# Add DiceyTable to Claude Desktop

> Add the DiceyTable bridge to claude_desktop_config.json on macOS or Windows, allow your art folders with --allow-dir, then restart Claude Desktop to load it.

- Question: How do I add the DiceyTable MCP server to Claude Desktop?
- Source: https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/claude-desktop
- Last verified: 2026-10-09

Add a `diceytable` entry to Claude Desktop's config file, then quit and restart the app. Open the file from **Settings ▸ Developer ▸ Edit Config**, and Claude Desktop starts the DiceyTable bridge for you from then on.

The bridge is the small program that links Claude to a DiceyTable tab in your browser. It comes from npm, so there is nothing to download by hand.

## What you'll need

- **Claude Desktop** for macOS or Windows.
- **Node.js 20.19 or newer.** Run `node --version` in a terminal to check.
- **A saved key.** Run `npx -y @diceytable/mcp-bridge@1 status`. It should name your account and your key. If it doesn't, follow [Create an API key for your AI agent](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/api-keys), then save it with `login` as [Install the DiceyTable MCP bridge](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/install) shows.

## Where is claude_desktop_config.json?

In Claude Desktop, open **Settings ▸ Developer** and click **Edit Config**. That opens the file, or creates it if it doesn't exist yet. It lives here:

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

## Step 1: Add the DiceyTable entry

Add `diceytable` inside `mcpServers`. If other servers are already listed, keep them and add a comma between entries.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "diceytable": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@diceytable/mcp-bridge@1", "--allow-dir", "/path/to/your/mod-assets"]
    }
  }
}
```

Change `/path/to/your/mod-assets` to a real folder, or delete the last two items in `args` if you won't import local files. The next section explains why that folder matters.

Leave out any `env` block. Claude Desktop doesn't fill in variables in this file, so a key in `env` would sit there in plain text. The bridge reads the key that `login` saved instead.

## Why can't the agent import my local files?

The bridge only reads and writes files inside allowed folders. By default, that is the folder the app starts it in. Claude Desktop doesn't start it in your project, so nothing useful is allowed until you say so.

Add one `--allow-dir` pair to `args` for each folder the agent should import from or save screenshots to. Use full paths. On Windows, double each backslash inside the JSON, like `"C:\\Users\\you\\mod-assets"`. [Which local files an agent can read](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/concepts/local-file-access) covers the rest of the rules.

## Step 2: Restart Claude Desktop

Save the file. Then quit Claude Desktop completely and open it again. Closing the window isn't enough, because the app only reads its config when it starts.

To check it worked, click **Add files, connectors, and more** (the **+** button) at the bottom left of the message box. Hover over **Connectors**, then click **Manage connectors**. `diceytable` should be in the list, with its tools under it.

## Step 3: Connect a DiceyTable tab

Start a new chat and ask Claude to "connect to DiceyTable". It shows you a pairing code. Type that code into a DiceyTable tab, as [Pair a DiceyTable tab with your agent](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/pairing) shows. Then [check your agent is connected](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/verify).

Claude Desktop asks before it runs a tool. DiceyTable adds its own check on top. Anything that can't be undone, such as publishing, waits for your click in the tab.

## If it doesn't work

- **Find the log.** Claude Desktop keeps one log per server. Look for `mcp-server-diceytable.log` in `~/Library/Logs/Claude` on macOS, or `%APPDATA%\Claude\logs` on Windows.
- **`diceytable` is missing after a restart.** The file probably has a JSON typo, such as a missing comma. Check it, save, and restart again.
- **Windows shows an `ENOENT` error that mentions `${APPDATA}`.** Add an `env` block that sets `APPDATA` to your real folder, such as `"C:\\Users\\you\\AppData\\Roaming\\"`. That block holds a folder path, never your key.

Still stuck? Run `npx -y @diceytable/mcp-bridge@1 doctor` in a terminal. Then see [Fix an agent that won't connect](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/troubleshooting/connection).

To remove DiceyTable later, delete its entry from the file and restart Claude Desktop. [Disconnect, revoke or remove the agent](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/uninstall) covers your key and the rest.

## Next steps

- [Pair a DiceyTable tab with your agent](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/pairing): type the code and read the consent dialog.
- [Check your agent is connected](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/verify): three quick calls that prove it all works.
- [Add the DiceyTable MCP server to Claude Code](https://diceytable.com/docs/ai-agents/setup/claude-code): the terminal version, if you also write code.