> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.civic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Claude Desktop Setup

> Connect Claude Desktop to Civic in 5 minutes

<Note>
  This guide covers Claude Desktop setup. For other AI clients, see our [client compatibility guide](/civic/reference/client-compatibility).
</Note>

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Claude Desktop" icon="robot" href="https://claude.ai">
    Download and install Claude Desktop (Pro or Team plan required for MCP connectors)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Civic Account" icon="user" href="https://app.civic.com">
    Create a free account on app.civic.com
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Step 1: Set Up Your Civic Account

If you haven't already, create your account and select your tools at app.civic.com:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a free Civic account">
    Go to [app.civic.com](https://app.civic.com) and sign in with Google, GitHub, or email.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select your MCP servers">
    During onboarding, choose which services you want your AI to access — GitHub, Slack, Google Workspace, Dropbox, and more. This creates your default toolkit.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get your MCP URL">
    Your connection URL is the same for every Civic account:

    ```
    https://app.civic.com/hub/mcp
    ```

    The URL is not personalized — what makes it *yours* is authentication. When you connect your client and complete the OAuth flow, Civic links that session to your account and toolkit.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The MCP URL (`https://app.civic.com/hub/mcp`) is the same for every Civic user. What makes it yours is authentication — when you click **Connect** in Claude Desktop, a browser window opens to app.civic.com and links that session to your account and toolkit.
</Note>

## Step 2: Add MCP Server in Claude Desktop

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Claude Desktop Settings">
    1. In Claude Desktop, click on **Settings** (usually in the bottom left or profile menu)
    2. Navigate to **Connectors**

    <Frame caption="Claude Desktop Settings showing Connectors section">
      <img className="rounded-lg" src="https://mintcdn.com/civic/OEL28vRxta3iZcGh/images/steps/claude/02.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OEL28vRxta3iZcGh&q=85&s=612fbf18974b4869b637a35b1475bc52" alt="Claude Desktop settings page with Connectors section highlighted" width="3840" height="1916" data-path="images/steps/claude/02.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Custom Connector">
    1. Click **"Add Custom Connector"**
    2. Enter a name: **"Civic"**
    3. In "Remote MCP server URL" field, paste: `https://app.civic.com/hub/mcp`
    4. Click **"Add"** to confirm

    <Frame caption="Adding a custom MCP connector in Claude Desktop">
      <img className="rounded-lg" src="https://mintcdn.com/civic/OEL28vRxta3iZcGh/images/steps/claude/03.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OEL28vRxta3iZcGh&q=85&s=5444adba8eb9b941339f100552354503" alt="Claude Desktop connector settings dialog" width="3840" height="1916" data-path="images/steps/claude/03.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect and Authenticate">
    1. The connector will appear in your list with a **"Connect"** button
    2. Click **"Connect"** to begin authentication
    3. Follow on-screen instructions to authorize access to your selected services
    4. Return to **Settings > Connectors** to verify it shows as "Connected"

    <Frame caption="Claude Desktop connector successfully connected">
      <img className="rounded-lg" src="https://mintcdn.com/civic/OEL28vRxta3iZcGh/images/steps/claude/05.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OEL28vRxta3iZcGh&q=85&s=16c5e4dc6b8a16dd8aa245c020c4a308" alt="Claude Desktop showing connected Civic connector" width="3840" height="1916" data-path="images/steps/claude/05.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 3: Test Your Connection

Try these commands to verify everything is working:

```
"What MCP servers are available?"
"Check my GitHub repositories"  
"What's in my Dropbox?"
"Show recent Slack messages"
```

<Frame caption="Claude Desktop successfully using connected tools">
  <img className="rounded-lg" src="https://mintcdn.com/civic/OEL28vRxta3iZcGh/images/steps/claude/04.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OEL28vRxta3iZcGh&q=85&s=597c1cf6999cf00d4356404ab6dc08eb" alt="Claude Desktop chat showing successful tool usage" width="3840" height="1916" data-path="images/steps/claude/04.png" />
</Frame>

## Managing Your Tools

### Adding More Tools

You can add new tools directly in your Claude Desktop chat:

```
"Connect me to GitHub"
"Add Slack to my available tools"  
"I need access to Dropbox"
"Show me what tools are available to connect"
```

Claude will handle the connection process and guide you through any required authentication steps.

### Alternative Method: Hub Bridge (Free Users)

If you don't have Claude Pro, Team, or Enterprise, you won't have access to MCP connectors in the UI. Use Hub Bridge instead:

<Info>
  **What is Hub Bridge?** Hub Bridge (`@civic/hub-bridge`) is a lightweight local proxy that runs on your machine via `npx` and bridges stdio-only MCP clients to Civic's remote HTTP endpoint. Use it when your client doesn't support remote HTTP MCP connections natively. If your client supports HTTP/Streamable HTTP MCP — use that instead (it's simpler and has no Node.js dependency).

  [Full Hub Bridge setup guide →](/civic/quickstart/hub-bridge)
</Info>

<Warning>
  **Free Claude users**: The MCP connector UI is only available on paid Claude plans. Use this method if you're on the free plan.
</Warning>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open configuration file">
    1. In Claude Desktop, go to **Settings**
    2. Click the **Developer** tab
    3. Click **Edit Config** to open `claude_desktop_config.json`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Hub Bridge configuration">
    Add this to your config file:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "civic": {
          "command": "npx",
          "args": ["-y", "@civic/hub-bridge@latest"]
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    <Note>
      This uses the **Hub Bridge** method which works with any Claude Desktop version, including free.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and restart">
    1. Save the config file
    2. **Restart Claude Desktop** for changes to take effect
  </Step>

  <Step title="First-time setup">
    When you first use an MCP command, Hub Bridge opens a browser window to app.civic.com. Sign in to authenticate. If you haven't created a Civic account yet, you'll be walked through tool selection during sign-up.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Removing Tools

You can disconnect from specific tools directly in chat:

```
"Disconnect from Slack"  
"Remove GitHub from my tools"
"What tools do I currently have connected?"
"Stop my access to Dropbox"
```

### Managing the Entire Connector

To remove the Civic connector completely:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Access connectors">
    Go to **Settings > Connectors** in Claude Desktop
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove connector">
    1. Find "Civic" in your connectors list
    2. Click **Remove** or **Delete** next to the connector
    3. Confirm the removal when prompted
  </Step>

  <Step title="Clean up (optional)">
    Visit [app.civic.com](https://app.civic.com) to revoke service authorizations if you no longer want Civic to have access
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I need a paid Claude plan?">
    Yes, MCP connectors are currently only available on Claude Pro and Team plans. The free Claude plan doesn't support external integrations.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if authentication fails?">
    If you encounter authentication issues:

    * Make sure you're logged into the correct account for the service
    * Check if your account email matches between app.civic.com and the service
    * Try removing and re-adding the MCP connector with a fresh URL
    * Check our [troubleshooting guide](/civic/troubleshooting) for more solutions
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use different email addresses?">
    If your app.civic.com account uses a different email than your connected services (e.g., [work@company.com](mailto:work@company.com) vs [personal@gmail.com](mailto:personal@gmail.com)), make sure you authenticate with the correct account for each service during the OAuth flow.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My connector shows as disconnected">
    Try these steps:

    * Update Claude Desktop to the latest version
    * Remove the connector completely and re-add with a fresh MCP URL
    * Check that your system allows Claude network access
    * Restart Claude Desktop after making changes
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Two-Minute Verification

Once connected, test these prompts to make sure everything works:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="If you selected GitHub">
    ```
    "List my GitHub repositories"
    "Show me my recent pull requests"
    "What issues are assigned to me?"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="If you selected Slack">
    ```
    "What are the recent messages in #general?"
    "List my Slack workspaces"
    "Send a test message to myself"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="If you selected Dropbox">
    ```
    "What files are in my Dropbox?"
    "Show me recently modified documents"
    "Search for files containing 'project'"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Need Help?

<Card title="Troubleshooting Guide" icon="wrench" href="/civic/troubleshooting">
  Solutions for common Claude Desktop connection issues
</Card>

## Next Steps

Now that you're connected, explore what you can do:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Browse More Servers" icon="server" href="/civic/reference/servers">
    Add more MCP servers to expand Claude's capabilities
  </Card>

  <Card title="Security Details" icon="shield-check" href="/civic/reference/security">
    Learn how Civic keeps your data secure
  </Card>

  <Card title="Installing into an agent" icon="robot" href="/civic/quickstart/clients/agents">
    Deploy Civic in autonomous agents and automation platforms
  </Card>

  <Card title="Client compatibility" icon="table" href="/civic/reference/client-compatibility">
    See setup guides for other AI clients
  </Card>
</CardGroup>