Claude Config Management Skill

Claude Config Management

Manages configuration files for Claude Desktop and Claude Code, including MCP server setup, project settings, and developer options.

Configuration File Locations

Claude Desktop (macOS):

Config: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Logs: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/
Developer settings: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/developer_settings.json

Claude Desktop (Windows):

Config: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Logs: %APPDATA%\Claude\Logs\

Claude Code (Project-specific):

Settings: .claude/settings.json
Plugin marketplace: .claude-plugin/marketplace.json

Claude Desktop Configuration

Basic Structure

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "command-to-run",
      "args": ["arg1", "arg2"],
      "env": {
        "VAR_NAME": "value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important Notes

Always use absolute paths - Working directory may be undefined
Windows paths: Use forward slashes or double backslashes
Restart required: Restart Claude Desktop after configuration changes
Environment variables: Limited by default (USER, HOME, PATH); set explicitly in env

Claude Code Project Settings

.claude/settings.json

{
  "enabledPlugins": ["plugin-name"],
  "extraKnownMarketplaces": {
    "team-tools": {
      "source": {
        "source": "github",
        "repo": "company/claude-plugins"
      }
    }
  }
}

Team Configuration

Automatically install marketplaces when team members trust the folder:

{
  "extraKnownMarketplaces": {
    "company-tools": {
      "source": {
        "source": "github",
        "repo": "company/plugins"
      }
    },
    "project-tools": {
      "source": {
        "source": "git",
        "url": "https://git.company.com/project-plugins.git"
      }
    }
  }
}

Quick Validation

# Validate JSON syntax
jq empty ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
jq empty .claude/settings.json

# Check server names
jq -r '.mcpServers | keys[]' ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Quick Troubleshooting

If MCP server not loading:

Validate JSON syntax
Verify command paths are absolute
Check environment variables are set
Review logs: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
Restart Claude Desktop

References

Detailed documentation for specific scenarios:

MCP Patterns - Server configuration examples (Python, Node.js, environment variables)
Troubleshooting - Common issues, log locations, debugging tools
Workflows - Step-by-step guides for adding servers, team setup, migration

Next Steps

See EXAMPLES.md for real-world configuration examples

Agent Skills: Claude Config Management

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files