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Connect ModusBrain to Claude Desktop

Important: Claude Desktop does NOT connect to remote MCP servers via claude_desktop_config.json. That file only works for local stdio servers. Remote HTTP servers must be added through the GUI.

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Setup

  1. Open Claude Desktop
  2. Go to Settings > Integrations
  3. Click Add Integration (or Add Connector)
  4. Enter the MCP server URL:
    Replace YOUR-DOMAIN with your ngrok domain (see ngrok-tunnel recipe for setup).
  5. Set authentication to Bearer Token and paste your token (create one with modusbrain auth create "claude-desktop")
  6. Save

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Verify

Start a new conversation and try:
Claude Desktop will use your ModusBrain tools automatically.

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Common Mistakes

Using claude_desktop_config.json for remote servers — this silently fails with no error message. The JSON config only works for local stdio MCP servers. Remote HTTP servers must be added via Settings > Integrations in the GUI. Using the wrong URL — make sure the URL ends with /mcp (not /health or just the base domain).