# Desktop app

> Source: https://elaichi.ai/docs/guides/mcp-servers/desktop-app/

Use the optional Elaichi desktop app to enable your MCP servers in Claude Desktop and Cursor without editing JSON by hand.

**Where to find it:** Install the Elaichi desktop app on your computer — it sits in the menu bar or system tray once signed in.

Connecting an AI client normally means finding a configuration file, editing it correctly, and restarting the client. The desktop app does that for you while signed in as you.

## What it shows

Tabs include:

| Tab | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| **Servers** | Your MCP servers (same set as the web **MCP Servers** page) |
| **Toolboxes** | Your user toolboxes |
| **Settings** | Account / app preferences |

Per server, you can enable or disable each supported client. If a client isn’t installed, the app may show **Not detected**. If the on-disk config drifted from Elaichi, you may see **Update**.

Only **your** toolboxes and servers appear — the same permission boundary as the web app.

## What it writes

| Client | Config file | How the server is registered |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Claude Desktop** | `claude_desktop_config.json` under the Claude application support / config directory for your OS (for example macOS `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/`) | Entry under `mcpServers` that launches `npx -y mcp-remote <url> --transport http-only` |
| **Cursor** | `~/.cursor/mcp.json` | Native MCP entry with `"url": "…"` (and headers when required) |

The writer **upserts or removes only the Elaichi server entry** and preserves sibling keys. It backs up the file before writing.

Claude Desktop and Cursor are supported today. Copying the URL into any other MCP client by hand still works.

## Set up a client

1. Install the desktop app and sign in with your Elaichi account (same sign-in as the browser).
2. Open **Servers** and choose the MCP server.
3. Enable **Claude Desktop** and/or **Cursor**.
4. Restart Claude Desktop, or reload MCP in Cursor, so the client picks up the change.

To turn a server off, disable it in the app — the matching entry is removed from that client’s config without wiping unrelated servers.

## Good to know

- Create the MCP server in the web app first (token shown once), then enable it here — or paste a URL if the app offers that path for an unknown server.
- Most clients only read configuration at startup; restart or reload if tools don’t appear.
- The desktop app is optional. Manual paste of the MCP URL does the same job.

## Related

- [Create an MCP server](/guides/mcp-servers/creating-an-mcp-server)
- [Manage MCP servers](/guides/mcp-servers/manage-mcp-servers)
- [Your toolboxes](/guides/toolboxes/your-toolboxes)