Connect Claude Desktop manually with an access token

Note

The recommended way to connect Claude, also Claude Desktop, is the connector: Connect Claude with a connector (web, desktop and mobile). The manual method below, with Node.js, npx and a configuration file, is an alternative, for example for MCP clients that do not support connectors.

Connect Claude Desktop to LMSable, so Claude can read your courses without you pasting them. It takes about five minutes.

Before you start

  • Claude Desktop is installed on your computer.
  • Node.js is installed. The connection runs through npx, which comes with Node.js.
  • You are signed in to LMSable.
  • Reading and editing your courses from the chat works on every plan.

Create a connection token

  1. In LMSable, open the account menu in the top right corner and choose AI chat connection.
  2. Under New connection, type a Name you will recognise later, for example "Claude Desktop, work laptop".
  3. Choose Access: Read only, or Read and edit.
  4. Click Create connection.
    The New connection form on the AI chat connection screen with a Name filled in, Access set to Read only and the Create connection button highlighted
    Name the connection, pick the access level, then create it.
  5. Click Copy token. The token is shown only once: "Copy it now. We store only a fingerprint and cannot show it again."

Right under the token, LMSable shows the ready entry for Claude Desktop with your token already filled in. Pick Windows or macOS / Linux above it.

Add LMSable to the Claude Desktop configuration file

  1. In Claude: Settings → Developer → Edit Config. This opens the file claude_desktop_config.json, described in Anthropic's guide to local MCP servers on Claude Desktop.
  2. Add the entry inside the existing "mcpServers" object. Do not paste it after the closing brace: the file must stay one JSON object.
  3. Quit Claude from the tray icon and start it again.

On Windows the entry runs through cmd /c:

"lmsable": {
  "command": "cmd",
  "args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "mcp-remote", "https://lmsable.com/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"],
  "env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer lms_YOUR_TOKEN" }
}

On macOS and Linux:

"lmsable": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://lmsable.com/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"],
  "env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer lms_YOUR_TOKEN" }
}

Replace lms_YOUR_TOKEN with your token. Keep the word Bearer and the space after it.

If your configuration file is empty, the whole file looks like this (macOS example):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lmsable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://lmsable.com/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"],
      "env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer lms_YOUR_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

Tip

Microsoft Store version of Claude on Windows: the file is in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Claude_*\LocalCache\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

What you should see

  • After the restart, Claude lists LMSable among its connected tools.
  • Ask Claude "List my courses." It answers with the titles of your LMSable courses.
  • In LMSable, under Your connections, the connection shows when it was last used.

If something goes wrong

  • 401 Unauthorized. The token is missing or wrong, or the header is missing the "Bearer " prefix. Check the AUTH_HEADER line.
  • JSON error after editing the config file. The file has to stay one JSON object. Check that the entry sits inside "mcpServers", not after the closing brace. A second pasted { ... } block at the end of the file causes the same error.
  • "This course is archived because your account exceeds the Free plan limit." On Free only your active course can be edited, also from the chat. Make this course your active course or upgrade to Pro. A "Denied" message about the missing scope means the connection is read only: create one with Read and edit.
  • The connection stopped working after a long break. A connection expires after 90 days without use. Create a new one. You can have up to 5 connections per account.

To cut the access, click Revoke next to the connection under Your connections.

Next

Connect Claude with a connector (web, desktop and mobile).