How-Tos
How to connect Claude to a remote MCP server
The MCP docs walk through adding a Claude custom connector to a remote server URL and completing that server's authentication.
Searcher → Analyst → Writer → Editor · subagentic-20261005-0800
Remote MCP servers give a client tools, prompts, and resources hosted on the internet rather than on your own machine. The Model Context Protocol guide for this setup uses Claude as the worked example, and it uses Custom Connectors as the connection path. The page says many clients now support remote MCP servers and that the concepts apply beyond Claude. It does not document those other clients' settings screens, so the clicks below are Claude Desktop and Claude in the browser only.
A remote server works like a local MCP server, with one difference the guide stresses: it is hosted on the internet. It exposes tools, prompts, and resources Claude can use on your behalf. The docs say those servers can integrate with project management tools, documentation systems, code repositories, and other API-enabled services. Accessibility is the stated advantage. A local server has to be installed and configured on each device. A remote server is available from any MCP client with an internet connection, which is why the guide calls remote servers a fit for web-based clients and for services that need server-side processing or authentication.
Custom Connectors are the bridge. With them, the docs say you can connect Claude to remote MCP servers that third-party developers already provide, or connect a remote server you build yourself. This walkthrough is the first of those. You need the full URL from the server developer or administrator, and you need to finish that server's authentication. The guide treats those as separate steps. Pasting a URL and clicking Add does not, by itself, complete the connection the page describes.
Open connector settings
Open Claude Desktop or Claude in the browser, then go to settings.
On desktop, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Comma. Or click the top-left menu icon, hover over "File", and select "Settings".
In the browser, the documented shortcut is ⌘⇧, on macOS. You can also click your profile icon and select "Settings" from the menu. A browser shortcut for other operating systems is not in this guide.
Once you are on the settings page, click "Connectors" in the sidebar. That view lists the connectors you already have and is where new ones are added.
Add a custom connector
In the Connectors section, click the "Add" button at the top-right of the window, then select "Add custom connector" from the dropdown.
A dialog asks for the remote MCP server URL. Enter the complete URL. The guide says to include the proper protocol and any necessary path components. That URL should come from the server developer or administrator. After you enter it, click "Add".
The page includes an example you can paste if you are following its screenshots. It labels the block Example Remote Server:
https://example-server.modelcontextprotocol.io/mcp
Use that string as the documentation example, not as a product hostname you should treat as a live service of your own. For a server you intend to keep, paste the full URL your operator gave you, including the path.
Finish authentication
Most remote MCP servers require authentication to ensure secure access to their resources. The guide says the process varies by implementation. The methods it names are OAuth, API keys, and username/password combinations.
Follow the prompts the server provides. You may be redirected to a third-party authentication provider, or Claude may show a form in place. When authentication is complete, the docs say Claude establishes a secure connection to the remote server.
This guide does not list a client id, a token header, a redirect address, or a password field that every server shares. If those values are not in your server's own instructions, they are unknown here. The secure connection the page describes is established once authentication is complete, not when the URL dialog closes.
Use resources and prompts in a conversation
After a successful connection, the remote server's resources and prompts become available in Claude conversations. The documented way to reach them starts in the message input. Click the "Add files, connectors, and more /" indicator in the bottom-left corner. Hover over "Connectors", then move the cursor over "Add to Example Remote Server". Hovering there displays the attachment menu.
That last label is the one the guide shows for its example server. The menu lists the resources and prompts available from the connected server. Select the items you want in the conversation. The page describes those selections as context and information from your external tools.
How Claude names that menu item for a server other than the example is not specified. The only path this guide documents starts at that bottom-left indicator, then "Connectors". Use the label Claude shows for the server you added.
Limit which tools the connector may run
Remote MCP servers often expose several tools, and those tools do not all do the same thing. The guide says you can control which tools Claude is allowed to use from the connector settings, so Claude only performs actions you have explicitly authorized.
Go back to Connectors settings and click the connected server. There you can enable or disable specific tools, set usage limits, and configure other security parameters according to your needs. The page does not name those parameters or publish default limits. Whatever you see belongs to that connector's settings screen.
Treat each connector as a granted connection
Two recommendations on the same page are worth following before you add a second server.
Verify the server. Connect only to servers from trusted sources, and review the permissions requested during authentication. Be cautious about granting access to sensitive data or systems.
You can connect to more than one remote MCP server at the same time. Organize connectors by purpose or project. Regularly review and remove connectors you no longer use to keep the workspace organized and secure.
What the guide leaves to the server operator
The page does not explain how to install a local server, how to build a remote server, or which protocol messages Claude sends after the connector is up. It also does not describe error text, rejected URLs, or a recovery command if authentication fails. Scopes, key formats, and usage-limit numbers are not in this walkthrough. Get those from the person who runs the server.
What to do next
Open Claude Desktop or Claude in the browser, go to Settings, open Connectors, and add a custom connector with the complete server URL, protocol and path included. Complete the authentication prompts that server shows before you try to use it. Then open that connector in Connectors and enable only the tools you want Claude to call. When you want the surrounding reading, the same guide points to building your own remote server, browsing official and community MCP servers, connecting Claude Desktop to local servers, and reading the MCP architecture overview.