Connect Claude Desktop to Semlith over MCP

How to connect Claude Desktop to Semlith over MCP, the command or file that adds it, and how to check the connection works.

Every stanza writes ${SEMLITH_BIN} where the binary goes, the path which semlith prints. Set up your agent client explains it and the HTTP form.

Claude Desktop — ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows (the Microsoft Store build reads its own copy under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude, so semlith writes both where each exists), and ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Linux, where Anthropic’s build is a beta for Debian and Ubuntu. Settings → Developer → Edit Config opens it. Desktop starts local processes only and has nowhere to put a header, so this is the stdio form and needs no key: semlith mcp proxies to the running daemon. Quit and reopen the app after editing.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "semlith": {
      "command": "${SEMLITH_BIN}",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "semlith": {
      "command": "${SEMLITH_BIN}",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Claude_pzs8sxrjxfjjc\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "semlith": {
      "command": "${SEMLITH_BIN}",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (Linux)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "semlith": {
      "command": "${SEMLITH_BIN}",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}