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Connect Claude Desktop

Full setup guide for connecting the ECGrid MCP Server to Claude Desktop on macOS and Windows.

Let Claude Install It For You​

The fastest way — paste one of these prompts into Claude and let it handle the setup.

⚠️ Keep your API key out of the chat

Treat your ECGrid API key like a password. The prompts below leave YOUR_API_KEY_HERE as a placeholder — fill in your actual key directly in the config file, not in the chat. Get your key from your ECGrid Portal → account settings.

Option A — Claude Desktop (Fully Automated)​

Use this if you are already inside Claude Desktop. Claude Desktop has computer use capabilities — it can open a terminal, check for Node.js, locate and edit your config file, and verify the connection.

Copy and paste into Claude Desktop:

I want to connect the ECGrid MCP server to Claude Desktop. Please set it up for me by doing the following — ask my permission before taking any action that changes my system:

1. Open a terminal and run `node --version` to check if Node.js is installed
   - If Node.js v18 or higher is installed: confirm it and continue
   - If Node.js is missing or below v18: tell me what you found, ask my permission, then download and run the LTS installer from https://nodejs.org
2. Locate my claude_desktop_config.json file and open it
3. Add the ECGrid MCP block in the correct location, safely merging with any existing content — use YOUR_API_KEY_HERE as the placeholder for the API key
4. Show me the final file contents before saving and ask my permission to save
5. After I confirm, save the file and remind me to replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with my actual ECGrid API key before restarting
6. After I update the key, ask me to fully restart Claude Desktop
7. After I restart, test the connection by running: Test the ECGrid MCP connection

The ECGrid MCP server URL is https://mcp.ecgrid.io/mcp. Authentication uses the X-APIKey header. The mcpServers block to add is:
{
  "ecgrid-mcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","mcp-remote","https://mcp.ecgrid.io/mcp","--header","X-APIKey:YOUR_API_KEY_HERE","--transport","http-only"]
  }
}

After Claude finishes setup, open the config file and replace YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your actual ECGrid API key before restarting Claude Desktop.

Option B — Claude.ai Web or Mobile (Step-by-Step Guidance)​

Copy and paste into any Claude conversation for guided manual setup.

I want to connect the ECGrid MCP server to Claude Desktop. Please guide me through setup step by step: check my OS, walk me through Node.js check/install, finding the config file, and adding the ECGrid MCP block. Use YOUR_API_KEY_HERE as the placeholder — I will fill in my actual key directly in the config file. Server URL: https://mcp.ecgrid.io/mcp, auth header: X-APIKey.

Manual Setup​

Step 1 — Check and Install Node.js​

Open a terminal and run:

node --version

You need v18 or later. Install from nodejs.org if missing or too old.

💡 macOS — opening Terminal: Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, press Enter.

💡 Windows — opening Command Prompt: Press the Windows key, type cmd, press Enter.

Step 2 — Find Your Config File​

The fastest way: Claude Desktop → hamburger menu (☰) → Settings → Developer → Edit Config.

Manual paths:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

⚠️ macOS — Library folder is hidden: Use Go → Go to Folder (Cmd+Shift+G) and paste ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/.

⚠️ Windows — AppData folder is hidden: Paste %APPDATA%\Claude\ directly into the File Explorer address bar.

Step 3 — Add the Config Block​

New file or empty file — paste this exactly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ecgrid-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.ecgrid.io/mcp",
        "--header",
        "X-APIKey:YOUR_API_KEY_HERE",
        "--transport",
        "http-only"
      ]
    }
  }
}

File already has content — add the "ecgrid-mcp" block inside the existing "mcpServers" section. Never duplicate the outer {} or add a second "mcpServers" key. Validate with jsonlint.com if unsure.

Step 4 — Restart and Test​

Fully close and reopen Claude Desktop, then type:

Test the ECGrid MCP connection

A successful response returns your ECGrid login name, auth level, and network ID.

Troubleshooting​

See the Troubleshooting page for a full table of error causes and fixes.