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Claude Desktop only supports local MCP servers via stdio transport. To connect to Danube’s remote server, we use the mcp-remote package as a bridge.

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Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have Node.js 18+ installed: 
node --version
If not installed, download from nodejs.org.

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Setup

1

Open the Configuration File

  1. Open Claude Desktop
  2. Click Claude in the menu bar (macOS) or File (Windows)
  3. Select Settings
  4. Click Developer in the sidebar
  5. Click Edit Config
This opens claude_desktop_config.json in your default text editor.
2

Add the Configuration

3

Restart Claude Desktop

Completely quit and relaunch Claude Desktop. You should see an MCP indicator (hammer icon) in the chat input area.

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How It Works

The mcp-remote package acts as a bridge:
  1. Claude Desktop spawns mcp-remote as a local process (stdio)
  2. mcp-remote connects to Danube’s remote server via HTTP/SSE
  3. Messages are proxied between Claude and Danube
This is necessary because Claude Desktop’s config file only supports local stdio servers, not remote HTTP connections.

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Troubleshooting

  • Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed: node --version
  • Verify the config file is valid JSON (no trailing commas)
  • Check the file is named exactly claude_desktop_config.json
  • Completely quit Claude (check for background processes)
  • Try adding -y before mcp-remote in args to auto-accept installation
  • Verify your API key is correct
  • Ensure the header format is danube-api-key:YOUR_KEY (no spaces around colon)
  • Try generating a new API key
  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify the server is reachable: curl https://danube.fastmcp.app/health
  • Clear mcp-remote cache: rm -rf ~/.mcp-auth
  • Check Claude logs:
    • macOS: tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
    • Windows: Check %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\
  • Ensure Node.js is installed and in your PATH
  • Try running npx --version in terminal
  • On macOS, you may need to restart after installing Node.js