prowler/docs/user-guide/ai-agents/claude-desktop.mdx

---
title: "Connect the Claude App Chat to Prowler MCP Server"
sidebarTitle: "Claude App (Chat)"
---

Connect the **Chat** tab of the Claude desktop app to the Prowler Cloud MCP Server at `https://mcp.prowler.com/mcp`.

<Warning>
**This page covers the Chat tab only.** Looking for **Claude Code** — either the CLI or the app's **Code** tab? Those are a different surface, with a different configuration file and a different connection method. See [Connect Claude Code](/user-guide/ai-agents/claude-code).
</Warning>

## Prerequisites

- **Claude desktop app** installed and signed in.
- **Node.js and npm**, to install the bridge.
- **A Prowler Cloud account.** The free tier is enough to start. Sign up at [cloud.prowler.com](https://cloud.prowler.com).

## Why "Add Custom Connector" Does Not Work

The app's **Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector** dialog is the obvious place to paste an MCP URL, but it does not fit the Prowler Cloud MCP Server for two independent reasons:

1. **Connectors authenticate with OAuth.** Authenticating with a fixed API key sent as a request header is a separate mechanism that Anthropic documents as **beta**, rolled out on request. Without it, the dialog offers a URL and OAuth client credentials, with nowhere to supply `Authorization: Bearer pk_...`.
2. **Connectors do not connect from your machine.** Claude reaches your MCP server from Anthropic's cloud infrastructure rather than your local device. A Prowler MCP Server on `localhost`, behind a VPN, or restricted by an IP allowlist is unreachable that way regardless of authentication.

Use a local bridge instead, as described below.

## Step 1: Get Your Prowler API Key

Create an API key in Prowler Cloud and copy it. The key begins with `pk_` and is shown only once. Check the [API Keys](/user-guide/tutorials/prowler-app-api-keys#creating-api-keys) guide for details.

## Step 2: Install the Bridge

`mcp-remote` presents the remote HTTP server to Claude as a local STDIO server and injects the `Authorization` header. Install a pinned version into a dedicated directory:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/prowler-mcp-bridge
cd ~/.local/share/prowler-mcp-bridge
npm init -y
npm install --save-exact mcp-remote@0.1.38
```

<Warning>
Do not configure Claude to run `npx mcp-remote` directly. `npx` can fetch and execute a new version on every launch, which means unreviewed code runs with access to your API key. Install a pinned version and point Claude at the installed binary.
</Warning>

<Note>
`mcp-remote` is community-maintained and is not an Anthropic product. Review it before use.
</Note>

## Step 3: Edit the Configuration File

In the Claude app, go to **Settings → Developer** and click **Edit Config**. This reveals `claude_desktop_config.json`:

- **macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
- **Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`

<Frame>
  <img src="/images/prowler-mcp/claude/claude-desktop-developer-settings.png" alt="Claude app Settings Developer tab showing the Edit Config button" />
</Frame>

Add the following, replacing the `command` path with the absolute path to the installed binary and the placeholder with your API key:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prowler": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/.local/share/prowler-mcp-bridge/node_modules/.bin/mcp-remote",
      "args": [
        "https://mcp.prowler.com/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer ${PROWLER_API_KEY}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PROWLER_API_KEY": "pk_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

<Note>
**Local server:** Replace the URL with your own HTTP endpoint. Everything else stays the same.
</Note>

## Step 4: Restart the App

Quit the Claude app completely and reopen it. Configuration is read at startup.

## Step 5: Start Using Prowler MCP

Open a Chat conversation and ask questions that use the Prowler tools:

- *"Show me all critical findings from my AWS accounts"*
- *"What does the S3 bucket public access check do?"*
- *"Summarize my CIS compliance status by provider"*

<Frame>
  <img src="/images/prowler-mcp/claude/claude-desktop-prowler-tools.png" alt="Claude app chat showing the Prowler MCP tools available" />
</Frame>

## Troubleshooting

### Server Does Not Appear After Editing the Config

- Quit and reopen the app entirely — closing the window is not enough on macOS.
- Confirm `claude_desktop_config.json` is valid JSON.
- Confirm the `command` path points at a real executable. A wrong path surfaces as the server failing to start rather than as an auth error.

### Tools Appear in Claude Code but Not in Chat

Expected. The Chat tab does not read `~/.claude.json`, so servers added with `claude mcp add` never appear here. The Chat tab needs an entry in `claude_desktop_config.json`, which is what this guide sets up.

### Authentication Fails With 401

- Confirm the header value includes the `Bearer ` prefix.
- Confirm the key has not been revoked in Prowler Cloud.

### Checking the Logs

- **macOS:** `~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log`
- **Windows:** `%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp*.log`

```bash
tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Tools Reference" icon="wrench" href="/getting-started/basic-usage/prowler-mcp-tools">
    Explore all available tools and capabilities
  </Card>
  <Card title="All MCP Clients" icon="plug" href="/getting-started/basic-usage/prowler-mcp">
    Configuration reference for every supported client
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Getting Help

- Search for existing [GitHub issues](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/issues)
- Ask for help in our [Slack community](https://goto.prowler.com/slack)
- Report a new issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler/issues/new)