# Claude Desktop MCP Config: How to Add a Server (2026)

> Add an MCP server to Claude Desktop: edit claude_desktop_config.json, bridge remote servers with mcp-remote, and fix the PATH errors that stop npx.

Source: https://designrevision.com/blog/claude-desktop-mcp-config

---

To add an MCP server to Claude Desktop, open **Settings → Developer → Edit Config**, add the server to **`claude_desktop_config.json`**, and completely restart the app. Local servers slot straight into that file; remote servers need a small bridge, because the config is stdio-only. This guide covers the config file, local and remote servers (with a real auth-token example), the Connectors alternative, and the PATH error that trips up almost everyone.

*Last updated: July 2026. Claude Desktop's MCP setup and Connectors have changed repeatedly through 2026; everything here was verified against Anthropic's docs in July 2026 — check `support.claude.com` if a menu has moved.*

## Claude Desktop vs. Claude Code: Which One Are You Configuring?

These are two different products, and the setup is different for each — a distinction the popular "claude mcp config" search blurs. **Claude Desktop** is the GUI app: you add MCP servers by editing `claude_desktop_config.json` or through its Connectors UI. **Claude Code** is the command-line tool: it uses the `claude mcp add` command and a project `.mcp.json`, and connects to remote servers natively. There is no `claude mcp config` command. If you want the CLI, see our [Claude Code guide](/blog/add-mcp-server-to-claude-code) instead. This page is about the desktop app.

## Where Claude Desktop Keeps Its MCP Config

The config file lives at:

- **macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`

(There's no official Linux desktop app.) The reliable way to open it: click the **Claude menu in your system menu bar** (on macOS, this is *not* the in-window account settings), choose **Settings → Developer → Edit Config**. That button creates the file if it doesn't exist and opens it in your editor. Every server is an entry under the top-level `mcpServers` key.

## Add a Local MCP Server (stdio)

Local servers run as a subprocess. Here's the canonical example — the Filesystem server, scoped to two folders:

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

When a server needs a secret, add an `env` block: `"env": { "API_KEY": "your-key" }`. Two rules the docs are strict about: **paths must be absolute, not relative**, and after saving you must **fully restart Claude Desktop** (see below).

## Add a Remote MCP Server (with a Token)

Here's the part most guides get wrong: **`claude_desktop_config.json` only understands local (stdio) servers.** It has no field for a remote URL. To connect a remote HTTP server, you bridge it through the **`mcp-remote`** proxy, which Claude Desktop runs as a local process that forwards to the remote endpoint.

Here's a real example adding **[DesignRevision MCP](/mcp)**, a server that installs [shadcn/ui components](/components) into your project, authenticated with a bearer token:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "design-revision": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.designrevision.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Notice the header is written as `Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}` with **no space** around the colon, and the actual `Bearer YOUR_TOKEN` value lives in the `env` block. That's deliberate: Claude Desktop doesn't escape spaces inside `args` when it launches `npx`, so an inline `"Authorization: Bearer xxx"` breaks (especially on Windows). Moving the token into an environment variable is the reliable cross-platform form. Replace `YOUR_TOKEN` with the token from your account, save, and restart.

## Or Use Connectors (for OAuth Servers)

Claude Desktop also has a **Connectors** UI for remote servers — **Settings → Connectors → Add → Add custom connector →** paste the URL → authenticate. It's cleaner than the bridge (no Node, no PATH issues, and it syncs across web and mobile), but there's a catch: **Connectors authenticate over OAuth only.** There's no field for a static `Authorization: Bearer` header, so a token-based server like the DesignRevision example above **can't** be added this way — use the `mcp-remote` bridge for those. Reach for Connectors when a remote server supports OAuth. On the free plan you get one custom connector; Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise have no limit.

## Verify It Worked — and Always Restart

MCP servers load only at startup, so **completely quit Claude Desktop and reopen it** — closing the window or minimizing to the menu bar/tray isn't enough. After it restarts, open the **"Add files, connectors, and more"** slider at the bottom-left of the message box, then **Connectors → Manage connectors** to see each server and the tools it exposes. A server with its tools listed is connected and ready.

## Troubleshooting: When a Server Won't Show Up

- **`npx`/`node` not found (the #1 issue).** Claude Desktop **does not inherit your shell PATH**, so a GUI launch can't see Homebrew, nvm, or a user-installed Node. Fix it by using an **absolute path** in `command` — e.g. `"/usr/local/bin/npx"` or your full nvm path (`which npx` shows it).
- **Invalid JSON.** A trailing comma or an unescaped Windows backslash means the server silently never appears. Validate the file.
- **Relative paths.** The docs require absolute paths in the config — no `~` or `./`.
- **Read the logs.** macOS: `~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log`; Windows: `%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\`. Tail them while restarting to see the real error.
- **Still stuck?** Run the exact `command` + `args` in a terminal by hand — it usually surfaces the underlying failure immediately.

## Which MCP Servers Work With Claude Desktop?

Any MCP server works — local ones run as stdio processes, remote ones through the bridge or Connectors. Filesystem and GitHub are good first picks, and **DesignRevision MCP** adds something the others don't: installing real shadcn/ui components on request. The same servers work across every agent — we break down the most useful ones, with a verdict each, in our roundup of the [best MCP servers for Claude Code](/blog/best-mcp-servers-for-claude-code); they apply to Claude Desktop too, only the config differs.

## Conclusion

Configuring MCP in Claude Desktop comes down to one file — `claude_desktop_config.json` — opened through Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Local servers go in directly; remote servers ride the `mcp-remote` bridge (or Connectors, if they speak OAuth). Use absolute paths, keep tokens in `env` variables, fully restart after every change, and check the logs when something doesn't appear. Start with one server that fills a real gap and build from there.

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## Related Resources

- [DesignRevision MCP — the shadcn/ui MCP server](/mcp)
- [How to Add an MCP Server to Claude Code (2026 Guide)](/blog/add-mcp-server-to-claude-code)
- [How to Add an MCP Server to Cursor (2026 Guide)](/blog/add-mcp-server-to-cursor)
- [How to Add an MCP Server to Codex CLI (2026 Guide)](/blog/add-mcp-server-to-codex)
- [How to Add an MCP Server to Windsurf (2026 Guide)](/blog/add-mcp-server-to-windsurf)
- [Best MCP Servers for Claude Code (2026): Tested & Ranked](/blog/best-mcp-servers-for-claude-code)
- [Browse the shadcn/ui component registry](/components)