> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mcp-use.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installation

> Install mcp-use and get your development environment ready

<Info>
  **Prerequisites**:

  * Install [Python](https://python.org/) (version 3.11 or higher)
  * pip, uv, or poetry package manager
</Info>

## Install mcp-use

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash pip theme={null}
  pip install mcp-use
  ```

  ```bash uv theme={null}
  uv add mcp-use
  ```

  ```bash poetry theme={null}
  poetry add mcp-use
  ```
</CodeGroup>

This gives you access to everything: **MCPAgent**, **MCPClient**, and **MCPServer**.

## LLM Providers (for Agents)

If you're building agents, install your preferred LLM provider:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash OpenAI theme={null}
  pip install langchain-openai
  ```

  ```bash Anthropic theme={null}
  pip install langchain-anthropic
  ```

  ```bash Google theme={null}
  pip install langchain-google-genai
  ```

  ```bash Groq theme={null}
  pip install langchain-groq
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Warning>
  **Tool Calling Required**: Only models with tool calling capabilities can be used with mcp-use agents.
</Warning>

## Environment Variables

Create a `.env` file in your project root:

```bash theme={null}
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
GOOGLE_API_KEY=AI...
GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...
```

Load them in your scripts:

```python theme={null}
from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()
```

## Development Installation

Install from source for the latest features or to contribute:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash pip theme={null}
  git clone https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use.git
  cd mcp-use/libraries/python
  pip install -e .
  ```

  ```bash dev mode theme={null}
  git clone https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use.git
  cd mcp-use/libraries/python
  pip install -e ".[dev]"
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Agent" icon="brain" href="/python/agent/building-custom-agents">
    Build AI Agents with tool calling capabilities through MCP connections
  </Card>

  <Card title="Client" icon="router" href="/python/client/connection-types">
    A full featured MCP Client implementation for Python
  </Card>

  <Card title="Server" icon="server" href="/python/server">
    The MCP Server framework implementation for Python
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  **Need Help?** Join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/XkNkSkMz3V) or [Github](https://github.com/mcp-use/mcp-use) communities.
</Tip>