Claude MCP: add MCP servers and connectors to Claude

Fastest for AnythingMCP: the Claude Directory

AnythingMCP is listed in Anthropic's connector directory, so on AnythingMCP Cloud there is no URL to paste.

1. Open AnythingMCP in the Claude Directory.
2. Click Connect and sign in with your AnythingMCP Cloud account.
3. Choose which of your MCP servers Claude may use. Their tools are available in Claude straight away.

The directory connects AnythingMCP Cloud. For any other MCP server, a single AnythingMCP server under its own URL, or a self-hosted install, add a custom connector as described below.

Claude.ai and Claude Desktop (Free, Pro, Max)

1. Open Customize → Connectors.
2. Click +, then Add custom connector.
3. Paste the URL of the remote MCP server. If the server needs fixed OAuth credentials, open Advanced settings and enter the OAuth Client ID and Client Secret.
4. Click Add. If the server uses OAuth, sign in and approve the access it asks for.
5. In a chat, click + at the bottom left, choose Connectors and switch the connector on for that conversation.

The Free plan is limited to one custom connector. Claude connects to the server from Anthropic's cloud, not from your computer, so the URL must be reachable over the public internet; a server behind a VPN or firewall needs Anthropic's IP ranges allowlisted. Connectors belong to your Claude account, so they also work in Claude Desktop and the mobile apps.

Claude Team and Enterprise

1. An Owner opens Organization settings → Connectors and clicks Add.
2. The Owner hovers over Custom, selects Web, pastes the MCP server URL (OAuth client credentials go under Advanced settings) and clicks Add.
3. Each member opens Customize → Connectors, finds the connector with the Custom label and clicks Connect to sign in with their own account.

Only Owners can add custom connectors to a Team or Enterprise organization. Members then connect individually, so Claude only reaches what each person is allowed to see.

Claude Code

Claude Code adds MCP servers from the command line. Use the HTTP transport for remote servers; Anthropic marks SSE as deprecated.

1. Add the server with claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url>.
2. If the server expects an API key instead of OAuth, pass it with --header "X-API-Key: <key>".
3. Pick where the entry is stored with --scope: local (the default, only you in this project), project (shared with the team through a .mcp.json file in the repository) or user (you, in every project).
4. For OAuth servers, run /mcp inside Claude Code and follow the sign-in. claude mcp list shows every server you added.

# OAuth: add the server, then run /mcp inside Claude Code to sign in
claude mcp add --transport http anythingmcp https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp

# API key (one MCP server): send it as X-API-Key
claude mcp add --transport http anythingmcp https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp/YOUR_SERVER_ID \
  --header "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"