u/OpeningSir9287

Building an MCP server for the first time and I'm stuck on the boring parts — OAuth 2.1, API key management, usage metering, Stripe integration.

I expected the hard part to be the actual server logic. Turns out it's wiring all the auth and billing infrastructure around it. Took me way longer than expected and none of it made the server itself any smarter.

Curious how others are handling this:

- Are you rolling your own auth from scratch?

- Using any existing boilerplate or template?

- Just skipping monetization entirely for now?

Would love to know what's working (or not working) for people.