practices

1. Start with minimal servers and expand - Begin with only the servers your project absolutely requires. Add servers incrementally as needs arise rather than enabling everything upfront.
2. Document server dependencies - Some servers depend on others for full functionality. Create a dependency map so that enabling one server automatically suggests enabling its dependencies.
3. Use project-level configuration - Enable servers at the project level rather than globally. This ensures each project has only the MCP capabilities relevant to its technology stack and security requirements.
4. Test server interactions - When enabling multiple servers, test that they work correctly together. Some server combinations may conflict or produce unexpected behavior when active simultaneously.
5. Version control your enable list - Commit your MCP server configuration to version control so that all team members have the same set of enabled servers for consistent development environments.

Common Issues

1. Enabled server fails to start - Verify that the server's command and args are correct in the mcpServers configuration. Check that required dependencies and runtime environments are installed.
2. Server works locally but not in CI - CI environments may lack the runtime dependencies or network access that MCP servers require. Create a CI-specific enable list with only servers that function in headless environments.
3. Too few servers causing missing functionality - If Claude Code reports that a tool is unavailable, check whether the corresponding MCP server needs to be added to the enable list.