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

# Connect to Claude Desktop

> Step-by-step guide to connect your Shuriken Agent Key to Claude Desktop.

This guide gets Claude Desktop connected to Shuriken in about 2 minutes. Once set up, you can ask Claude to scan your alpha, research tokens, check your portfolio, and trade  - all from a conversation.

**Time required:** About 2 minutes.

## Prerequisites

* [Claude Desktop](https://claude.ai/download) installed (available for macOS and Windows)
* [Node.js](https://nodejs.org) installed (required for the `mcp-remote` bridge)
* A Shuriken Agent Key ([create one here](/agent-kit/create-agent-key) if you haven't already)

## Step-by-step setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Copy your Agent Key">
    If you just created your key, copy it from the setup screen. It starts with `sk_`.

    If you already closed that screen, you'll need to [create a new key](/agent-kit/create-agent-key) - keys are only shown once.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the config file">
    Claude Desktop stores its MCP config in a file called `claude_desktop_config.json`.

    **Option A: Through Claude Desktop settings**

    1. Open Claude Desktop
    2. Click the **Claude** menu in your system menu bar (top of screen on macOS, top of window on Windows)
    3. Select **Settings**
    4. Go to the **Developer** tab
    5. Click **Edit Config**

    This opens the config file directly.

    **Option B: Open the file manually**

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="macOS">
        ```
        ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
        ```

        Open Finder, press `Cmd+Shift+G`, and paste the path above.
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Windows">
        ```
        %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
        ```

        Press `Win+R`, paste the path above, and hit Enter. If the file doesn't exist, create it.

        <Tip>
          The full path is usually: `C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
        </Tip>
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the Shuriken server">
    Paste the following into your config file. Replace `YOUR_AGENT_KEY` with the key you copied in step 1.

    <Note>
      **Why `mcp-remote`?** Claude Desktop supports remote MCP servers through its built-in Connectors feature (Settings > Connectors), but that requires OAuth authentication. Since Shuriken uses API key authentication via custom headers, the `mcp-remote` bridge is needed to pass those headers through `claude_desktop_config.json`.
    </Note>

    <Warning>
      **Node.js required.** The config below uses `npx` to run the `mcp-remote` bridge. If you don't have [Node.js](https://nodejs.org) installed, this step will fail silently.
    </Warning>

    **If the file is empty or doesn't exist**, paste this entire block:

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="macOS">
        ```json claude_desktop_config.json theme={null}
        {
          "mcpServers": {
            "Shuriken": {
              "command": "npx",
              "args": [
                "-y",
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://api.shuriken.trade/mcp",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: AgentKey YOUR_AGENT_KEY"
              ]
            }
          }
        }
        ```
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Windows">
        ```json claude_desktop_config.json theme={null}
        {
          "mcpServers": {
            "Shuriken": {
              "command": "cmd",
              "args": [
                "/c",
                "npx",
                "-y",
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://api.shuriken.trade/mcp",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: AgentKey YOUR_AGENT_KEY"
              ]
            }
          }
        }
        ```

        <Note>
          Windows can't execute `npx` directly as a process — it's a `.cmd` script, not a real executable. The `cmd /c` wrapper is the official workaround. This is a known Claude Desktop limitation, not specific to Shuriken.
        </Note>
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    **If your config already has other MCP servers or preferences**, add the `"Shuriken"` block inside the existing `"mcpServers"` object. Keep any other configuration (like `preferences`) as-is:

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="macOS">
        ```json claude_desktop_config.json theme={null}
        {
          "mcpServers": {
            "your-existing-server": {
              "...": "..."
            },
            "Shuriken": {
              "command": "npx",
              "args": [
                "-y",
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://api.shuriken.trade/mcp",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: AgentKey YOUR_AGENT_KEY"
              ]
            }
          },
          "preferences": {
            "...your existing preferences...": "..."
          }
        }
        ```
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Windows">
        ```json claude_desktop_config.json theme={null}
        {
          "mcpServers": {
            "your-existing-server": {
              "...": "..."
            },
            "Shuriken": {
              "command": "cmd",
              "args": [
                "/c",
                "npx",
                "-y",
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://api.shuriken.trade/mcp",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: AgentKey YOUR_AGENT_KEY"
              ]
            }
          },
          "preferences": {
            "...your existing preferences...": "..."
          }
        }
        ```
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    <Warning>
      Make sure there's a comma between each server entry. Missing commas are the most common cause of connection failures.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and restart Claude Desktop">
    Save the file, then **completely quit and relaunch Claude Desktop**. The MCP connection won't activate until you restart.

    <Note>
      On macOS, make sure to quit from the menu bar (Claude > Quit Claude), not just close the window.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the connection">
    After restarting, look for an **MCP tools indicator** (a small hammer icon) in the bottom-right corner of the chat input box. Click it to see the available Shuriken tools.

    Try a test prompt:

    ```
    What tokens were called in my Discord today?
    ```

    ```
    What's my SOL balance?
    ```

    Claude will ask for your approval before using each tool for the first time. Click **Allow** to let it proceed.

    <Check>
      If you see results, you're all set. Claude is now connected to Shuriken.
    </Check>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="No hammer icon / tools not showing">
    * Make sure you saved the config file
    * Make sure you fully quit and restarted Claude Desktop
    * Check for JSON syntax errors (missing commas, mismatched brackets)
    * Verify that Node.js is installed by running `node --version` in your terminal
    * Check Claude's logs for errors:
      * **macOS:** `~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log`
      * **Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp.log`
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Tools show up but return errors">
    * Double-check that your Agent Key is correct (starts with `sk_`)
    * Make sure you included the `AgentKey ` prefix before the key (with a space)
    * Check that the key hasn't been revoked on the [Agent Keys dashboard](https://app.shuriken.trade/agents)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="ENOENT error or 'npx not found' on Windows">
    This usually means Windows can't find `npx` as a direct executable. Make sure your config uses the `cmd /c` wrapper:

    ```json theme={null}
    "command": "cmd",
    "args": ["/c", "npx", "mcp-remote", ...]
    ```

    Also verify that Node.js is installed and `npx` is available in your PATH by running `npx --version` in Command Prompt.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Connection is slow on first launch">
    The first time Claude Desktop starts with this config, `npx` downloads the `mcp-remote` package in the background. This can take 10-30 seconds with no visible feedback. Subsequent launches will be fast since the package is cached.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Claude asks for approval every time">
    This is normal. Claude Desktop asks you to approve tool usage for safety. You can click **Allow for this chat** to approve all tool calls in the current conversation.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>