client setup · updated August 2026

Add MCP servers to Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is the fastest way to try MCP servers in a chat interface: edit one JSON file, restart the app, and the server's tools appear in every conversation.

The config Claude Desktop expects

Lives in: claude_desktop_config.json, via Settings → Developer → Edit Config

One entry per server, under the top-level mcpServers key: 

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "the-server-package"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Swap the placeholder for a real server: every server page on this site renders the exact block, ready to paste.

Official setup guide: Claude Desktop documentation ↗

Five proven servers to start with

The highest-ranked servers we track; each page carries the paste-ready config.

01 Playwright MCP 25,988,876 installs/mo · ★ 36,436 · commit 2026-08-21 02 Chrome DevTools MCP 7,879,708 installs/mo · ★ 49,617 · commit 2026-08-23 03 Context7 4,108,483 installs/mo · ★ 61,171 · commit 2026-08-24 04 Firebase MCP 10,734,044 installs/mo · ★ 4,460 · commit 2026-08-25 05 Storybook MCP Addon 7,699,261 installs/mo · ★ 268 · commit 2026-08-21

Prefer running nothing locally? Start from a hosted endpoint instead: the best remote MCP servers.

Quick answers

Where does Claude Desktop keep its MCP configuration?

In claude_desktop_config.json, via Settings → Developer → Edit Config. The official documentation covers edge cases and the newest options.

Do all MCP servers work with Claude Desktop?

Any server speaking standard MCP transports should work: local servers run as a process your client starts, remote servers are a URL you point it at. Each server page on this site shows its exact config, and states when a server needs credentials first.

About this page

Client mechanics come from each client's public documentation, linked above; anything we are not certain of defers to those docs rather than guessing. Server rankings are ours: monthly installs, GitHub stars, and commit recency, recomputed nightly. How we verify.