Integrations

3 min read

Connect Claude Code with your development tools and workflows

title: Integrations description: Connect Claude Code with your development tools and workflows

Claude Code integrates seamlessly with your existing development environment. This section covers MCP servers, IDE plugins, hooks, and other ways to extend Claude Code's capabilities.

Overview

Claude Code can be extended through several mechanisms:

| Integration Type | Purpose | Complexity | |------------------|---------|------------| | MCP Servers | Add new capabilities and data sources | Medium | | IDE Plugins | Native IDE integration | Low | | Hooks | Custom automation and workflows | Medium | | API | Programmatic access | High |

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

MCP servers extend Claude's capabilities by providing:

Data sources - Access databases, APIs, file systems
Tools - New actions Claude can perform
Context - Additional information for better responses

Learn about MCP servers →

Quick Example

JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic-ai/mcp-server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/dir"]
    }
  }
}

IDE Plugins

Native integration with popular IDEs:

VS Code - Full-featured extension
JetBrains - IntelliJ, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.
Neovim - Terminal-based integration

Set up IDE plugins →

Benefits

Inline code suggestions
Context-aware completions
Seamless workflow integration
No terminal switching required

Hooks

Hooks let you run custom commands at specific points in Claude Code's lifecycle:

Pre-tool hooks - Run before Claude executes a tool
Post-tool hooks - Run after tool execution
Notification hooks - Alert on specific events

Configure hooks →

Quick Example

JSON

{
  "hooks": {
    "preToolExecution": [
      {
        "matcher": "Write",
        "command": "echo 'About to write to: $FILE_PATH'"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Common Integration Patterns

1. Database Access

Connect Claude to your databases for query assistance:

JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "postgres": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic-ai/mcp-server-postgres"],
      "env": {
        "POSTGRES_URL": "postgresql://localhost/mydb"
      }
    }
  }
}

2. Git Integration

Enhance git workflows with automation:

JSON

{
  "hooks": {
    "postToolExecution": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash:git commit",
        "command": "git log -1 --oneline"
      }
    ]
  }
}

3. CI/CD Integration

Trigger builds and tests automatically:

JSON

{
  "hooks": {
    "postToolExecution": [
      {
        "matcher": "Write:*.ts",
        "command": "npm run typecheck"
      }
    ]
  }
}

4. Documentation Generation

Auto-generate docs when code changes:

JSON

{
  "hooks": {
    "postToolExecution": [
      {
        "matcher": "Write:src/**/*.ts",
        "command": "npm run docs:generate"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Security Considerations

When setting up integrations:

Principle of least privilege - Only grant necessary permissions
Environment isolation - Use separate configs for dev/prod
Secret management - Never commit API keys or passwords
Audit logging - Track what integrations are doing

Secure Configuration

JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "database": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic-ai/mcp-server-postgres"],
      "env": {
        "POSTGRES_URL": "${POSTGRES_URL}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Use environment variables instead of hardcoding secrets.