MCP Servers

What is MCP Servers?

MCP Servers is a configuration repository that streamlines the setup and management of various Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for use with Claude Desktop and Claude Code on Mac OS X. It includes installation scripts, environment variable management, and a reference configuration for servers such as Filesystem, SQLite, Puppeteer, GitHub, Time, Fetch, and CLI.

How to use MCP Servers?

Clone the repository and use the provided template configuration (claude_desktop_config.template.json) to set up your own claude_desktop_config.custom.json. Run the install-config.sh script to deploy the configuration, and setup-mcp-secrets.sh to securely store API tokens and secrets. After any configuration change, restart Claude Desktop completely. Additional servers can be installed using npm (for Node.js-based servers) or uv (for Python-based servers).

Key features of MCP Servers

• Pre-configured setup for seven common MCP servers
• Automated environment variable and secrets management
• Dual HTTP request handling strategy with fallback CLI server
• Organized directory structure and virtual environment conventions
• Troubleshooting guides for common MCP integration issues
• Template configuration files that can be customized per user

Use cases of MCP Servers

• Enabling Claude Desktop to query SQLite databases with multiple database registries
• Allowing Claude to browse the web and automate browser tasks via Puppeteer
• Giving Claude access to GitHub repositories and issues using a personal access token
• Providing Claude with HTTP request capabilities through Fetch and CLI servers
• Simplifying secret management and configuration for new MCP server additions

FAQ from MCP Servers

What servers are included by default?

The repository includes configurations for Filesystem, SQLite, Puppeteer, GitHub, Time, Fetch, and CLI MCP servers.

How do I securely store API tokens or secrets?

Create a ~/.claude_env file with your secrets (e.g., CLAUDE_DESKTOP_GITHUB_TOKEN=your_token), set file permissions to 600, and add the loading script to your shell profile. The repository includes an automated setup script (setup-mcp-secrets.sh).

Where is the Claude Desktop configuration file located?

On macOS the path is ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json; on Windows it is C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

Why don’t my environment variables work in Claude Desktop?

GUI applications may not inherit all shell environment variables. Ensure your shell profile loads the secrets file, then restart Claude Desktop completely. If issues persist, try launching Claude Desktop from the terminal with open -a "Claude" or restart your computer.

How can I use the MCP servers from Claude in a web browser or Claude Code?

You can activate the keyboard shortcut to add MCP servers by running the provided AppleScript or PowerShell command that sends Cmd+Shift+M to Claude Desktop.