mcpservers

Setup guide

How to add an MCP server to Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop loads MCP servers from a JSON config file. You add an entry, restart, and the tools appear.

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\\Claude\\claude_desktop_config.json

Steps

  1. 1

    Open the config

    In Claude Desktop go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config. It opens claude_desktop_config.json (creating it if needed).

  2. 2

    Add the server

    Inside the "mcpServers" object, add a named entry with the command and args from the connector page.

  3. 3

    Save and restart

    Save the file and fully quit + reopen Claude Desktop. The new tools show under the connector (plug) icon.

  4. 4

    Test it

    Ask Claude to do something the server enables — e.g. "list my GitHub repos" — to confirm the tools are live.

Example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

On macOS it is at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json; on Windows at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Settings → Developer → Edit Config opens it for you.

Why don’t my MCP tools show up?

Almost always you need to fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop (not just close the window), and the JSON must be valid — a trailing comma will silently break it.

Does Claude Desktop support remote MCP servers?

Yes — recent versions support remote (HTTP/SSE) servers and OAuth connectors in addition to local stdio commands.

Now pick a server to add

Browse verified MCP servers with copy-paste config for Claude Desktop and other clients.

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