Connecting to Claude Desktop

Section 1: Prerequisites

• DashDraft GUI App: Installed and currently showing a green Running status badge.
• Claude Desktop: Installed on your local machine (download free at claude.ai/download).

Section 2: Using the GUI Setup Helper

The GUI app includes a built-in helper card designed to automate config file lookups and provide copy-paste shortcuts.

1. Expand the Setup Section: Launch your DashDraft GUI App, scroll down to the Claude Desktop Setup card, and click to expand it.
2. Copy the Config JSON: Inside the expanded helper, click the blue Copy Config button. This copies the exact JSON structure required by Claude:
   jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "DashDraft": {
         "command": "dashdraft",
         "args": ["start", "--mcp-stdio"]
       }
     }
   }

3. Open the Claude config: Open Claude Desktop, and go to Settings → Developer → Edit config.
4. Edit the Config File: Paste the copied block into the file. If you already have other MCP servers active, add the "DashDraft" object inside the existing "mcpServers" map.
5. Save and Close: Save the changes in your text editor and close the file.
6. Restart Claude Desktop: Fully quit Claude Desktop (make sure it is not hidden in your system tray or menu bar) and reopen it.

Section 3: Verifying the Connection

To verify that Claude Desktop has successfully connected to your local DashDraft service:

1. Launch Claude Desktop.
2. Start a brand new conversation.
3. Click the Attachment (+) icon next to the chat input field.
4. In the menu, hover over Connectors. You should see dashdraft listed.
5. Make sure the toggle switch next to dashdraft is turned on (blue).
6. Test the query loop by asking:

   "What tables are in my active workspace?"

7. Claude will run the tool locally, fetch workspace tables, and describe them directly inside your chat window without any data leaving your computer.

Section 4: Troubleshooting

If Claude Desktop doesn't display the hammer icon or fails to connect:

• Verify Service Status: Check that the DashDraft GUI App is active and showing a green Running indicator in the Core Service section.
• Validate JSON Syntax: If Claude fails to load, ensure your claude_desktop_config.json is valid. You can paste the contents of your file into a free validator like jsonlint.com to verify formatting.
• Hard Restart Claude: Make sure you fully exit Claude. On macOS, click Claude > Quit Claude in the top menu bar. On Windows, right-click the Claude icon in the system tray and select exit.
• Advanced configurations: If you prefer to manually configure or run the server in developer stdio modes, check out the Advanced: Using the CLI documentation.