Visual step-by-step guide. Works for any MCP server on MCPpedia.
Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner of Claude Desktop, then click Settings.
In the Settings window, click "Developer" in the left sidebar, then click "Edit Config".
If you don't see the Developer tab, update Claude Desktop to the latest version.
{
"mcpServers": {
"your-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@package/name"],
"env": {
"API_KEY": "your-key"
}
}
}
}Your config file opens in a text editor. Paste the config from any MCPpedia server page.
// Config file location: // macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json // Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
You can add multiple servers — just add more entries inside "mcpServers". Make sure the JSON has no trailing commas.
Close and reopen Claude Desktop. Go to Settings → Connectors to verify your MCP server is listed and connected.
If your server doesn't appear in Connectors, there's likely a JSON syntax error in your config. Try pasting your config into jsonlint.com to check.
Check these in order:
Did you fully quit and reopen?
Closing the window is NOT enough. You must quit the app completely (Cmd+Q on Mac, or right-click tray icon → Quit) then reopen it.
Is your JSON valid?
Paste your config into jsonlint.com to check. The most common errors:
// ❌ WRONG — trailing comma
{
"mcpServers": {
"server-one": { ... }, ← this comma breaks it
}
}
// ✅ CORRECT — no trailing comma
{
"mcpServers": {
"server-one": { ... }
}
}Is the config file in the right place?
Open a terminal and run this to check if your file exists:
# macOS — Claude Desktop cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json # Windows — Claude Desktop type %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
If it says "No such file", you saved it in the wrong location.
Did you merge correctly with existing config?
If your config file already has data (like preferences), don't replace it. Add mcpServers as a new key alongside the existing content:
// ❌ WRONG — replaced everything
{
"mcpServers": {
"my-server": { ... }
}
}
// ✅ CORRECT — added alongside existing data
{
"preferences": {
"coworkWebSearchEnabled": true,
"sidebarMode": "task"
},
"mcpServers": {
"my-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-remote", "https://example.com/mcp"]
}
}
}Is Node.js installed?
Run node --version in your terminal. If it says "command not found", install Node.js from nodejs.org (LTS version).
Remote servers connect over the internet instead of running locally. Two ways to set them up:
Option A: Native remote (if your client supports it)
{
"mcpServers": {
"server-name": {
"url": "https://the-server-url.com/mcp",
"transport": "streamable-http"
}
}
}Option B: Via mcp-remote proxy (works everywhere)
{
"mcpServers": {
"server-name": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-remote", "https://the-server-url.com/mcp"]
}
}
}If Option A doesn't work, try Option B. If neither works, the server might be down — use the "Test This Server" button on its MCPpedia page.
Some remote servers use OAuth for authentication. If the auth popup fails:
rm -rf ~/.mcp-auth then restartInstall Node.js from nodejs.org (LTS version, v18 or higher). After installing:
node --version should show v18+npx --version should workAdd more entries inside mcpServers — each server gets its own key:
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "."]
},
"search": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
"env": {
"BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
},
"remote-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-remote", "https://example.com/mcp"]
}
}
}Try running the server manually in your terminal to see the actual error:
# For npm servers: npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp # For remote servers: npx mcp-remote https://example.com/mcp
If you see an error message, search for it on the server's GitHub issues page, or ask in the MCPpedia discussion on the server's page.
Ready to install a server?