Where is claude_desktop_config.json located on macOS and Windows?

On macOS, it is located at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows, it is at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

Why does npx fail to launch MCP servers on Windows?

On Windows, GUI hosts like Claude Desktop and Cursor require wrapping npx inside cmd /c npx -y package-name so the .cmd shim resolves properly.

MCP Server Config Generator & JSON Validator (Claude & Cursor)

MCP Client Configuration Workbench

Schema valid (POSIX standard)

Official server preset

Target OS platform

Process runtime

Server key identifier

Package or container image

Command arguments (comma-separated)

Environment variables (KEY=VALUE per line)

Generated claude_desktop_config.json / .cursor/mcp.json

Validate tool input schema

Configuration File Paths & Process Spawning Reference

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) connects desktop AI assistants and IDEs to local tools via standard input/output (stdio) or Server-Sent Events. Host applications read server definitions from the following paths:

Claude Desktop (macOS): ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Claude Desktop (Windows): %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Cursor IDE (Workspace): .cursor/mcp.json
VS Code GitHub Copilot: .vscode/mcp.json

Resolving `spawn npx ENOENT` & Windows Shim Failures

On macOS, GUI apps launched from Finder do not inherit shell init files (.zshrc) where NVM or Volta paths are declared; if spawn npx ENOENT occurs, specify the absolute binary path such as /opt/homebrew/bin/npx. On Windows, Node.js distributes npx as a .cmd batch script, requiring cmd /c npx -y when spawned via CreateProcess.

MCP Server Config Builder & Validator (mcp.json)

Configuration File Paths & Process Spawning Reference

Resolving spawn npx ENOENT & Windows Shim Failures

MCP Server Config Builder & Validator (`mcp.json`)

Resolving `spawn npx ENOENT` & Windows Shim Failures