Claude Desktop is Anthropic's flagship desktop application for interacting with Claude. It was the first major AI app to support the Model Context Protocol, making it the reference implementation for MCP configuration. Claude Desktop uses a straightforward JSON config file with an mcpServers root key — the canonical format that most other apps are modeled on. Servers run as local stdio processes or connect to remote HTTP/SSE endpoints. Once a server is added to the config and Claude Desktop is restarted, Claude gains access to the server's tools and resources directly in the conversation. The getmcp CLI detects Claude Desktop automatically and merges servers into the existing config without overwriting your current settings.
Quick Install with getmcp
The fastest way to install MCP servers in Claude Desktop is with the getmcp CLI:
•Claude Desktop installed (download from claude.ai/download)
•Node.js 18 or higher for running npx-based servers
•Python 3.10+ if installing Python-based servers
Popular Servers for Claude Desktop
Troubleshooting
▸Server not appearing after installation: Fully quit and relaunch Claude Desktop — it reads the config file only on startup. Use Cmd+Q (macOS) or File > Quit (Windows), not just closing the window.
▸Config file not found: Claude Desktop creates the config file only after it has been launched at least once. Run Claude Desktop, then try adding the server.
▸Permission denied errors on macOS: Check that the Node.js or Python binary has execute permission and is accessible from the PATH that Claude Desktop uses. Running `which node` in a terminal should show the correct binary.
▸Environment variables not resolving: Variables in the env block must be string literals — they are not interpolated from your shell environment. Set them explicitly in the config or use the getmcp CLI which prompts for values.
▸Server crashes immediately: Check the Claude Desktop logs at ~/Library/Logs/Claude/ (macOS) or %AppData%\Claude\logs\ (Windows) for the server's stderr output.
