Guide
How to add MCP servers to Claude Desktop without editing JSON
Claude Desktop supports MCP servers so you can connect tools like Stripe, GitHub, internal APIs, and more directly into your AI workspace. Out of the box, though, you need to hand-edit a JSON configuration file to add each server, which is error-prone and hard to manage at scale. In this guide, we'll show you how to use CuratedMCP to add servers to Claude Desktop in a few clicks—without touching JSON.
How MCP configuration usually works
By default, Claude Desktop expects you to configure MCP servers in a JSON file such as claude_desktop_config.json (name and location may vary by version). You define each server's command, environment variables, and arguments manually, then restart Claude to pick up changes.
This is manageable for one or two servers, but it quickly becomes painful when you want to add multiple tools or keep environments in sync across a team.
What CuratedMCP does differently
CuratedMCP is a curated marketplace of MCP servers with ready-to-use configuration snippets for Claude Desktop and other MCP-compatible tools. Instead of hand-writing JSON, you pick the servers you want—such as Stripe, Figma, Cloudflare, or your own API—and CuratedMCP generates a complete MCP configuration for you.
You can reuse the same configuration across Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, OpenAI, and Gemini, which is especially useful for teams where different engineers use different AI tools.
Step-by-step: adding MCP servers via CuratedMCP
Go to CuratedMCP
Open curatedmcp.com and sign in (or create an account if you haven't yet).
Choose the MCP servers you want
Browse or search for servers—for example Stripe, GitHub, Notion, or others relevant to your workflow. Click into a server to review what it does, what permissions it needs, and any setup instructions.
Generate a Claude Desktop configuration
From the configuration panel, select "Claude Desktop" (or "Claude" as the client) to generate a configuration snippet formatted for Claude Desktop. CuratedMCP includes the command, arguments, and any required environment variables in the right structure.
Copy the generated config
Click "Copy configuration" to copy the JSON snippet to your clipboard.
Paste into your Claude Desktop MCP config
Open your Claude Desktop configuration file (for example, claude_desktop_config.json). Paste the snippet into the MCP servers section, or replace an existing server definition as needed. Save the file.
Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop so it reloads the updated MCP configuration. You should now see the new MCP server available inside Claude Desktop.
Managing multiple servers and environments
As you adopt more MCP servers, CuratedMCP lets you manage them as a set rather than juggling separate snippets. For example, you might maintain different configurations for development and production, or for different teams, and generate the appropriate Claude-compatible config from a single place.
This makes it easier to keep Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and other tools aligned on which servers are enabled.
Why this matters for teams and enterprises
For individuals, using CuratedMCP saves time and reduces configuration errors. For teams, it becomes a lightweight MCP control plane. Instead of every developer editing their own config files differently, you can define approved MCP servers once in CuratedMCP and share consistent configs across the organization.
Combined with your existing security and access controls, this helps you roll out MCP in a more governed, auditable way.
Servers you can connect to Claude Desktop via CuratedMCP
Next steps
If you're just getting started with MCP in Claude Desktop, start by connecting a couple of servers from CuratedMCP and sharing the configuration with your team. When you're ready, explore our enterprise features for governance, auditability, and multi-tool configuration.