Configure Claude Desktop

This guide shows you how to configure Claude Desktop to connect to the Power MCP service using a personal API key.

Claude Desktop’s local config file (claude_desktop_config.json) only supports stdio MCP servers. Remote Streamable HTTP servers (like Power MCP) need a small local bridge — mcp-remote — which Claude Desktop launches as a stdio process.

Custom Connectors / OAuth

Claude Desktop also has Settings → Connectors for remote MCP URLs. That path authenticates with OAuth, which Power MCP does not expose yet. Until OAuth ships, use the mcp-remote + API key setup below.

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop installed (download)
• Node.js 18+ on your PATH (required for npx mcp-remote)
• A personal API key (see Getting started)

Locate the configuration file

Platform	Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

You can also open it from Claude Desktop: Settings → Developer → Edit Config.

Add the Power MCP server

Merge this into your mcpServers object (or create the file if it does not exist yet):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "coworker": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote@0.1.38",
        "https://api.ai.wpengine.com/v1/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer wpe_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace wpe_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE with your personal API key.

The bridge version is pinned on purpose: npx hands mcp-remote your API key on its command line, so an unpinned mcp-remote would run whatever release npm marks latest at launch. Upgrade it deliberately rather than dropping the version.

Windows header spacing

Some Windows builds mangle spaces inside args. If the header fails, use "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}" (no space after the colon) and set "env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer wpe_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE" } on the server entry.

Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop so it reloads the config. You should see the coworker tools available (hammer / connectors UI depending on your Desktop version).

Verify the connection

Ask Claude Desktop:

Use the coworker MCP server to list my WordPress sites

If tools do not appear:

• Confirm Node 18+ is on PATH (node -v, then which npx on macOS/Linux or where npx on Windows)
• Check the JSON has no trailing commas
• Confirm the API key is a personal key (wpe_pat_…) with MCP write permission
• Review Claude Desktop logs under Settings → Developer

Next steps

• Configure Claude Code — Native HTTP setup for the CLI
• Getting started tutorial — Complete setup and run your first ability
• API keys reference — Personal vs project keys