MCP Servers

Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers extend Claude's capabilities by connecting to external tools and services.

Overview

MCP servers are external processes that Claude communicates with to access data and perform actions beyond its built-in tools. Boatman Desktop manages MCP server lifecycle and injects credentials automatically.

Available Preset Servers

Built-in Presets

Server	Purpose	Auth Method
`filesystem`	File system access	None
`github`	GitHub API integration	GitHub token
`postgres`	PostgreSQL database access	Connection string
`datadog`	Datadog monitoring	API key
`bugsnag`	Bugsnag error tracking	API key
`linear`	Linear project management	API key
`slack`	Slack workspace integration	Bot token

Firefighter-Specific (OAuth)

Server	Purpose	Auth Method
`datadog-okta`	Datadog with Okta OAuth	Okta SSO
`bugsnag-okta`	Bugsnag with Okta OAuth	Okta SSO

Adding MCP Servers

Via UI

Settings → MCP Servers → Add Server

Option 1: Preset
- Select from dropdown
- Configure environment variables
- Enable

Option 2: Custom
- Name: my-custom-server
- Command: npx
- Args: -y, @my-org/mcp-server
- Environment variables:
  - API_KEY: your-key-here
- Enable

Via Config File

Edit ~/.claude/claude_mcp_config.json directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@package/name"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your-key",
        "OTHER_VAR": "value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Changes take effect immediately (no restart required).

Server Configuration Examples

Linear

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-linear"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "lin_api_xxxxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

GitHub

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_xxxxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

Slack

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slack": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-slack"],
      "env": {
        "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-xxxxx",
        "SLACK_TEAM_ID": "T0000000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Required Slack Bot scopes:

channels:history
channels:read
chat:write
users:read

Datadog (API Key)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "datadog": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-datadog"],
      "env": {
        "DD_API_KEY": "xxxxx",
        "DD_APP_KEY": "xxxxx",
        "DD_SITE": "datadoghq.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Datadog (Okta OAuth)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "datadog-okta": {
      "command": "/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.claude/mcp-servers/datadog-okta",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "OKTA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "[automatically-injected-by-boatman]",
        "DD_SITE": "datadoghq.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Building Custom MCP Servers

For Firefighter Mode's OAuth-based servers:

cd desktop/mcp-servers
make all       # Build all custom servers
make install   # Install to ~/.claude/mcp-servers/

Enabling/Disabling Servers

Settings → MCP Servers Tab
- Toggle each server on/off
- Click "Save Changes"

Troubleshooting

"MCP server failed to start"

# Test MCP server manually
npx -y @package/name
 
# Check logs
tail -f ~/.claude/logs/mcp-server.log
 
# Verify environment variables
cat ~/.claude/claude_mcp_config.json

Server hangs or times out

Check if the server process is running: ps aux | grep mcp
Restart the server by toggling it off and on in settings
Check network connectivity for remote APIs

Firefighter Mode BoatmanMode Integration