You always remember your first MCP server build.
29 Mar 2026
Originally published on LinkedIn ↗
You always remember your first MCP server build.
Mine took a day. I had an itch — I needed a way to programmatically manage Cloudflare DNS and tunnel services from Claude Code. No tool existed. So I just went.
I probably should have specced it out more before I started. Instead I went straight to building, which meant a lot of rework, a few architectural pivots, and more troubleshooting than I'd care to admit.
But here's the thing — it works. Thirteen MCP tools, a full CI pipeline with integration tests against a live Cloudflare API, and a clean workflow for exposing SSH and web services through Cloudflare Access in one command. Built it, used it, shipped it.
The lesson isn't "spec more" (though, yes, spec more). It's that the best way to learn a new primitive — MCP, a new API, a new infra pattern — is to have a real problem you actually need to solve. The motivation fills in the gaps your knowledge can't.
What did your first MCP server do?
#MCP #AI #Homelab #CloudflareAccess
