Setting Up MCP Servers on Windows

A step-by-step guide to setting up Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for Claude Desktop on Windows.

Prerequisites

Install Node.js (v18.x or later)
- Download from: https://nodejs.org/
- Verify installation by opening Command Prompt (CMD) and running:
```
node --version
npm --version
where node
npm root -g
```
- Note down the paths returned by the last two commands - you'll need them later
Install Python 3.10 or later (for Python-based servers)
- Download from: https://www.python.org/downloads/
- Make sure to check "Add Python to PATH" during installation

Installation Steps

1. Install Package Managers

Open Command Prompt (CMD) as administrator and run:

# For Python-based servers
npm install -g uv

2. Install MCP Servers

You have multiple options for installing and configuring servers:

Option A: Global NPM Installation (Recommended for getting started)

# Install core servers globally
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search

Option B: Using NPX (Alternative for package-managed servers)

Some servers can be run directly through npx without global installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\Downloads",
        "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\Documents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Option C: Local Development Setup

For locally developed or modified servers, point directly to their dist files:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\Dev\\servers\\src\\sequentialthinking\\dist\\index.js"],
      "env": {
        "DEBUG": "*"
      }
    }
  }
}

Python-based Servers

Some MCP servers are Python-based and require different installation steps. Here's how to set them up:

Fetch Server

# Install the fetch server using pip
pip install mcp-server-fetch

# Configure in claude_desktop_config.json:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fetch": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "mcp_server_fetch"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DEBUG": "*"
      }
    }
  }
}

The fetch server provides web content fetching capabilities and converts HTML to markdown for easier consumption by LLMs. It requires Python 3.10 or later.

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Navigate to: %AppData%\Claude Desktop\
Create or edit claude_desktop_config.json
Use this configuration structure (replace paths with your actual Node.js and npm paths):

{
  "globalShortcut": "Ctrl+Space",
  "mcpServers": {
    "sqlite": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-sqlite", "--db-path", "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\test.db"]
    },
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\Downloads",
        "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\Documents",
        "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\Desktop"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DEBUG": "*"
      }
    },
    "memory": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\@modelcontextprotocol\\server-memory\\dist\\index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DEBUG": "*"
      }
    },
    "mcp-installer": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@anaisbetts/mcp-installer"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Important Notes:

Replace YourUsername with your Windows username
For npx-based installations, the -y flag automatically accepts installation prompts
Local development paths should point to the compiled dist/index.js files
The DEBUG environment variable helps with troubleshooting
You can mix and match installation methods based on your needs:
- Use npx for quick testing or occasional use
- Use global installations for better performance
- Use local paths for development or customized versions

Verification & Troubleshooting

Verify Installations

# List installed packages
npm list -g --depth=0

# Test individual servers directly
node C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\@modelcontextprotocol\server-memory\dist\index.js

Common Issues

"Could not attach to MCP server"
- Verify all paths in config match your system exactly
- Make sure all packages are installed globally (-g flag)
- Test servers directly using the node command as shown above
- Run Claude Desktop as administrator
PowerShell Security Errors
- Use Command Prompt (CMD) instead
- Or run Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser in PowerShell as admin
Server not showing in Claude
- Ensure you have Claude Desktop Pro subscription
- Make sure you have the latest Claude Desktop version
- Look for the MCP icon in the interface
- Restart Claude Desktop after configuration changes
- Verify JSON syntax in config file

Tips

Always use global installations (npm install -g)
Use absolute paths to both Node.js and server files
Keep DEBUG env variable for troubleshooting
Restart Claude Desktop after config changes
Run Claude Desktop as administrator when testing new configurations

feveromo/Claude MCP Windows.md