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Connecting to Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP) natively, allowing you to bridge remote HasMCP servers directly into your chat sessions.

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Setup Instructions

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1. Locate the Configuration File

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Locate Config

Claude Desktop reads its MCP server definitions from a specific JSON file based on your operating system:
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
You can open this file directly from the app by going to Settings > Developer > Edit Config.

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2. Configure the Remote Server

Add your HasMCP server details to the mcpServers object in the configuration file. Use the mcp-remote utility (provided via npx) to establish the connection. 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "myServer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://app.hasmcp.com/mcp/<SERVER_ID>",
        "--header",
        "x-hasmcp-key: Bearer ${HASMCP_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "HASMCP_MCP_ACCESS_TOKEN": "YOUR_TOKEN_VALUE"
      }
    }
  }
}
SERVER_ID: Your unique server identifier from the HasMCP dashboard. ACCESS_TOKEN: The secure token generated for your server.

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3. Restart Claude Desktop

For changes to take effect, you must fully quit the application (not just close the window) and restart it: macOS: Right-click the Claude icon in the menu bar and select Quit. Windows: Right-click the Claude icon in the system tray and select Quit.

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Verifying the Connection

Once restarted, look for the tools icon (typically a wrench or hammer symbol) in the bottom right of the message input box. Click the icon to see a list of available tools discovered from your HasMCP server. If the server is connected, your tools will be listed under the name you provided (e.g., hasmcp-server).

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Troubleshooting

Logs: Check the logs for connection errors at: macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp.log Authentication: Ensure your x-hasmcp-key header is correctly formatted with the Bearer prefix. Dependencies: Ensure you have Node.js installed on your system to run the npx command.