Claude.ai and Claude Desktop

Hosted server

Claude on the web and Claude Desktop share one connector list, so you set this up once.

Connect

1. In Claude, open Settings, then Connectors. In the Desktop app, the same page is under Settings → Customize.

2. Click Add custom connector.

3. Enter a name, for example American Cloud, and the server address:

   [ copy ]

   https://mcp.americancloud.com/mcp
   

   Click Continue.

4. Leave the detected defaults in place: Sign in now under Authentication, and Use Claude's published identity under OAuth client. Add no request headers. Click Add.

5. Click Connect. Your browser opens the American Cloud sign-in page. Sign in, then click Connect on the consent page.

   

6. You receive an email that confirms the connection. If you did not connect Claude, open Connected apps and revoke it.

Verify

Start a new chat. Make sure the American Cloud connector is turned on: click the + button under the message box, open Connectors, and check its toggle. Then ask:

"What regions can I deploy to on American Cloud?"

If Claude lists regions, you are connected.

Permissions

The app starts with Full access as you, within your own American Cloud role (see the note above). Claude asks for your approval before it runs a tool that changes something: you can allow it once, or always for that chat. Read-only tools such as list and price run without a prompt.

To limit the app to read-only, or to revoke it, open Connected apps. Every tool is visible to Claude from the start; a permission change applies to the next request, with no reconnect. The overview explains the permission model.

Troubleshooting

• "Your connection to American Cloud stopped working." Click Reconnect on the connector and sign in again. This happens after a revoke, or when a sign-in expires.
• A tool answers that the app lacks a permission. Choose the permission on Connected apps and ask again. Every tool is visible from the start, and a permission change applies to the next request.
• "This app was disconnected in Connected apps." Someone revoked the app. Wait a few minutes, then connect again.

Local server

The local server runs on your machine through the Claude Desktop app. Use it when you want your API token to stay on your computer, or when you want the --services scoping of the overview.

Prerequisites

• Claude Desktop (macOS or Windows)
• Node.js 20 or newer installed (node --version to check)
• An American Cloud API token from console.americancloud.com/api-tokens — start with the Read-only preset

Configure

1. Open Claude Desktop Settings, go to the Developer tab, and click Edit Config. This opens (or creates) the config file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the American Cloud server to the mcpServers block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "americancloud": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@americancloud/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "AMERICANCLOUD_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Save the file and fully restart Claude Desktop (quit and reopen — closing the window is not enough).

4. In a new conversation, click the + button under the message box and open Connectors. You should see americancloud listed with its toggle on.

Verify

Ask Claude:

"What regions can I deploy to on American Cloud?"

Claude will ask permission to use the American Cloud tools the first time, then list your available regions.

Enable resource management (optional)

By default the local server is read-only — Claude can inspect and audit your infrastructure but cannot change it. To let Claude create and manage resources, use a token with Full access and add the --allow-writes flag:

"args": ["-y", "@americancloud/mcp", "--allow-writes"]

Claude Desktop will still ask for your confirmation before running tools, and destructive operations (like deleting a VM) are explicitly flagged.

Troubleshooting

• Server doesn't appear after restart — validate the JSON (a trailing comma is the most common culprit), then check the MCP logs: Settings → Developer, or the log files in ~/Library/Logs/Claude/ (macOS) / %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\ (Windows).
• npx not found — Claude Desktop launches the server with your system's Node.js. Make sure node --version works in a fresh terminal; if you installed Node via a version manager, you may need to provide the full path to npx in command.
• Authentication errors — re-check the token against console.americancloud.com/api-tokens. A token shows one time at creation; if you lost it, create a new one. An API key from before tokens existed goes in AMERICANCLOUD_API_CLIENT_ID and AMERICANCLOUD_API_CLIENT_SECRET instead, never together with a token.