Custom MCP Server Development: Connect AI to Your Systems Safely
A custom MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT and your own AI agents use your internal tools and data, with scoped access, validated tool calls and a full audit log. First server live in two weeks from $7,500 fixed, built by a senior engineer who ships MCP servers in production.
What a custom MCP server is for
Off-the-shelf connectors cover the popular SaaS tools. Your own systems need a custom server, and that is usually where the valuable work lives.
Your internal database and admin tools
Let your team ask the AI about orders, accounts or inventory, with read-only access by default and every query logged.
Your own product, for your customers
Give customers' AI assistants a safe way to work with your product, with per-customer sign-in and limits.
The tool your agent is missing
When an AI agent needs to reach a system with no existing connector, the server is the missing piece.
Replacing copy and paste into chat
Stop people pasting sensitive data into an AI chat. The AI fetches only what it needs, through rules you set.
Security is the hard part, so we lead with it
Exposing a system to AI is easy. Exposing it safely, when the AI can be misled by the content it reads, is the actual job. Every server we build covers these, and each links to how we do it.
Least-privilege access
Each tool gets only the permissions its job needs, with credentials the model never sees.
Our approachValidated tool calls
Every call is checked against rules before it runs, so a bad request fails safely.
Our approachIsolated execution
Tools that run code or touch files run sandboxed, away from anything they should not reach.
Our approachCredentials kept out of reach
Secrets stay in a vault and are scoped and rotated, never placed in a prompt.
Our approachLarge tool catalogs bring their own problems; see dynamic tool discovery for large AI agent catalogs.
We ship MCP servers in our own products
- i18n Agent: developers run translation from their IDE (Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code), including through its MCP server.
- MakeYourAgent: an AI agent layer for SaaS that includes a managed MCP server for each customer.
What it costs, step by step
Every engagement is fixed-scope and tied to one measurable KPI. You decide at each step whether to continue.
1. Audit
$1,500 fixed
1 week
Which systems to expose, and how safely. Credited toward a pilot.
2. Working pilot
from $7,500 fixed
2 weeks
One MCP server live with a focused set of tools.
3. Implementation
typically $15K – $40K
scoped after pilot
Customer-facing or multi-system servers, fixed quote.
4. Ongoing partner
from $2,000/mo
optional
Monitoring, new tools, protocol updates.
Frequently asked questions
What is an MCP server?
MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard for connecting AI assistants and agents to tools and data. An MCP server exposes your system as a set of tools the AI can call, such as searching orders or creating a ticket. Build it once and any MCP-compatible client can use it, including Claude, ChatGPT, IDE assistants and your own agents.
Is it safe to connect AI to our internal systems?
It is safe when the server is built to assume the AI will sometimes be wrong or be tricked by what it reads. We give each tool the narrowest access it needs, validate every call before it runs, keep credentials out of the model's reach, require approval for risky actions, and log everything. The links in the security section show how we handle each part.
Can you build on top of our existing API?
Yes, and that is the usual case. If you already have a REST or GraphQL API, the MCP server is a thin, well-guarded layer over it. We design the tools around the jobs people actually ask the AI to do, rather than mirroring every endpoint, because a smaller set of clear tools tends to make the AI more reliable.
Local or remote server?
A local server runs on each user's machine and suits developer tools. A remote server runs on your infrastructure, supports proper sign-in, and suits anything used across a team or by customers. Most business cases need remote, and we set up authentication so each person only reaches what they are allowed to see.
Can our customers use it, not just our team?
Yes. A public MCP server lets your customers' AI assistants work with your product directly. That needs per-customer authentication, rate limits and tenant isolation, which we scope into the implementation after the pilot.
How do you price an MCP server?
A first MCP server with a focused set of tools starts at $7,500 fixed as a two-week pilot. Larger servers, customer-facing servers and multi-system integrations are quoted fixed after the pilot. You always know the price before we start.
Want an agent that uses the server end to end? See custom AI agent development, or start with the $1,500 audit.
Give your AI safe access to the systems that matter
First MCP server live in two weeks from $7,500. If an existing connector already does the job, we will tell you on the first call.
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