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Claude Desktop

Last verified: 2026-05-06 · Drift risk: medium Official sources: Download Claude Desktop, Local MCP servers on Claude Desktop, Custom connectors via remote MCP, Connectors overview

What This Surface Is

Claude Desktop is the installable application version of Claude for macOS and Windows. It gives you the same Claude models you get on claude.ai, wrapped in a native app that can integrate with tools and data sources running on your local machine.

The key capability that distinguishes it from the web interface is support for desktop extensions—packaged MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that Claude can call during a conversation. With an extension active, Claude can read and write local files, query a local database, call a shell command, or talk to an API on your behalf. The app manages permissions, credentials, and the connection lifecycle.

Who It Is Best For

  • People who want Claude to access local files or apps without running a cloud server
  • Developers who want to prototype MCP-based tools before deploying them
  • Teams on Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plans who want Anthropic-reviewed connectors from the directory
  • Anyone who finds the browser interface insufficient for tasks that require persistent local context

Prerequisites

  • macOS 12 or later, or Windows 10 1809 or later
  • A Claude account: Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise (the Free plan does not include tool use via desktop extensions as of this writing—verify current plan limits at claude.ai/upgrade)
  • Node.js, Python, or a compiled binary if you plan to run a custom MCP server locally

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Download and install

Go to claude.ai/download and download the package for your operating system. Run the installer. No special permissions are needed beyond what a standard app installation requires.

2. Log in

Open the app. You will be prompted to log in with your Anthropic account credentials. Once authenticated, credentials are stored and you will not need to log in again unless you explicitly sign out.

3. Open Extensions settings

Navigate to Settings > Extensions. This is where you manage both directory extensions and custom local tools.

4. Browse and install a directory extension

Click Browse extensions to see Anthropic-reviewed tools. Each listing shows what the extension can read and write, and which platforms it is available on. Click Install on any extension you want. Configure any required settings (such as API keys) through the form that appears. The extension becomes available in your conversations immediately.

5. Verify a connection

Click the + button at the bottom left of any chat window and hover over Connectors. You will see a list of connected extensions with a toggle for each. Enabling a toggle makes that extension available for the current conversation.

Building Your First Useful Agent: Filesystem MCP Server

The filesystem MCP server is the canonical first example. It lets Claude read and write files within directories you specify. The following assumes you want to install a custom local MCP server rather than a directory extension.

Installing a custom desktop extension

As of early 2026, Claude Desktop uses packaged .mcpb files for custom extensions rather than manual JSON editing of a config file. The older claude_desktop_config.json pattern, which was the standard approach in 2024 and early 2025, has been superseded by the .mcpb packaging format. If you have documentation referencing claude_desktop_config.json, treat it as potentially outdated and check current docs.

To install a custom extension:

  1. Obtain or build a .mcpb file. (Developer instructions are in the Claude Desktop developer documentation.)
  2. In Settings > Extensions, click Advanced settings.
  3. Under Extension Developer, click Install Extension….
  4. Select your .mcpb file and follow the prompts.

Worked example: asking Claude to summarize files in a directory

Assume you have installed a filesystem extension that has read access to ~/Documents/project-notes.

Open a conversation, enable the filesystem extension from the + menu, and send:

Summarize all markdown files in ~/Documents/project-notes, grouped by topic.

Claude will call the filesystem tool to list files, read each one, and return a structured summary. It will ask for approval before any write operations.

For reference, the old JSON config format (now superseded but still referenced in many tutorials) looked like this:

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

If a tutorial you are following uses this format, check whether Claude Desktop's current version still reads it, or whether you need to package the server as a .mcpb file instead.

Customization

System prompt

Claude Desktop does not expose a persistent system prompt field in the way Claude Projects does. Per-conversation context can be set by typing instructions at the start of a conversation, or by using a Project (see Claude Projects).

Extension-level permissions

When you install an extension, you can configure which tool categories are available. Navigate to Settings > Extensions, select the extension, and review its Tool permissions. Options are typically:

  • Always allow: Claude calls the tool without asking you first
  • Needs approval: Claude pauses and shows you the proposed action before executing
  • Blocked: Claude cannot use this tool at all

Setting write operations to Needs approval is a sensible default until you trust an extension.

Multiple extensions at once

You can have multiple extensions installed and selectively enable them per conversation. If you have ten or more extensions active simultaneously, switch the Tool access mode to On demand (found in the + menu under Connectors) to give more space in the context window to the conversation itself.

Limits and Gotchas

  • Linux is not the primary target. The support article mentions macOS and Windows. A Linux version may exist but its feature parity—particularly for desktop extensions—is not guaranteed. Verify before relying on it for production workflows.
  • Custom connectors are cloud-side, not local-side. Remote MCP connectors (added via a URL) reach your MCP server from Anthropic's cloud infrastructure, not from your local machine. Your server must be reachable over the public internet. This is different from desktop extensions, which run locally. Per the remote MCP docs, servers behind a corporate firewall will fail unless you allowlist Anthropic's IP ranges.
  • The .mcpb packaging requirement is new. Documentation on the web still refers to claude_desktop_config.json. The official docs as of 2026-05-06 describe this as the older path; the current method uses the developer section of the Extensions settings panel.
  • Free plan users have limited connector access. The free plan limits custom connectors to one. Directory extensions may have their own plan requirements. Check individual extension listings.
  • Context window still applies. Enabling many connectors adds tool definitions to the context window and can reduce the space available for conversation content.

Confirmed by Docs vs. Practical Inference

Claim Status
Download at claude.ai/download Confirmed by official download page
Desktop extensions installed via .mcpb files Confirmed by support article
Older claude_desktop_config.json now deprecated in favor of .mcpb Confirmed: docs call JSON config "manual" and describe it as the older path
Settings path: Settings > Extensions Confirmed by support article
Tool permission options (Always allow, Needs approval, Blocked) Confirmed by connectors support article
Free plan limits custom connectors to one Confirmed by connectors overview article
Linux parity not guaranteed Practical inference; Linux mentioned in Claude Code docs but not prominently in Desktop docs

Cost and Rate-Limit Notes

Claude Desktop itself does not carry an additional fee. Costs come from the underlying Claude plan. Pro and Max plans include a usage allowance; very heavy tool-use sessions (many file reads, many model calls) may consume your allowance faster than plain conversation. Team and Enterprise plans have separate per-seat or enterprise pricing. Check claude.ai/upgrade for current plan details—specific prices are not documented here.

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