Dev.to
6/28/2026

🔌 I Tried 100 MCP Servers. These Are The Only 12 Worth Installing.
Short summary
Author tested 100 MCP servers in real workflows and retained 12 covering docs, files, version control, browsers, databases, design, and observability. Every connected server taxes your context window with tool schemas, making small deliberate setups superior to maximal configurations. Security auditing is mandatory—MCP servers run with your credentials and pose prompt-injection vectors.
- •Tested 100 MCP servers; only 12 survived daily engineering use across GitHub, databases, and design tools
- •Context window cost is hidden: each server's schemas burn tokens before your code is read
- •Security is non-negotiable—audit server implementations before trusting credentials to them
Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.
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