Claude MCP Setup Guide

Claude MCP Setup Guide

This guide walks through connecting Claude Desktop to an MCP server. Once set up, Claude can call your API directly from the conversation.

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop installed (available at claude.ai/download)
• An MCP server endpoint URL

Step 1: Find Your Config File

Claude Desktop reads MCP server configuration from a JSON file. The location depends on your operating system:

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

If the file doesn't exist, create it.

Step 2: Add Your MCP Server

Open the config file and add your MCP server:

{

"mcpServers": {

"my-api": {

"url": "https://www.mcpforge.tech/api/servers/my-api-slug",

"transport": "http"

}

}

}

If you're using MCPForge, the config snippet is generated automatically. Copy it from your dashboard and paste it into the config file.

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

After saving the config file, restart Claude Desktop. It will connect to your MCP server on startup and load the available tools.

Step 4: Verify the Connection

In Claude Desktop, open a new conversation and ask:

> "What tools do you have available?"

Claude should list the tools from your MCP server. If it doesn't, check:

• The config file is valid JSON (no trailing commas, correct quotes)
• The URL is correct and accessible
• Claude Desktop was fully restarted (not just the window)

Step 5: Test a Tool Call

Try a simple read operation first:

> "List my customers" or "Show me the available products"

If the tool call succeeds, you'll see the results in Claude's response. If it fails, Claude will tell you what went wrong.

Common Issues

**Tool names not showing up**: The MCP server may not be running or the URL may be incorrect. Check that the endpoint returns a valid response.

**Authentication errors**: Your API requires credentials. Add them to the MCP server's credential vault rather than the config file.

**Tool call fails with "disabled" error**: The tool has been disabled in the MCP server's permission settings. Enable it in the dashboard.

Next Steps

Once your MCP server is connected:

1. Review which tools are exposed — disable any you don't want Claude to access

2. Add API credentials to the server-side vault

3. Enable approval workflows for destructive operations

4. Check the audit log to see what Claude is calling

MCPForge provides all of these features through a dashboard — no code required.