Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop supports MCP servers over both stdio (the server is a subprocess Claude Desktop spawns per session) and Streamable HTTP (the server is a long-running container that Claude Desktop dials). The easiest path is the .dxt one-click install; this page covers the manual claude_desktop_config.json approach for both transports.

claude_desktop_config.json lives at:

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

After editing, fully quit and relaunch Claude Desktop for the change to take effect.

Stdio (uvx) — stub mode

Try the tools with no UniFi hardware:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unifi": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/pete-builds/mcp-unifi",
        "mcp-unifi"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_TRANSPORT": "stdio",
        "STUB_MODE": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Start a new conversation and ask “list my UniFi devices”. You’ll get two stubbed devices back.

Stdio (uvx) — real mode

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unifi": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/pete-builds/mcp-unifi",
        "mcp-unifi"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_TRANSPORT": "stdio",
        "STUB_MODE": "false",
        "UNIFI_HOST": "192.168.1.1",
        "UNIFI_API_KEY": "<your-local-api-key>",
        "MCP_UNIFI_MODULES_ENABLED": "network,protect"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get the API key in the gateway UI under Settings → Control Plane → Integrations → Create API Key.

Note that claude_desktop_config.json is plaintext on disk. If the API key matters, prefer the .dxt install (encrypted storage) or the Docker / HTTP path below.

Streamable HTTP (remote container)

Point Claude Desktop at a running Docker container (on this machine or another host on your network):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unifi": {
      "transport": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3714/mcp"
    }
  }
}

If the container is on another host, replace localhost with that host’s name or IP. The container’s transport must be streamable-http (the default for the published image).

.dxt one-click alternative

If hand-editing JSON is too much, download mcp-unifi-<version>.dxt from the releases page and double-click. Configuration is through a built-in UI; no JSON to edit. See the .dxt install guide for details.