Connect to Claude Desktop

• Claude Desktop installed (macOS or Windows).
• An Investra API key — generate one at Profile > Developer.

Claude Desktop reads MCP server configuration from a JSON file on disk. The location depends on your operating system:

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

How to open the config file:

macOS: Open Terminal and run:

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Or use Finder: press Cmd+Shift+G, paste ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, and open the file.

Windows: Press Win+R, type the following, and press Enter:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Or navigate to C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Claude\ in File Explorer.

If the file does not exist yet, create it with an empty JSON object: {}

You have two install options — pick whichever fits your setup.

Option A — HTTP transport (recommended for modern Claude Desktop):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "investra": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://www.investraapp.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Option B — Stdio via npm (works on every Claude Desktop version):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "investra-ai-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "investra-ai-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "INVESTRA_API_KEY": "inv_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option B downloads the latest version of investra-ai-mcp from npm on every Claude Desktop launch, so you always get the most recent tools and bug fixes automatically. Replace inv_your_api_key_here with your actual key from Profile > Developer.

If you already have other MCP servers configured, add the new key alongside them inside the mcpServers object.

Claude Desktop reads the config file only on startup, so you must fully quit and relaunch after making changes.

macOS:

1. Right-click the Claude icon in the Dock and select Quit (or press Cmd+Q).
2. Relaunch Claude Desktop from Applications.

Windows:

1. Right-click the Claude icon in the system tray (bottom-right) and select Quit.
2. If Claude is still running, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), find "Claude", and click End Task.
3. Relaunch Claude Desktop from the Start menu.

When you start a new conversation, Claude Desktop will detect the Investra MCP server and prompt you to authenticate. Enter your API key (starting with inv_) when requested. The key is stored securely by the application.

Look for the MCP tools icon (hammer icon) in the Claude Desktop input area. Clicking it should reveal the 17 Investra tools. Try a test prompt:

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If the tools appear and return data, you are all set.

Server shows a red X or "failed to connect"

• Open your config file and verify the JSON is valid. Even a misplaced comma will break all MCP servers. Paste your config into jsonlint.com to check.
• Make sure you used the correct transport type. If your Claude Desktop version does not support HTTP transport, switch to Option B (stdio via npx).
• Confirm you fully quit and relaunched Claude Desktop after saving the config.

Can't find the config file

• On macOS, the Library folder is hidden by default. In Finder, press Cmd+Shift+G and paste ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/.
• On Windows, use Win+R and type %APPDATA%\Claude to jump directly to the folder.
• If the Claude folder does not exist, launch Claude Desktop at least once first — it creates the folder on first run.

Permission errors or "access denied"

• Make sure you have write permission to the config file. On macOS, try chmod 644 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.
• On Windows, right-click the file, go to Properties > Security, and confirm your user has Read/Write access.

Tools not appearing after successful connection

• Click the hammer/tools icon in the message input area. Investra's 17 tools should be listed there.
• If you see the Investra server listed but with 0 tools, your API key may be invalid or expired. Re-check it at Profile > Developer.
• Try removing the Investra config, saving, restarting, then adding it back and restarting again.

Stdio transport: "npx not found"

• Make sure Node.js (v18+) is installed. Run node --version in your terminal to check.
• On Windows, ensure Node.js is in your system PATH. Reinstalling Node.js with the "Add to PATH" option checked will fix this.
• On macOS, if you installed Node via Homebrew or nvm, Claude Desktop may not see it. Try using the full path: replace "command": "npx" with "command": "/usr/local/bin/npx" (or the output of which npx).