Both Claude Desktop and Cursor launch MCP servers as local child processes. The client reads a configuration entry, starts the command, performs the protocol handshake, and asks the server for its tool list. If the command starts cleanly, your API operations appear as tools.
Before you edit any config
Confirm that the server runs on its own. Execute the launch command from the bundle README in a terminal and check that it stays running and reports no missing dependencies or environment variables. Clients hide stderr, so debugging from the command line first saves time.
Important: use absolute paths in client configuration. Desktop clients do not necessarily start with your shell's working directory or PATH.
Claude Desktop
Open the Claude Desktop configuration file, normally claude_desktop_config.json, and add a server entry. The generated bundle includes a snippet you can paste directly.
{
"mcpServers": {
"my-api": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/server/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"API_BASE_URL": "https://api.example.com",
"API_TOKEN": "your-token"
}
}
}
}Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop. Restarting the window is not always enough; the process reads the configuration at startup.
Cursor
Cursor reads MCP servers from its settings under the MCP section. Add the same command, arguments, and environment variables using the editor UI or the equivalent JSON entry. Use the absolute path to the generated entry point and keep credentials in the environment block rather than in a checked-in file.
{
"mcpServers": {
"my-api": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/server/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"API_BASE_URL": "https://api.example.com",
"API_TOKEN": "your-token"
}
}
}
}Reload the window so Cursor restarts the server and refreshes its tool catalog.
Verify the connection
After restarting the client, look for the server in the MCP or tools panel. It should list one tool per operation in your specification. Ask the model to perform a simple read-only call and confirm the response matches the upstream API.
If the server is missing, check three things in order: the command starts from a terminal, the path is absolute, and every required environment variable is present. Authentication failures usually surface as tool errors rather than connection errors.
Keep it reproducible
When the API changes, upload the updated specification and regenerate. The tool names stay aligned with your operationId values, so client configuration rarely needs to change. Keep secrets out of the repository and inject them through the client's environment block or your operating system's secret store.
New to the generation step? Read From OpenAPI to a Running MCP Server first.