Using with Claude Desktop

Connect Claude Desktop to your MCP Gateway and access all your servers through a single configuration.

Why Use MCP Gateway with Claude Desktop?

Instead of configuring each MCP server individually in Claude Desktop, you can point it to your MCP Gateway and get:

  • Single configuration - One endpoint for all your servers
  • Centralized management - Add/remove servers from the console without editing config files
  • Server aggregation - All tools from all servers available in one place
  • Usage tracking - See which tools are being used in the console

Configuration

1

Locate Your Config File

Claude Desktop stores its configuration in a JSON file. The location depends on your operating system:

# macOS
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
# Windows
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
# Linux
~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
2

Add the Gateway Configuration

Add the MCP Gateway to your mcpServers configuration. Since Claude Desktop uses stdio transport, we use mcp-remote to bridge to the gateway's HTTP endpoint: 

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "appxen-gateway": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.appxen.ai/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key from the console (starts with axgw_).

Requires: Node.js installed on your system. The mcp-remote package will be automatically downloaded on first use.

3

Restart Claude Desktop

After saving the configuration file, restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect. You should see your connected servers' tools available in Claude.

Full Configuration Example

Here's a complete example with the gateway alongside other local MCP servers: 

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "appxen-gateway": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.appxen.ai/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    },
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/you/Documents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Verifying the Connection

Once configured, you can verify the connection is working by:

  1. Opening a new conversation in Claude Desktop
  2. Asking Claude to list available tools
  3. You should see tools from all your connected servers (e.g., github__get_me)

Try asking:

"What tools do you have available from my connected MCP servers?"

Troubleshooting

"command" Required error?

If you see an error like invalid_type: expected "string" for "command", you're using the wrong config format.

  • Claude Desktop requires stdio transport (command + args), not direct URLs
  • Use the mcp-remote bridge as shown in the configuration above
  • Make sure you have Node.js installed for npx to work

Tools not appearing?

  • Check that your API key is correct
  • Verify you have at least one server enabled in the console
  • Ensure Claude Desktop was fully restarted after config changes

Added or removed servers but don't see changes?

Claude Desktop caches the tools list at startup. After adding, removing, or enabling/disabling servers in the console:

  • Restart Claude Desktop to refresh the tools list
  • On macOS: Quit Claude (Cmd+Q), then reopen
  • On Windows: Close Claude completely, then reopen

Connection errors?

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify the URL is exactly https://api.appxen.ai/mcp
  • Make sure your API key hasn't been revoked

JSON syntax errors?

  • Ensure all strings are in double quotes
  • Check for trailing commas (not allowed in JSON)
  • Use a JSON validator to check your config file

What's Next?