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Claude Desktop MCP 9 min read

Claude Desktop Guide 2025: Setup, MCP Servers & Power Tips

Everything you need to get Claude Desktop running, connected to local tools via MCP, and working efficiently as your daily AI assistant.

What Is Claude Desktop?

Claude Desktop is the official native macOS and Windows application for Claude, built by Anthropic. It is the primary host for MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations, which is its defining advantage over the Claude.ai web app.

With MCP servers connected, Claude Desktop can read and write files on your local machine, query your databases, clone Git repositories, browse the web with a controlled browser, and connect to hundreds of third-party services — all without sending your local data to a cloud intermediary.

Claude Desktop is the right choice for power users and developers who want a local, tool-augmented AI assistant. For browser-based access, Claude.ai works fine. For terminal-based agentic coding, consider Claude Code.

Download & Install

Step 1 — Download

Visit claude.ai/download and choose macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel) or Windows. No account required to download.

Step 2 — Install

macOS: open the .dmg, drag Claude to Applications. Windows: run the installer. First launch will prompt you to sign in with your Claude.ai account (free or paid).

Step 3 — Sign in

Log in with your Claude.ai email. Your conversation history and Projects sync automatically. The free tier is available; Pro ($20/mo) and Max ($100/mo) give higher message limits and priority access.

Projects: Persistent Context

Projects let you give Claude persistent instructions and knowledge files that apply to every conversation in that project. Useful for: a coding project with your stack's conventions, a writing project with your style guide, or a research project with source documents.

  • Create a Project from the left sidebar → New Project
  • Add a custom system prompt (e.g. "You are an expert in React and TypeScript. Our codebase uses Tailwind CSS.")
  • Upload knowledge files — PDFs, text files, code files — up to the 200k token context window
  • On Claude Pro/Max, team members can share Projects (Team plan required for collaboration)

Adding MCP Servers

MCP servers extend Claude's capabilities with local tools. Edit the config file, restart Claude Desktop, and new tools appear automatically. The config file location:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

claude_desktop_config.json — example with 2 MCP servers

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/you/Documents",
        "/Users/you/Projects"
      ]
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_YOUR_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

After editing, fully quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window) and reopen it. A hammer icon in the chat input confirms MCP tools are active.

Essential MCP Servers to Install

Filesystem

Read, write, and search files in directories you specify. The most-used MCP server — lets Claude read your codebase or edit local documents directly. Package: @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem

GitHub

Search repos, read files, create issues and PRs, and review code diffs — all from the chat. Requires a GitHub Personal Access Token. Package: @modelcontextprotocol/server-github

Puppeteer (Browser)

Controls a Chromium browser — navigate pages, take screenshots, fill forms, click elements. Useful for web research and automation. Package: @modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer

PostgreSQL

Query your local or remote Postgres database with natural language. Claude sees the schema and runs read-only SQL. Package: @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres

See the full curated list: Best MCP Servers for Claude Desktop and browse the MCP directory.

Claude Desktop vs Claude.ai vs Claude Code

Feature Claude Desktop Claude.ai Claude Code
MCP servers Yes (local) No Yes (local)
Projects Yes Yes CLAUDE.md only
File uploads Yes Yes Via filesystem
Terminal / shell Via MCP No Native
Best for Daily AI assistant Browser access Autonomous coding

See also: MCP Server guide, Claude Code guide, Best MCP servers, Cline guide.

Monitor Anthropic & Claude Status

Claude Desktop connects to Anthropic's API on every message. When Anthropic has an incident, Claude Desktop shows "Claude is currently unavailable." Prismix tracks live Anthropic status.

Check Anthropic Status →