Complete Guide to Adding External Tools to Claude Desktop (2024)

Complete Guide to Adding External Tools to Claude Desktop (2024)

Looking to supercharge your Claude Desktop experience? This comprehensive guide walks you through connecting external tools to Claude Desktop. Whether you're integrating databases, code repositories, or file systems, we've got you covered with step-by-step instructions for both Windows and Mac users.

Quick Start Guide

  • Installation time: 5-10 minutes
  • Difficulty level: Beginner-friendly
  • Platforms: Windows & Mac
  • Last updated: December 2024

Essential Requirements

  • Claude Desktop app (latest version)
  • Basic file editing skills
  • Administrator access to your computer


Finding Your Configuration File Mac Users

  • Open Finder Cmd + Shift + G
  • Paste: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude
  • Find open or create claude_desktop_config.jsonOpen file



Finding Your Configuration File Windows Users

  • Press Windows key + R to open
  • Run dialogEnter %APPDATA% - this opens your Windows AppData folder
  • Look for "Claude" folder and open it
  • Find and open or create a config.json file inside

Tool Configurations

Single Tool Setup

Replace the entire contents of your config file with one of these configurations:


GitHub

{
  "github": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
    "env": {
      "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
    }
  }
}

Local Files
{
  "files": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-files"]
  }
}

Multiple Tools Setup
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-sqlite", "--db-path", "/path/to/your/database.db"]
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    },
    "files": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-files"]
    }
  }
}

Essential Tips

  • Backup before editing
  • Restart Claude Desktop after changes
  • Replace placeholder paths and tokensI
  • Install required software (Node.js for GitHub)

Troubleshooting

  • Check for typos
  • Verify paths and tokens
  • Confirm software installation
  • Restart Claude Desktop

Quick Tests

  • Databases: Ask for table lists
  • GitHub: Request repository lists
  • Files: Ask for directory contents

Keywords: Claude Desktop, external tools, integration guide, database connection, code repository, file system, configuration tutorial, AI assistant tools

⚠️ Safety First

  • Only add servers from trusted sources
  • Verify server code before installation
  • Check GitHub repos and npm packages
  • Never add unknown servers
  • Review permissions requested by each server