How to Install Your First MCP Server

What you'll need

• Claude Desktop (free — download from anthropic.com)
• Node.js v18 or later (for npm/npx-based servers) — download from nodejs.org
• A text editor to edit your config file (VS Code, Notepad, or any other)

Step 1 — Choose a server

Go to MCPCMD categories and pick a server that matches what you want Claude to do. For your first install, we recommend a simple server like a file system server or a web search server — they have minimal dependencies and are well-documented.

On each server page you'll find two things: an install command and a config snippet. You'll need both in the next steps.

Step 2 — Run the install command

Open your terminal (Terminal on Mac, PowerShell on Windows) and paste the install command. It will usually look something like this:

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/Documents

Press Enter and wait for it to finish. For npx commands, Node.js downloads and runs the server automatically — you don't need to install anything permanently first.

Step 3 — Add the server to your Claude config

Claude Desktop stores its MCP server list in a JSON file called claude_desktop_config.json. Its location depends on your operating system:

Open the file in a text editor. Copy the config snippet from the MCPCMD server page and paste it inside the mcpServers object. It will look like this:

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

Save the file and fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd+Q on Mac, not just close the window).

Step 4 — Restart Claude and test it

Relaunch Claude Desktop. Open a new conversation and look for the tools icon (a hammer icon in the input area). If your server loaded correctly, you'll see its tools listed there.

Try asking Claude to use the server. For a file system server: "List the files in my Documents folder."Claude will call the server, get the results, and respond with the file list.

Troubleshooting