Adding MCP Servers in Claude Code

CLI Methods

Configure MCP servers with Claude Code CLI for different scopes:

• Local Scope (Current Project Only) Default scope when omitted:

claude mcp add my-server /path/to/server
# or explicitly:
claude mcp add --scope local my-server /path/to/server

• Project Scope (Team-Wide) Shared via .mcp.json at project root:

claude mcp add --scope project shared-server /path/to/server

• User/Global Scope (All Your Projects) Available globally:

claude mcp add --scope user my-user-server /path/to/server
# or
claude mcp add --scope global my-user-server /path/to/server

Adding via JSON

Directly add using JSON configuration:

claude mcp add-json --scope user api-server '{"type":"stdio","command":"/path/to/cli","args":["--key","abc123"],"env":{"CACHE":"/tmp"}}'

HTTP/SSE Servers

For remote HTTP/SSE servers:

claude mcp add --transport http my-http-server https://example.com/mcp
claude mcp add --transport sse my-sse-server https://example.com/sse-endpoint

Import from Claude Desktop

Import existing desktop configurations:

claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop --scope user

Manual Configuration

Edit configurations directly:

• Global/User Scope (~/.claude.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["server.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

• Project Scope (.mcp.json in project root):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shared-server": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["server.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Scope Precedence

Claude Code prioritizes scopes as follows:

1. Local (current project)
2. Project (team-shared)
3. User/Global (all your projects)

Restart Claude Code after any changes.

That’s all it takes—let me know what you think!