Setup guide

Connect Serve MCP to your AI client

One URL, and in most cases nothing else. Pick your client below.

Your Serve MCP URL

https://servemcp.com/api/mcp

The same for everyone. You choose which workspace to connect when you sign in, so there is nothing to personalise and nothing secret about this address.

No token, usually

Most clients sign you in through your browser.

Read-only by default

Tools that change things stay off until you turn them on.

Revocable

Disconnect or revoke from your dashboard at any time.

Claude

Recommended

Works the same on claude.ai in a browser, in the desktop app and on mobile. Custom connectors need a paid Claude plan.

1
Open Settings → Connectors and choose Add custom connector.
2
Paste the URL above. Leave every other field alone — Serve MCP registers itself.
3
Click Connect. A Serve MCP sign-in opens; sign in and pick the workspace you want this client to reach.
4
That's it. Start a new chat — your tools appear there, not in chats that were already open.

One connection reaches one workspace. To use several, add the connector once per workspace using the workspace-specific URL from your dashboard's MCP Endpoint page.

Claude Code

One command, then sign in when prompted:

terminal

claude mcp add --transport http serve-mcp https://servemcp.com/api/mcp

Run it in the project you want the tools available in, or add --scope user to have them everywhere.

ChatGPT

Custom connectors are available on paid plans, under Settings → Connectors. Add a connector, paste the URL above, and authorise when prompted.

Worth knowing: ChatGPT's connector support is narrower than Claude's and has changed more than once. If your connector is rejected or only some tools appear, that is ChatGPT's side rather than Serve MCP — the same URL will be working in Claude.

Cursor and other config-file clients

Cursor, Windsurf, Continue, Roo Code and similar read a JSON config. These need a bearer token — see below for where to get one.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "serve-mcp": {
      "url": "https://servemcp.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer smcp_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor reads .cursor/mcp.json in a project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json globally. Other clients use the same shape in their own config file.

Getting a token

Only needed for clients that cannot sign in through a browser. If you connected with the URL alone, skip this.

1
In your dashboard, open the workspace and go to MCP Endpoint.
2
Generate a token. It starts smcp_ and is shown once — copy it then.
3
Paste it into your client's config as the Authorization header, as shown above.

Keep it in a header. Serve MCP also accepts ?token= in the URL for clients that cannot set headers, but URLs are written to server and proxy logs in plain text and leak through referrer headers. A token sent that way should be treated as exposed and replaced once the client is fixed.

If it doesn't work

The tools aren't there

Clients read the tool list once, when they connect. Start a new chat or session.

A tool accepts something its own description doesn't mention

Your session is older than the server. Reconnect the connector and start a new chat. Asking for servemcp_status confirms it: if the tool count it reports differs from what your client lists, you are on a stale copy.

A tool you enabled is missing

Tools that change things ship switched off. Turn them on under Tools in your workspace, then reconnect.

Everything from one service fails at once

That service's connection has usually expired. Check Connections in your dashboard and reconnect the one showing an error.

Checking it from a terminal

This lists your tools and proves the URL and token work:

terminal

curl -X POST https://servemcp.com/api/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer smcp_your_token_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list","params":{}}'

Still stuck?

Tell us which client you're using and what you saw.

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