How to Connect an MCP Server to Claude Desktop (No Developer Experience Required)

A few weeks ago I asked Claude Desktop to reorganize a folder on my computer. It reviewed the entire folder: every file and subfolder inside it, proposed a new layout, and once I approved it, made the changes itself.

I didn’t set anything up. I didn’t connect anything. I just asked.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was already using MCP. Claude Desktop ships with a built-in filesystem server that gives Claude access to your local files right out of the box. I had used MCP before I even knew what MCP was. If you’ve done anything similar, so have you.

That said, the built-in filesystem access is just the starting point. Once you understand how to connect MCP servers beyond what comes pre-installed, Claude goes from a smart chat tool to something that can reach into your Google Drive, pull from Notion, query a database, or interact with other tools you actually use. This post walks through how to connect your first MCP server to Claude Desktop, what the two available paths look like, and what’s worth knowing before you start.

• You might also like: Not sure what MCP is yet? Start here: What Is MCP and Why Should CRE Professionals Pay Attention?

What you need before you start

There are two ways to connect MCP servers to Claude Desktop right now. One requires almost no technical effort. The other requires editing a JSON configuration file. Which one you use depends on whether the server you want is available in the Extensions directory.

Before either path, make sure you have:

• Claude Desktop installed on macOS or Windows (not the browser version at claude.ai)
• The latest version. Click the Claude menu and select “Check for Updates” to confirm.
• A paid Claude plan if you want to connect remote servers through the web version. The Desktop Extensions path works on any plan.

That’s it for the Extensions path. You don’t need to install any extra software, Claude Desktop already includes everything it needs to run extensions from the directory.

Path one: the Extensions directory (easiest)

Anthropic introduced Desktop Extensions in early 2025 to address the biggest complaint about MCP setup: it was too complicated for non-developers. The Extensions directory works like installing a browser extension. One click, no configuration files.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings.
2. Click Extensions in the left menu.
3. Click “Browse extensions” to open the directory.
4. Find the server you want and click Install.
5. If the server requires credentials (like an API key), Claude will prompt you to enter them through a simple form. You don’t need to touch any config files.
6. Restart Claude Desktop. The new server will appear as an available tool in your conversations.

The directory is still growing. As of early 2026, it includes a solid set of productivity tools: Google Drive, Slack, GitHub, Notion, and others. For CRE professionals already using these tools, connecting them through the Extensions directory takes about two minutes.

One thing worth knowing: extensions from the official directory are reviewed by Anthropic before they’re listed. That matters if you’re thinking about security.

Path two: manual JSON configuration

A quick note before going further: Anthropic’s current support documentation focuses entirely on the Extensions directory path above. The manual JSON method is the older way of connecting MCP servers, and it still works, but it’s no longer what Anthropic recommends as the starting point for most users.

That said, it remains the only option for servers that haven’t been packaged as extensions yet. If you’re comfortable editing a text file and the server you want isn’t in the directory, here’s how it works.

One thing the manual path does require that the Extensions path doesn’t: Node.js. It’s free software that runs server processes on your computer. Download the LTS version from nodejs.org and install it before continuing. You can verify it’s installed by opening a terminal or command prompt and typing node --version. If you see a version number, you’re set.

1. Open Claude Desktop. Click the Claude menu in your system’s menu bar (on macOS, that’s the top menu bar; on Windows, look for Claude in the taskbar) and select “Settings.”
2. In the Settings window, click “Developer” in the left sidebar, then click “Edit Config.” This opens the claude_desktop_config.json file on your computer. The file is located at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows.
3. Open the file in any text editor. Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac works fine.
4. You’ll see an mcpServers section. This is where you add new server configurations. A basic entry for the filesystem server looks like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/username/Desktop",
        "/Users/username/Downloads"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace username with your actual computer username, and adjust the folder paths to whichever folders you want Claude to have access to.

5. For other servers, their documentation will provide the exact configuration snippet to paste in. It’s closer to a copy-paste task than writing anything from scratch.
6. Save the file, then fully quit and restart Claude Desktop. It needs a full restart to load the new configuration.
7. When Claude Desktop reopens, look for the server indicator in the bottom-right corner of the conversation input box. If it appears, the connection worked.

How to confirm it’s working

Once you’ve connected a server through either path, click the “+” button on the chat input box and select “Connectors.” This shows you which MCP servers are connected and what tools they expose.

You can also just ask Claude directly. After connecting a Google Drive server, try: “What files do I have in my Drive?” Claude will ask for permission to access it on the first run, you approve, and it pulls the answer without you opening a browser tab.

That permission prompt is intentional. Every action Claude takes through MCP requires your explicit approval before it executes. You stay in control of what gets accessed and what gets changed.

What to connect first

If you’re a CRE professional already using Claude in your workflow, these are the most practical first connections:

• Google Drive: Let Claude read and summarize documents without you copying content into the chat. Useful for lease abstracts, market reports, or any document-heavy research task.
• Notion: If your team uses Notion for deal notes, checklists, or knowledge bases, Claude can pull from and write to it directly.
• Slack: Claude can search your Slack history or draft messages without switching windows.

None of these require the manual JSON path. All three are available in the Extensions directory.

What doesn’t work yet (and what to watch out for)

The ecosystem is still early. Most CRE-specific platforms (property management software, deal pipeline tools, financial modeling platforms) don’t have MCP servers yet. You’ll find plenty of developer and productivity tools in the directory, but the vertical integrations that would make the biggest difference for a CRE analyst aren’t there yet.

A few things worth knowing before you start clicking Install on everything:

Some extensions require a higher Claude plan. Claude in Excel, for example, is a beta product that shows as unavailable on standard plans. You’ll see a message telling you a plan upgrade is required before you can install it.

Slack connections can also run into limits depending on your Slack plan. If your workspace is on a free or standard Slack plan, you may hit a cap on the number of third-party app connections allowed. That’s a Slack restriction, not an MCP issue, but it’s worth knowing before you expect it to work out of the box.

That will change. As I wrote in the MCP explainer post, PriceHubble has already built an MCP server for property data. More CRE platforms will follow as the protocol becomes standard. The setup process you learn today will apply to those connections when they arrive.

For now, connecting the productivity tools you already use (Drive, Notion, Slack) is the practical starting point. It removes friction from day-to-day AI work even before the CRE-specific integrations catch up.

Key takeaways

• If you’ve used Claude Desktop to work with files on your computer, you’ve already used MCP. The filesystem server comes pre-installed.
• The Extensions directory is the easiest way to add new connections. One click, no extra software to install, Anthropic-reviewed servers.
• The manual JSON path works for servers not yet in the directory. It requires Node.js installed on your computer, but the configuration itself is mostly copy-paste.
• Every MCP action requires your explicit approval before Claude executes it. You stay in control.
• Some extensions require a higher Claude plan. Some third-party tools like Slack have their own connection limits depending on your plan with them.
• CRE-specific integrations are limited right now, but the productivity tools already available (Drive, Notion, Slack) are worth connecting today.

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How to Connect an MCP Server to Claude Desktop (No Coding Required)

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Frequently Asked Questions: How to connect an MCP server to Claude Desktop

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