Claude Desktop MCP Setup Guide

1. Prerequisites

Before setting up MCP with Claude Desktop, make sure you have:

• macOS or Windows — Claude Desktop is available for both platforms
• A Claude account — Free or Pro, both work with MCP
• Node.js or Python — Depending on which MCP servers you want to use
• A text editor — VS Code, Sublime, or even Notepad works

2. Installing Claude Desktop

Download Claude Desktop from Anthropic's official website:

After installation:

1. 1. Open Claude Desktop
2. 2. Sign in with your Anthropic account
3. 3. Make sure the app is working (send a test message)
4. 4. Close the app before editing the config file

3. Finding the Config File

Claude Desktop stores its MCP configuration in a JSON file. The location depends on your operating system:

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Open in terminal:

# Open in VS Code
code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

# Or create if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude
touch ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Open in PowerShell:

# Open in VS Code
code $env:APPDATA\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

# Or open the folder in Explorer
explorer $env:APPDATA\Claude

4. Adding Your First MCP Server

Let's add the official filesystem server as your first MCP integration. This gives Claude access to read and write files in specified directories.

Step 1: Install the Server

# Install globally (no need to run npm every time)
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem

Step 2: Configure Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/yourname/Documents",
        "/Users/yourname/Projects"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop. The MCP server will start automatically.

5. Running Multiple Servers

You can run multiple MCP servers simultaneously. Each gets its own entry in the config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/yourname/Projects"]
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx"
      }
    },
    "postgres": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"],
      "env": {
        "POSTGRES_CONNECTION_STRING": "postgresql://user:pass@localhost/mydb"
      }
    },
    "custom-python": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["/path/to/my_custom_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Popular MCP Servers

See our Best MCP Servers 2026 guide for a complete list with installation instructions.

6. Verifying Your Setup

After restarting Claude Desktop, verify your MCP servers are running:

Check the Hammer Icon

Look for a small hammer (🔨) icon in the bottom-left of the chat input. Click it to see available tools from your MCP servers.

Test with a Query

Ask Claude to use one of the tools:

Claude should use the filesystem MCP server to list your files.

Check the Logs

If something isn't working, check the logs:

# macOS
tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log

# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Content $env:APPDATA\Claude\logs\mcp*.log -Tail 50 -Wait

7. Common Issues & Fixes

For more detailed troubleshooting, see our MCP Troubleshooting Guide.

8. Best Practices