Anthropic runs the Claude Connectors Directory of reviewed remote MCP servers and an MCP connector in the Claude Messages API that calls remote MCP tools without the developer writing an MCP client, as documented by the vendor. The Claude API accepts mcp-client-2026-09-15 or mcp-client-2025-11-20 beta headers, while Claude Platform on AWS and Claude models on Google Cloud take mcp-client-2025-11-20 (platform.claude.com).
MCP servers used through the Claude API connector must be publicly exposed over HTTP, Streamable HTTP or SSE; local stdio servers cannot be connected directly (platform.claude.com). The Claude API MCP connector supports OAuth Bearer tokens for authenticated servers, several servers in one request, and allowlists or denylists of tools (platform.claude.com). The mcp-client-2026-09-15 beta header records each server's tool list in an mcp_tool_listing block and lets the developer pin it so tools do not change mid-conversation (platform.claude.com).
Anthropic's MCP connector lets developers connect to MCP servers from the Messages API "without implementing an MCP client" (platform.claude.com). The older mcp-client-2025-04-04 version of the connector is documented as deprecated (platform.claude.com).
Products and plans
Anthropic: products read on 5 November 2026, with the price where the page gave one
Product
What it does
Price
Claude Connectors Directory
Directory of reviewed remote MCP connectors and plugins for Claude.
price not read
MCP connector (Messages API)
Server-side MCP client for remote tools in Claude API requests.
price not read
Standards
Anthropic: what the vendor's pages state about the standards, by the part of each standard