Set up MCP servers in Claude Desktop
Which configuration file format Claude Desktop reads, what it is called and where it belongs – from the vendor’s own documentation, with source and collection date.
| File format | JSON with the root key "mcpServers". |
|---|---|
| File name | claude_desktop_config.json |
Location
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json |
|---|---|
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json |
Source: modelcontextprotocol.io, „Connect to local MCP servers", retrieved on 2026-08-27
The root key
A file with the wrong root key is read and does nothing – without an error message. That is why the format is stated here next to the location.
Other clients read a different format: Claude Code, Visual Studio Code, Codex CLI. All clients side by side
Build a configuration for Claude Desktop
The builder forms the block from the registry data of a chosen server and prints it in exactly the format Claude Desktop reads.
Build a configuration for Claude Desktop
What the builder can produce a file for
12,154 of the 26,983 published entries carry a package coordinate from which a published start template forms a block. The remaining 14,829 name no package or a source without a published template; for those the builder produces nothing and says why.
What is NOT stated here
This registry holds no statement about which server works with which client. No manifest declares a client list, and the registry invents none. What is stated here is the file format and its location according to the client’s own documentation – not a claim about a server.
Client knowledge version: 1
tracevero · https://tracevero.com/klient/claude-desktop