# Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop reaches remote MCP servers that use an API key through the `mcp-remote` bridge, so you need Node.js 18 or newer on the machine.

## Automatic

```sh
npx @justclaw-it/cli init
```

The CLI detects Claude Desktop and writes the entry below for you, backing up the file first.

## Manual

Open `claude_desktop_config.json`:

| OS | folder |
| --- | --- |
| macOS | `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/` |
| Windows | `%APPDATA%\Claude\` |
| Linux | `~/.config/Claude/` |

Add the `justclaw-it` entry under `mcpServers` (merge it with any servers already there):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "justclaw-it": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote@latest", "https://justclaw.it.com/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${JUSTCLAW_IT_AUTH}"],
      "env": { "JUSTCLAW_IT_AUTH": "Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" }
    }
  }
}
```

Replace `<YOUR_API_KEY>` with your key. The key goes in `env` so that the header value `Bearer <key>` (which contains a space) reaches `mcp-remote` as one argument.

## Check it

Quit Claude Desktop completely and reopen it (closing the window is not enough on macOS). The JustClaw-It tools then show in the tools menu of a new chat. If they don't, Claude Desktop's MCP log for the `justclaw-it` server usually says why: most often Node.js is missing or the key is wrong.

> Claude's custom connectors (Settings, Connectors) sign in with OAuth rather than an API-key header, and JustClaw-It's OAuth sign-in is not open to the public yet. Use the bridge setup above.

## Try it

> Use JustClaw-It to find a React drag-and-drop file upload component and show me its licence before pulling it.

Problems: [Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting).