Artyom Rabzonov

Posted on May 14 • Originally published at automatelab.tech

Claude Code MCP Server Setup on Windows

#windows #ai #tutorial #webdev

How to Set Up an MCP Server in Claude Code on Windows

Add HTTP, SSE, and stdio MCP servers to Claude Code on Windows. The cmd /c npx wrapper, the three scopes, and the errors you hit if you skip the wrapper.

TL;DR: Use claude mcp add for remote HTTP servers without modification. Wrap any stdio server running through npx with cmd /c. Without the wrapper, npx fails to spawn and the server appears in claude mcp list but never connects.

Prerequisites

Claude Code installed. Run claude --version.
Node.js 18 or newer on PATH if you plan to run stdio servers via npx.
A working terminal. Windows PowerShell, Windows Terminal, or Git Bash. WSL is not required.

Pick a Scope Before You Add a Server

Scope	Loads in	Shared with team	Stored in
local (default)	Current project only	No	~/.claude.json
project	Current project only	Yes, via Git	.mcp.json in project root
user	All your projects	No	~/.claude.json

Option 1: Add a Remote HTTP Server (No Windows-Specific Quirks)

claude mcp add --transport http sentry https://mcp.sentry.dev/mcp

For servers that authenticate with a token:

claude mcp add --transport http github https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"

Option 2: Add a Local Stdio Server (Where Windows Differs)

On Windows, npx resolves to npx.cmd, a batch script the Node child-process spawn inside Claude Code does not invoke directly. The fix is to wrap the call with cmd /c.

Method A: Through the CLI

claude mcp add --transport stdio filesystem -- cmd /c npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem C:/Users/you/projects

All flags come before the server name. The double-dash -- separates the name from the command.

Method B: Edit .mcp.json Directly

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "cmd",
      "args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "C:/Users/you/projects"]
    }
  }
}

Use forward slashes in path arguments. Restart Claude Code after editing.

Verify the Server Is Connected

Run claude mcp list - the server should appear.
Inside Claude Code, type /mcp - servers show as connected, pending, or failed.
Use a tool to confirm the connection works end-to-end.

Common Errors

spawn npx ENOENT - add the cmd /c wrapper, or confirm Node is on PATH.
Server failed to start after OAuth - set MCP_TIMEOUT=10000 before launching Claude Code.
This project MCP servers must be approved - approve at the prompt, or run claude mcp reset-project-choices.
Server shows in list but never appears under /mcp - flag ordering is wrong; re-run with all options before the name.

FAQ

Why does npx fail on Windows? On Windows it resolves to npx.cmd, a batch script the Node child-process spawn does not invoke as an executable. Wrapping with cmd /c hands the script to the shell.

Where is the MCP config file stored on Windows? Local and user-scoped servers live in %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json. Project-scoped servers live in .mcp.json at the project root.

Do I need WSL? No. The native Windows install of Claude Code runs MCP servers directly.

Originally published at automatelab.tech

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