How to Use MCP With Claude (Desktop, Code & claude.ai)

MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets Claude connect to your tools and data — files, GitHub, a database, the web — through one open standard instead of a custom integration per service. There are three ways to use it with Claude, and each is set up differently. This is an independent, step-by-step guide to all three — Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and claude.ai — with the exact commands and file paths, plus verified-live servers worth installing first.

What is MCP (and how it works)?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard Anthropic introduced in November 2024 (and since adopted well beyond Claude) that lets AI apps connect to external tools and data through a common interface. The pieces: an MCP client (Claude) talks to an MCP server (a small program that exposes tools — read a file, query GitHub, search the web), which does the actual work. Servers connect two ways: local (stdio — a program on your machine) or remote (HTTP — a hosted URL). For the concept in depth, see our MCP servers explainer.

Which Claude surface should you set it up on? Pick by how you work:

Set up MCP in Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop reads a JSON config file. Add a server, restart, and its tools appear in the chat.

1. Open the Claude menu in your Mac or Windows menu bar (not the settings icon inside the chat window) → Settings… → Developer → Edit Config. This opens (or creates) the config file.
2. Add your server under the mcpServers key (example below), then save.
3. Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop — closing the window isn’t enough.
4. Confirm the tools loaded via the tools/connectors indicator in the message box.

The config file lives here:

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

A minimal example that gives Claude access to two folders via the filesystem server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/username/Desktop",
        "/Users/username/Downloads"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace username, and use absolute paths (on Windows, escape them: "C:\\Users\\username\\Desktop"). The -y flag auto-confirms the npm package. For a server that needs an API key, add an env block alongside args. Claude Desktop also supports one-click extension bundles for no-JSON installs — check Anthropic’s current docs for the exact format, as it has changed across versions.

Add MCP servers in Claude Code

In Claude Code, you add servers from the terminal with claude mcp add — no file editing needed.

Remote (HTTP) server — the recommended default:

claude mcp add --transport http notion https://mcp.notion.com/mcp

Local (stdio) server — everything after -- is the command that starts it:

claude mcp add filesystem -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/Desktop

Add an auth header when a server needs a token:

claude mcp add --transport http github https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Then manage your servers:

• claude mcp list — see all configured servers and their status
• claude mcp get <name> / claude mcp remove <name>
• /mcp inside a session — check tool status and handle any OAuth login

Scopes control where a server applies: local (default — this project, your machine), project (shared via a .mcp.json file in the project root, so teammates get it — they’re prompted to approve it first), and user (all your projects). Set one with -s, e.g. claude mcp add -s user ….

Already configured servers in Claude Desktop? Import them into Claude Code in one command (macOS and WSL): claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop.

Connect a server on claude.ai

On the claude.ai web and desktop apps you add remote MCP servers as connectors — no config files, no local runtime:

1. Open Customize → Connectors (on Team or Enterprise plans, an admin adds these under Organization settings → Connectors first).
2. Choose Add custom connector and paste the server’s remote URL.
3. If the server uses OAuth, add its credentials under the advanced options, then finish and connect.

claude.ai supports remote (URL-based) servers only — for local stdio servers, use Claude Desktop or Claude Code. Connector availability and any plan limits vary by tier and change often, so check the current options in your account; permissions are revocable anytime in Settings.

Recommended starter servers

Good first installs, each verified live in our directory:

• Filesystem — let Claude read and write local files.
• GitHub — issues, PRs, and repo access.
• Brave Search — live web search.
• Playwright — browse and automate the web.
• Context7 — up-to-date library and framework docs.

Need something specific? Browse a registry like Smithery or Composio to find a server for almost any app, or see our full best MCP servers roundup. (MCP isn’t Claude-only — Cursor, Cline, and Windsurf support the same servers.)

Security & troubleshooting

Security first: an MCP server runs with your permissions and can read data and take actions on your behalf, so treat it like installing software with access to your accounts. Only add servers from sources you trust, review the filesystem paths or OAuth scopes you grant, be wary of servers that act on untrusted external content (a prompt-injection vector), and keep your active set small — a handful of focused servers, not everything at once.

If a server won’t show up, work through the usual causes:

• You didn’t fully restart Claude Desktop after editing the config (quit completely).
• A JSON syntax error — validate claude_desktop_config.json before restarting.
• A relative path where an absolute path is required.
• Node.js / npx not installed or not on your PATH (check node --version).
• Still stuck? Read the MCP logs — macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs.