How to add MCP servers to Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop runs MCP servers as local (stdio) processes defined in claude_desktop_config.json. Remote servers are bridged via the mcp-remote proxy.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonSetup in 4 steps
- 1
Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. This opens (or creates) claude_desktop_config.json.
- 2
Add the server under the top-level "mcpServers" key — copy the Claude Desktop config from any server page on this site.
- 3
Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
- 4
Save the file and fully quit & reopen Claude Desktop. The server's tools appear under the 🔌 / tools menu.
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Every server page has a one-click Claude Desktop config tab.
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