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Claude Desktop reads its MCP servers from a JSON file on disk. Edit it, restart the app, and the tools appear.

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Where the config lives

You can also open it from the app: Settings → Developer → Edit Config. If the file does not exist yet, create it with the contents below.

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Add the server

claude_desktop_config.json
If you already have other servers, add 2extract as another key inside the existing mcpServers object rather than replacing it.
Restart Claude Desktop completely. Closing the window is not enough on macOS - quit the app from the menu bar or with Cmd+Q. A new conversation in a running app will not pick up config changes.

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Verify

Open a new conversation and ask:
What is my 2extract balance?
Claude asks permission to use a 2extract tool, then reports your balance.
You can also check the tools icon in the message composer - 2extract should be listed with its tools.

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Older versions

Some builds of Claude Desktop only launch local servers over stdio and ignore type: "http". If your version does nothing with the config above, bridge to the remote server with mcp-remote:
claude_desktop_config.json
This needs Node.js on your machine. Prefer the direct HTTP form when your version supports it - it is faster and has no dependency.

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Troubleshooting

In order of likelihood:
  1. The app was not fully restarted. Quit it, do not just close the window.
  2. The JSON is malformed - a trailing comma or a missing brace. Paste it into any JSON validator; the app fails silently on syntax errors.
  3. The file is in the wrong place. Use Settings → Developer → Edit Config to open the one the app actually reads.
Check the Authorization value. It must be the word Bearer, one space, then the key - Bearer 2xt_.... A stray newline from copy-pasting will also break it.
That is the app’s own approval flow, not something the server controls. You can allow a tool for the rest of the conversation in the permission dialog.

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Next steps

Prompts

Guided workflows, available as slash commands.

Usage Examples

Sessions from request to connection string.