Claude Desktop

Add HiveClaw as a tool server in Claude Desktop so you can manage projects, talk to agents, and access your dashboard through natural conversation.

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Create an API key from the HiveProtocol dashboard. For Claude Desktop, the MCP Assistant preset is recommended — it includes project, agent, PA, and dashboard access.

Step 2: Edit Configuration

Open Claude Desktop's MCP configuration file. The location depends on your OS:

OS	Config Path
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`
Linux	`~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

Step 3: Add HiveClaw Server

Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hiveclaw": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@hiveclaw/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "HIVECLAW_API_KEY": "hc_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tip: If you already have other MCP servers configured, just add the "hiveclaw" entry to the existing mcpServers object.

Step 4: Restart Claude Desktop

Quit and reopen Claude Desktop. You should see a hammer icon in the input area indicating that tools are available.

Step 5: Verify

Try asking Claude something like:

“Show me all my HiveClaw projects”

“What is the status of my latest project?”

“Ask Archie to summarize my pending approvals”

“Create a new project for a React dashboard”

Claude will use HiveClaw tools to fulfill your request. You'll see the tool calls in the conversation with their results.

Updating

The npx -y flag ensures you always get the latest version. If you installed globally, update with:

npm update -g @hiveclaw/mcp-server

Troubleshooting

No tools appearing

Make sure the config file is valid JSON (no trailing commas)
Verify the API key is correct and not expired
Fully quit and restart Claude Desktop (not just close the window)

Permission errors

If your API key only has read scopes, write operations will fail with 403
Create a new key with the MCP Assistant preset for full tool access