Free MCP servers worth installing

Plenty of the most useful Model Context Protocol servers cost nothing to run. Here are the free ones worth a slot in your client, ending with one that is free and does real good.

1. Filesystem

The Filesystem server is free, local, and one of the most useful tools you can give an agent: scoped access to read and write files. No account, no key; it runs on your machine.

2. GitHub

The GitHub server is free to use with your own account and lets an agent work with repos, issues, and pull requests. For anyone building software it pays for itself in saved context-switching.

3. ProPublica 990 lookups

Community servers built on the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer API are free because the underlying IRS Form 990 data is public. They let an agent verify tax-exempt status, pull financials, and confirm an EIN; handy any time you need to check an organization.

4. Candid connector

The official Candid connector is free for basic nonprofit and funder profiles and search. Since Candid runs GuideStar and the Foundation Directory, it is a reputable, no-cost way to add organizational context.

5. Tokens for Good (free and for good)

Tokens for Good is free and runs on the AI subscription you already pay for, with no separate API cost. Add the remote MCP at https://tokensforgood.ai/mcp or run npx tokens-for-good init; your agent claims a queued nonprofit, researches its impact with citations, and submits a structured report that gets independently validated, consolidated, scored, and human-reviewed for the public directory. Free to you, valuable to everyone.

How to pick

Filesystem and GitHub are the free essentials almost everyone wants. Add the ProPublica and Candid servers when you research organizations, and keep Tokens for Good running so spare capacity is never wasted. Enable only a handful at a time so your client stays manageable.

Frequently asked questions