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Claude Desktop ยท install guide

Install Context7 MCP in Claude Desktop

In Claude Desktop, open Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector, and give it https://mcp.context7.com/mcp. Restart Desktop. A bare type and url entry in claude_desktop_config.json does not work: that file is the local stdio path.

Claude Desktop is a different client from Claude Code, and it is the one client here that cannot take a remote MCP URL from its config file. Use Connectors, or bridge it with mcp-remote.

https://mcp.context7.com/mcp
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Add Context7 as a custom connector

This is the route that needs no local process, so it is the one to use unless you have a reason not to. The only thing you paste is the endpoint: https://mcp.context7.com/mcp

Connectors are stored against your account rather than in a file on disk, which is why nothing appears in claude_desktop_config.json after you add one.

  1. Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings.
  2. Open Connectors, then choose Add custom connector.
  3. Enter https://mcp.context7.com/mcp as the remote MCP server URL.
  4. Restart Claude Desktop.
  5. Add use context7 to a prompt that needs current library docs.

If you need it in claude_desktop_config.json

claude_desktop_config.json launches local servers over stdio. It takes command and args, not a remote type and url pair, so a remote server has to be bridged by a local process. mcp-remote is that bridge, and it needs Node available.

macOS path: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Save, then quit Desktop and open it again.

This path exists for completeness. It spawns a Node process and reintroduces the thing the remote endpoint avoids, so prefer the connector above.

  1. Add mcpServers.context7 with command npx and args mcp-remote followed by https://mcp.context7.com/mcp.
  2. Quit Claude Desktop and open it again.

Claude Code is a different client

If you are on Claude Code, the terminal tool, none of the above applies. It takes a single command: claude mcp add --scope user --transport http context7 https://mcp.context7.com/mcp. That is on /install.

Optional API key

Desktop can run without a key. For rate limits, create one at context7.com/dashboard. A custom connector that supports authentication will prompt for it; on the mcp-remote path, pass it with a --header argument carrying Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY against https://mcp.context7.com/mcp.