Connecting AI Clients

Finding Your Server URL

Every GetMCP server has a unique MCP endpoint URL. Find it by:

Going to GetMCP > Dashboard
Clicking on your server
Copying the Server URL shown at the top of the server detail page

The URL format is:

https://yoursite.com/mcp/{slug}

Authentication in your MCP client config serves two purposes: (1) sending an access token if your server has inbound authentication enabled, and/or (2) supplying your own API credentials that GetMCP forwards to external APIs when tools run. The method differs per client — Claude Desktop uses --header args; Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code use a headers JSON object. See Authentication for a full explanation.

Claude Desktop

Requires: Claude Desktop app installed · Node.js 18+ installed (needed for mcp-remote)

Open Claude Desktop

Open the Claude Desktop app.

Open Developer Settings and click Edit Config

macOS: Menu bar → Claude → Settings → Developer → Edit Config
Windows: Breadcrumb menu (top bar) → File → Settings → Developer → Edit Config

The config file opens in a text editor. It is located at:

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

Copy the configuration below and paste it into the mcpServers object, then save

No authentication (macOS / Linux):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

No authentication (Windows) — routes through cmd.exe to avoid Node.js path-with-spaces issues:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "cmd",
      "args": [
        "/c",
        "npx",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

If your server has inbound authentication enabled, pass the credential as a --header arg (no space after the colon). On Windows, use cmd /c npx as shown above and add the --header args the same way.Bearer token:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Basic auth (base64-encode username:password first):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:Basic BASE64_USERNAME_PASSWORD"
      ]
    }
  }
}

API key (header):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server",
        "--header",
        "X-API-Key:YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

API key (query param) or OAuth: Use the plain URL — no --header needed. For query-param keys, append ?keyName=YOUR_KEY to the URL. OAuth opens a browser flow automatically.

Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop

Closing the window is not enough — fully quit and relaunch. The server will appear in the MCP panel.

Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop after saving — closing the window is not enough.

Claude Desktop MCP docs

Claude Code

Requires: Claude Code CLI installed — npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Open your terminal

Open your terminal.

Copy and run the command below

No authentication:

claude mcp add --transport http my-server https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server

Bearer token:

claude mcp add --transport http my-server https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN"

Basic auth (base64-encode username:password first):

claude mcp add --transport http my-server https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server \
  --header "Authorization: Basic BASE64_USERNAME_PASSWORD"

API key (header):

claude mcp add --transport http my-server https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server \
  --header "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

API key (query param) or OAuth: Use the plain URL — no --header needed. For query-param keys, append ?keyName=YOUR_KEY to the URL.Other useful commands:

# List all connected MCP servers
claude mcp list

# Remove a server
claude mcp remove my-server

Claude Code confirms the server was added immediately

The server is registered right away — no restart needed.

Run /mcp inside Claude Code to verify the server appears

Type /mcp in Claude Code to confirm the server is listed and connected.

The server is added immediately — no restart needed.

Claude Code MCP docs

Cursor

Requires: Cursor editor installed

Open Cursor and go to Settings

Open Cursor and go to Settings.

Navigate to Tools & MCP, then click Add a custom MCP

Navigate to Tools & MCP, then click Add a custom MCP.

The mcp.json file opens in the editor

The mcp.json config file opens in the editor automatically.

Copy the configuration below, paste it into the mcpServers object, then save

No authentication:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

If your server has inbound authentication enabled, add a headers object before url:Bearer token:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN"
      },
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

Basic auth (base64-encode username:password first):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Basic BASE64_USERNAME_PASSWORD"
      },
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

API key (header):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      },
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

API key (query param) or OAuth: No headers needed — use the plain URL. For query-param keys, append ?keyName=YOUR_KEY to the URL.File location: ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) · .cursor/mcp.json (project)

Restart Cursor after saving to apply the changes.

Cursor MCP docs

Windsurf

Requires: Windsurf editor installed

Open Windsurf and go to Settings

Open Windsurf and go to Settings.

Click on Cascade, then click Open MCP Registry

Click on Cascade, then click Open MCP Registry.

The mcp_config.json file opens in the editor

The mcp_config.json config file opens in the editor automatically.

Copy the configuration below and paste it into the mcpServers object, then save

No authentication:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "serverUrl": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

If your server has inbound authentication enabled, add a headers object before serverUrl:Bearer token:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN"
      },
      "serverUrl": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

Basic auth (base64-encode username:password first):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Basic BASE64_USERNAME_PASSWORD"
      },
      "serverUrl": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

API key (header):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-server": {
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      },
      "serverUrl": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

API key (query param) or OAuth: No headers needed — use the plain URL. For query-param keys, append ?keyName=YOUR_KEY to the URL.File location: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Restart Windsurf after saving to apply the changes.

Windsurf MCP docs

VS Code

Requires: VS Code with GitHub Copilot extension installed · Agent mode enabled: VS Code Settings → search “chat agent” → enable

Open (or create) .vscode/mcp.json in your project root

Open (or create) .vscode/mcp.json in your project root.For a global config, open the Command Palette and run MCP: Open User Configuration.

Copy the configuration below and paste it into the file

No authentication:

{
  "servers": {
    "my-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server"
    }
  }
}

If your server has inbound authentication enabled, add a headers object. VS Code’s ${input:} syntax prompts you to enter the value securely on first use:Bearer token:

{
  "servers": {
    "my-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:my-server-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Basic auth:

{
  "servers": {
    "my-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Basic ${input:my-server-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

API key (header):

{
  "servers": {
    "my-server": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://yoursite.com/mcp/my-server",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "${input:my-server-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}

API key (query param) or OAuth: No headers needed — use the plain URL. For query-param keys, append ?keyName=YOUR_KEY to the URL.File location: .vscode/mcp.json (workspace) · Command Palette → “MCP: Open User Configuration” (global)

Save — VS Code detects the file automatically, no restart needed

Save the file. VS Code picks it up automatically without a restart.

No restart needed — VS Code detects the file automatically on save.

VS Code MCP docs

OpenAI Playground

Go to platform.openai.com/playground/prompts

Go to platform.openai.com/playground/prompts.

Click the tools icon in the left panel, then select Add MCP server

Click the tools icon in the left panel, then select Add MCP server.

Enter the URL and label from the Connection Details below

Enter your server URL and a label name.

Under Authentication, select "Access token / API key" and paste your API key

If your server has authentication enabled (bearer, basic, or API key header), under Authentication select Access token / API key and paste your token or key value.For API key query param or OAuth, leave the authentication field empty — the key is appended to the URL or handled via browser flow.

Copy the URL below, paste it into the URL field, then click Connect

Click Connect.

No installation needed — OpenAI Playground connects to remote MCP servers natively.

OpenAI Playground MCP docs

Generic MCP Client

Any client that supports the MCP Streamable HTTP transport can connect using:

Setting	Value
URL	`https://yoursite.com/mcp/{slug}`
Transport	Streamable HTTP
Content-Type	`application/json`
Auth Header	`Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY` (bearer) · `Authorization: Basic BASE64` (basic) · `X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY` (api-key header)

Verifying the Connection

Once connected, ask your AI client to list available tools:

“What tools do you have available?”

The AI should respond with the tools configured in your GetMCP server. You can also verify the connection by checking GetMCP > Analytics — a successful MCP initialize call will appear in the call logs.

Troubleshooting

Connection refused / server not found

Verify HTTPS is properly configured on your WordPress site
Check that the server status is Active in GetMCP admin
Confirm the URL is correct (slug and server_id match)
Ensure the MCP rewrite rules are flushed (visit Settings > Permalinks and click Save)

403 Forbidden

Your server has inbound authentication enabled
Verify the API key or token is correct
Ensure the Authorization header is being sent correctly for your client
For Claude Desktop: auth must be --header args in mcp-remote (e.g. "Authorization:Bearer TOKEN"), not a headers JSON key — mcp-remote does not support a headers object

503 Service Unavailable

The server is set to Paused status
Activate the server in GetMCP admin

Tools not appearing

Ensure tools are set to Active status
Ask the AI to refresh its tool list
In Claude Desktop, fully quit and restart — closing the window is not enough
Run /mcp in Claude Code to check the server status

Getting Started

Concepts

Guides

Use Cases

Connecting AI Clients

Finding Your Server URL

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Cursor

Windsurf

VS Code

OpenAI Playground

Generic MCP Client

Verifying the Connection

Troubleshooting

​Finding Your Server URL

​Claude Desktop

​Claude Code

​Cursor

​Windsurf

​VS Code

​OpenAI Playground

​Generic MCP Client

​Verifying the Connection

​Troubleshooting

Finding Your Server URL

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Cursor

Windsurf

VS Code

OpenAI Playground

Generic MCP Client

Verifying the Connection

Troubleshooting