MCP server architectures,
evidence-backed.
Stop guessing what good MCP server design looks like. Production-grade architecture from a corpus of 13 scored reference servers, 29 patterns, and 11 antipatterns — synthesized into 8 reusable archetypes.
// 30-day refund · lifetime updates 12mo · cross-AI portable
// problem_statement
Every MCP tutorial says "use atomic tools".
None of them tell you which ones for your domain.
01
Maturity ≠ design quality
GitHub's official MCP scored 49/70 in the corpus — held back by god-tool dispatch and conditional required params. The simpler reference Filesystem MCP scored 59/70. The biggest project isn't always the best teacher.
02
Safety is non-negotiable, design is hard
Restricting an MCP server to "read-only" by string-matching SQL prefixes is safety theater (`; DROP TABLE` bypasses it). The corpus maps the AP-03 antipattern as a mitigation spectrum: same tool shape, different safeguards, different verdicts — from lethal (`mcp-bash`, no sandbox) to sanctioned (Cloudflare's V8-isolated Code Mode, 99.6% token reduction over 2,594 endpoints).
03
Patterns transfer, but only with citations
Stripe + Sentry + Cloudflare all converged on hosted-remote OAuth (P-21) — three independent domains, same pattern. Sentry's resource-resolver tool (P-26) showed how to collapse five detail handlers into one. Brodels pioneered episodic audit logs (canonical for D10). Every recommendation cites its evidence — so you can verify and adapt.
// what_you_get[]
9 skills.
One bundle.
The router auto-classifies your domain. The 8 archetype skills supply the prescriptive content. Each archetype includes a spec.md loaded on-demand — tool surface, auth, safety rails, antipatterns, worked skeleton, README requirements.
router · auto-invoked first
mcp-architecture-router
Maps the buyer's domain to one or more of 8 archetypes via a decision tree. Synthesizes hybrid architectures when multiple archetypes apply (the common case). Escalates to premium tier when high-risk patterns are present (money movement, prod infra, code merges, PII).
Read-Only Data Source
Databases, files, web content, search APIs, KBs. The LLM only reads — never mutates.
Postgres, S3, knowledge bases, REST APIs
Writable System
Create / update / delete in external systems. HIGH-RISK — always recommended with safety rails.
Stripe, Salesforce, Slack, internal CRMs
Search & Fetch
Two-step retrieval: search ranks summaries, fetch drills into chosen IDs.
Memory graphs, docs search, ticket search
Workflow Orchestrator
Multi-phase pipelines (CI/CD, AI agents, ETL). Cost + audit + safety per phase.
AI engineering pipelines, CI/CD, ETL
State / Memory
Cross-session memory: knowledge graphs, agent learning, shared team context.
Knowledge graphs, agent KBs, personal memory
UI / Browser Automation
Drive a browser or GUI. Accessibility-tree-first; pixel-vision opt-in.
Playwright, E2E tests, admin UIs
Observability / Telemetry
Investigate errors, logs, traces, metrics. Time-bounded, cost-aware queries.
Sentry, Datadog, PagerDuty, log aggregators
Code / Dev-Tools
Repos, PRs, CI, deploys. Inherits Writable rails + draft-by-default, branch protection.
GitHub, GitLab, Vercel, deploy pipelines
// how_it_works.sh
From "I want to build an MCP for X" to a production-grade spec in minutes.
Install
unzip mcp-architecture-skills-v0.1.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/
Drop the 9 skills into your Claude skills directory. Or commit to your project's .claude/skills/ for team-scoped use.
Describe
"I want Claude to interact with our Postgres + Stripe."
In any Claude conversation, describe the system you want an MCP server for. The router auto-invokes and classifies.
Deliver
→ archetype 01 + 02 hybrid → 14-section spec → tool surface · auth · rails
Get a 2,000-6,000 word architecture spec: tool list with annotations, auth, safety rails, README requirements, antipatterns to avoid, first tool to implement.
// evidence_base
Every recommendation, cited.
No "best practices" floating in space. Every pattern, antipattern, and architectural choice in the bundle traces back to a specific server in the corpus — which is public and auditable.
Sentry 65 · Filesystem 59 · Stripe 58 · Cloudflare 57 · ...
P-01 through P-29 with corpus citations
AP-01 through AP-11 (god-tools, safety theater, etc.)
Plus 1 router skill that picks for you
Sample scoring
// pricing
Four ways in.
Pick the one that fits.
The free corpus is genuinely useful by itself. The skill stack is for self- serve buyers. Audits are for buyers who want a tailored, human-reviewed spec. Consulting is for deep architectural review.
Free Corpus
The evidence behind everything. 13 scored servers, rubric, patterns, antipatterns. MIT-licensed.
- ▸13 reference servers scored on 14-dim rubric
- ▸29 design patterns with citations
- ▸11 antipatterns with corpus examples
- ▸Free forever, public, auditable
Skill Stack
The 8 prescriptive archetype specs (not in the free corpus) + auto-invoking router. Describe your domain → get a 14-section spec back. Install into ~/.claude/skills/.
- ▸Router skill + 8 archetype skills
- ▸Each with prescriptive spec.md loaded on-demand
- ▸12 months of updates
- ▸Cross-AI portable (Codex, Gemini, Cursor)
- ▸30-day refund if not useful
Audit (Baseline)
Tailored architecture spec for YOUR domain. Within 24 hours. For read-mostly, internal, low-stakes systems.
- ▸Domain-specific tool surface
- ▸Auth, pagination, safety rails
- ▸Antipatterns to avoid for your domain
- ▸Corpus citations for every claim
- ▸Delivered within 24 hours
Audit (Premium)
Baseline + blast-radius + threat model + recovery plan. For money, prod infra, PII, code merges.
- ▸Everything in Baseline
- ▸Per-tool blast-radius analysis
- ▸Per-tool prompt-injection threat model
- ▸Recovery plan for LLM mistakes
- ▸Human-in-the-loop policy recs
- ▸Delivered within 48 hours
Concierge consulting
1-hour deep-dive — $750
Zoom call + written follow-up reviewing your existing or planned MCP server. For architectural review of a real system, tradeoff discussions, or post-audit implementation questions.
// faq
Honest answers.
// who_built_this
Built by an engineer who's been
designing systems for 30+ years.
Gunnard Engebreth — Engineering Manager at Realtime Software Solutions, two Apress books on PHP 8, 13 live SaaS products. The MCP corpus was built by reading every reference server's source code, scoring them on a 14-dimension rubric, and synthesizing the patterns and antipatterns into reusable archetypes.