How to Connect Claude to MCP Servers

There are three ways to connect Claude to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, depending on where the server runs and which Claude you use. A remote server on the internet becomes a custom connector: Customize > Connectors > "+ Add" > "Add custom connector", then paste its URL (Getting started with custom connectors using remote MCP). A local server on your computer runs in Claude Desktop, either as a one-click desktop extension or through the claude_desktop_config.json file (Connect to local MCP servers). In Claude Code, one command adds either kind: claude mcp add (Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP). Custom connectors are on every plan, but Free accounts are limited to one (as of Nov 6, 2026).

Quick facts

Before you start

1:05 Check the connector directory first ("+" > Connectors, or Customize > Connectors): Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, Notion, GitHub and many others are already there as reviewed connectors, which need no setup beyond signing in (About connectors). A custom connector is for a server that is not listed, such as your company's own.

Add a remote MCP server in claude.ai or Desktop

1. Go to Customize > Connectors.
2. Click "+ Add", then "Add custom connector".
3. Enter a name and the server's URL (for example https://mcp.example.com/mcp), then continue.
4. Review the authentication Claude detected. Under Authentication choose "Sign in now", "Sign in when needed" or "No sign in".
5. Under OAuth client, keep "Use Claude's published identity (Recommended)" unless the server needs "Register automatically" or your own client.
6. If the server uses an API key instead of OAuth, add it under Request headers.
7. Click "Add", then sign in if asked.

0:48 To use it, click "+" at the lower left of a chat, open Connectors and switch it on for that conversation. To change a connector you must remove it and add it again (Getting started with custom connectors).

Because Anthropic's servers make the connection, the MCP server must be reachable on the public internet from Anthropic's IP ranges; one behind a VPN or firewall will not connect unless those ranges are allowed. For a server on a private network, the Claude API offers MCP tunnels (research preview since May 19, 2026), and Claude Desktop can run servers locally.

Team and Enterprise: an Owner or Primary Owner adds the server in Organization settings > Connectors > Add > Custom > Web; each member then finds it (labeled "Custom") in Customize > Connectors and clicks Connect. Owners can allow reads and block writes per connector (About connectors).

Add a local MCP server in Claude Desktop

The easy way, desktop extensions. A desktop extension is a packaged MCP server (a .mcpb file) that installs with one click under Settings > Extensions, with no JSON to edit (Install Claude Desktop). Developers build one from a manifest.json with mcpb pack (Building desktop extensions with MCPB).

The manual way, the config file.

1. Install Node.js if the server needs it (most do); check with node --version.
2. In Claude Desktop, open the Claude menu in the system menu bar (not the window's own settings), choose "Settings...", go to Developer and click "Edit Config".
3. That opens the file at:
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
4. Add the server under mcpServers. This example gives Claude the official filesystem server with access to two folders:

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

5. Quit Claude Desktop completely and start it again.
6. Click "+" in the chat box, hover over Connectors and choose "Manage connectors" to see the server's tools.

Claude asks before each tool use. If the server does not appear, check the JSON syntax, use absolute paths, and read the logs (mcp.log and mcp-server-<name>.log in ~/Library/Logs/Claude on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\logs on Windows) (Connect to local MCP servers). Local servers work only while Claude Desktop is running, and Research cannot use them (Use research on Claude).

Add an MCP server in Claude Code

# A remote server over HTTP
claude mcp add --transport http notion https://mcp.notion.com/mcp

# A local server started by a command
claude mcp add filesystem -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/projects

# Share a server with everyone in the repository (writes .mcp.json)
claude mcp add --scope project --transport http tracker https://mcp.example.com/mcp

1:07 Then /mcp inside a session shows status and handles OAuth sign-in. claude mcp list, claude mcp get <name> and claude mcp remove <name> manage servers, and claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop copies servers already set up in Desktop. Scopes: local (the default, you in this project), project (.mcp.json, shared, approved by each person before first use) and user (all your projects). Connectors you added on claude.ai appear in Claude Code automatically when you sign in with that account. The SSE transport is deprecated; use HTTP (Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP). More on Claude Code MCP Servers.

Stay safe with MCP servers

20:51 An MCP server can read what you let it read and act with the permissions you give it. Anthropic's advice (Getting started with custom connectors):

• Connect only to servers built and hosted by people you trust; a malicious server can hide instructions that try to make Claude do things you did not ask (prompt injection).
• Approve the narrowest OAuth scopes offered.
• Be careful with "Allow always", and switch off tools you do not need.
• Server owners can change a tool's behavior without notice.
• On Team and Enterprise, a fixed credential in request headers gives everyone that credential's access, so use a narrowly scoped one.
• Research calls connector tools without asking each time, so disable write tools before running it.

For local servers, grant only the folders you are comfortable with Claude reading and changing: the server runs with your user account's permissions (Connect to local MCP servers). More in Is Claude Safe.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use MCP on the Claude Free plan? Yes. Free accounts can add one custom connector to a remote MCP server and use desktop extensions in Claude Desktop; paid plans can add more custom connectors (About connectors).

Where is claude_desktop_config.json? On macOS at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json, on Windows at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json; Claude Desktop opens it from Settings > Developer > Edit Config.

Why won't my custom connector connect to Claude? Claude reaches custom connectors from Anthropic's cloud, so a server on localhost, a VPN or behind a firewall fails unless Anthropic's IP ranges can reach it; run it locally in Claude Desktop instead.

Can Claude on my phone use MCP servers? Remote custom connectors added on your account work in the Claude mobile apps, and installing connectors on mobile is in beta; local servers need Claude Desktop (About connectors).

What command adds an MCP server to Claude Code? Use claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url> for a remote server or claude mcp add <name> -- <command> for a local one (Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP).

Is a connector the same as an MCP server? Yes, in practice. Claude's connectors are MCP servers; directory connectors are ones Anthropic reviewed, and custom connectors are ones you add yourself.

Sources

• Getting started with connectors in Claude.ai, Anthropic, Dec 11, 2025 (video)
• MCP in Claude Code, Claude, May 9, 2026 (video)
• Why we built-and donated-the Model Context Protocol (MCP), Anthropic, Dec 11, 2025 (video)
• Getting started with custom connectors using remote MCP, Claude Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• About connectors, Claude Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Install Claude Desktop, Claude Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Building desktop extensions with MCPB, Claude Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Use research on Claude, Claude Help Center, read Nov 6, 2026
• Connect to local MCP servers, Model Context Protocol, read Nov 6, 2026
• Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP, Anthropic, read Nov 6, 2026
• Features overview, Claude Platform docs, read Nov 6, 2026