MCP-Windows

Claude MCP Windows.md

Setting Up MCP Servers on Windows

A step-by-step guide to setting up Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for Claude Desktop on Windows.

Prerequisites

1. Install Node.js (v18.x or later)

   • Download from: https://nodejs.org/
   • Verify installation by opening PowerShell and running:

     node --version
     npm --version

2. Install Python 3.10 or later (for Python-based servers)

   • Download from: https://www.python.org/downloads/
   • Make sure to check "Add Python to PATH" during installation

Installation Steps

1. Install Package Managers

Open PowerShell as administrator and run:

# For Python-based servers
npm install -g uv

2. Install MCP Servers

For Node.js-based servers:

# Install servers globally
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-everything
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search
# ... other servers you want to install

For Python-based servers:

# Using uvx
uvx mcp-server-sqlite

3. Configure Claude Desktop

1. Navigate to: %AppData%\Claude Desktop\
2. Create or edit claude_desktop_config.json
3. Use this configuration structure:

{
  "globalShortcut": "Ctrl+Space",
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-sqlite", "--db-path", "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\test.db"]
    },
    "memory": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\@modelcontextprotocol\\server-memory\\dist\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "DEBUG": "*"
      }
    },
    "everything": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\@modelcontextprotocol\\server-everything\\dist\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "DEBUG": "*"
      }
    },
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\@modelcontextprotocol\\server-brave-search\\dist\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE",
        "DEBUG": "*"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important:

• Replace YourUsername with your Windows username
• Replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your actual API key for services that require it
• Use double backslashes (\) in all Windows paths
• Point to the dist/index.js file in the npm modules directory

Server-Specific Setup

SQLite Server

• Only requires the basic setup shown above
• Customize the --db-path argument to your preferred location

Memory Server

• No additional setup required
• Debug logging enabled by default

Everything Server

• No additional setup required
• Debug logging enabled by default

Brave Search Server

1. Get API key from https://brave.com/search/api/
2. Add it to the config's env section as shown above

Verification & Troubleshooting

Verify Installations

# List installed packages
npm list -g --depth=0

# Test individual servers
npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory
npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search
uvx mcp-server-sqlite

Common Issues

1. "Could not attach to MCP server"

   • Verify the paths in config match your system
   • Make sure all packages are installed globally (-g flag)
   • Check that dist/index.js exists in the specified paths

2. Server not showing in Claude

   • Restart Claude Desktop
   • Verify JSON syntax in config file
   • Check file paths are correct

Tips

• Always use global installations (npm install -g)
• Use full paths to dist/index.js in the config
• Keep DEBUG env variable for troubleshooting
• Restart Claude Desktop after config changes