Connecting Claude Desktop

Step-by-step guide to connect the Claude Desktop application to your Seed MCP server.

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

• [ ] Claude Desktop installed - Download from claude.ai
• [ ] Seed server URL - Get this from your administrator (e.g., https://mcp.example.com)
• [ ] OAuth endpoints - Authorization and token URLs from your administrator
• [ ] Credentials - Login credentials for your organization's identity provider

Quick Setup

Step 1: Open Claude Desktop Settings

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Click your profile icon (bottom left)
3. Select Settings
4. Go to the Developer tab
5. Find the MCP Servers section

Step 2: Add Seed Server Configuration

Click Edit Config to open your MCP configuration file. Add this configuration (replace YOUR_SERVER_URL with your actual server):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seed": {
      "url": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "authentication": {
        "type": "oauth2",
        "authorizationUrl": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/oauth/authorize",
        "tokenUrl": "https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/oauth/token",
        "clientId": "claude-desktop",
        "scope": "openid profile email"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Save and Restart

1. Save the configuration file
2. Restart Claude Desktop completely
3. Claude will load the new MCP server configuration

Step 4: Authenticate

When you restart Claude Desktop:

1. Claude Desktop will detect the OAuth requirement
2. Your browser will open to the login page
3. Log in with your organization credentials
4. Grant consent when prompted
5. Browser will show "Authentication successful"
6. Return to Claude Desktop

The authentication is saved and you won't need to log in again until the token expires.

Verify Connection

Test that everything is working:

1. Open a new conversation in Claude Desktop
2. Try using a tool: "Check the server health"
3. If connected, Claude will use the healthcheck tool from Seed

You should see a response with server information.

Configuration Details

OAuth 2.0 Authentication

Seed uses OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication:

{
  "authentication": {
    "type": "oauth2",
    "authorizationUrl": "https://mcp.example.com/oauth/authorize",
    "tokenUrl": "https://mcp.example.com/oauth/token",
    "clientId": "claude-desktop",
    "scope": "openid profile email"
  }
}

Parameters:

• authorizationUrl - OAuth authorization endpoint (ask admin)
• tokenUrl - OAuth token endpoint (ask admin)
• clientId - Client identifier (use "claude-desktop" or get from admin)
• scope - OAuth scopes to request (typically "openid profile email")

Multiple Servers

You can connect to multiple MCP servers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seed-production": {
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "authentication": {
        "type": "oauth2",
        "authorizationUrl": "https://mcp.example.com/oauth/authorize",
        "tokenUrl": "https://mcp.example.com/oauth/token",
        "clientId": "claude-desktop",
        "scope": "openid profile email"
      }
    },
    "seed-staging": {
      "url": "https://staging.example.com/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "authentication": {
        "type": "oauth2",
        "authorizationUrl": "https://staging.example.com/oauth/authorize",
        "tokenUrl": "https://staging.example.com/oauth/token",
        "clientId": "claude-desktop",
        "scope": "openid profile email"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop will connect to all configured servers simultaneously.

Testing Your Connection

Test Basic Connectivity

Ask Claude:

"Use the echo tool to test the connection"

Expected response:

Echo: test the connection
Timestamp: 2025-01-05T...
User: your.email@example.com

Test Authentication

If your server requires authentication, ask Claude:

"What user am I authenticated as?"

Claude will use the user-info tool to show your authenticated user details.

List Available Features

Ask Claude:

"What tools are available from the Seed server?"

Claude can list all available tools, prompts, and resources from the server.

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

"Cannot connect to MCP server"

• Verify the server URL is correct (include /mcp path)
• Check the server is running (contact admin)
• Try accessing the URL in your browser: https://YOUR_SERVER_URL/health

"Invalid configuration"

• Check JSON syntax (commas, quotes, brackets)
• Ensure URLs don't have typos
• Restart Claude Desktop after fixing

Authentication Issues

"OAuth flow failed" or "Authentication failed"

• Check the authorizationUrl and tokenUrl are correct
• Verify you can access the authorization URL in browser
• Try logging out of your identity provider and back in
• Clear browser cookies and try again

"Token expired"

• Normal behavior after extended periods
• Claude Desktop will automatically re-authenticate
• You'll see the login prompt again

"Access denied" or "Unauthorized"

• Your account may not have access to the server
• Contact your administrator to verify permissions
• Check you're using the correct identity provider

Tool/Feature Issues

"Tool not found"

• The server administrator controls which tools are available
• Ask your admin which tools are enabled
• Verify you're connected to the right server

Advanced Configuration

Custom Client Registration

Some servers require you to register a client first. Ask your admin if this is needed.

If required, you'll need to:

1. Register a client with the server
2. Receive a client_id
3. Use that client_id in your configuration

See Custom Clients for the registration process.

Proxy Configuration

If you're behind a corporate proxy:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seed": {
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "proxy": "http://proxy.company.com:8080"
    }
  }
}

Custom Timeouts

For slow connections or servers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seed": {
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com/mcp",
      "transport": "http",
      "timeout": 30000
    }
  }
}

Timeout is in milliseconds (30000 = 30 seconds).

Configuration File Locations

Claude Desktop stores configuration in different locations by OS:

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/config.json

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\config.json

Linux:

~/.config/Claude/config.json

You can edit this file directly with a text editor if needed.

What's Next?

Now that you're connected:

• Explore Tools - Learn what tools are available
• Use Prompts - Try prompt templates
• Access Resources - Read configuration and user data

Getting Help

• Connection problems: Contact your server administrator
• Claude Desktop issues: See Claude Desktop documentation
• Feature requests: Ask your server administrator about enabling additional tools