Claude Web & Cowork
Connect cloud Claude clients (claude.ai, Desktop, Cowork) as a remote MCP connector
Cloud Claude clients - claude.ai, Claude Desktop, and Cowork -
connect to your server as a custom remote MCP connector. Unlike local agents
such as Claude Code or Cursor (which spawn the stdio
subprocess), these clients run in Anthropic's cloud, so they reach your server
over its public streamable-HTTP endpoint at /mcp.
You need a deployed server. See Deployment for hosting the
single daysurface-serve process that exposes /mcp. localhost will not work
here - the client runs in Anthropic's cloud and must reach a public URL.
Prerequisites
- A publicly reachable deployment serving
https://YOUR-DEPLOYMENT/mcp. - OAuth 2.1 configured on that deployment. Claude's custom
connector authenticates over OAuth - its UI has no field for a custom
X-API-KEYheader, so the header-based API-key path that local clients use doesn't apply here.
Get your connection URL
The connection URL is just the streamable-HTTP endpoint - no key, no query string:
https://YOUR-DEPLOYMENT/mcpWith OAuth 2.1 enabled, this bare URL is all you need: on connect, Claude discovers the authorization server, registers itself, and opens the consent screen. No client IDs, no pasted keys.
Add a custom connector in Claude
Open Settings > Connectors (in Cowork/Desktop: Customize > Connectors) and choose Add custom connector. Then:
- Give it a descriptive name (e.g.
daysurface). - Paste your connection URL from Step 1.
- Leave the OAuth client ID/secret blank - the server advertises its authorization server via discovery, so Claude registers itself automatically.
- Click Add. You'll be redirected to sign in and grant consent.
Teams: one connector per person
Each team member adds their own connector and signs in with their own account, so tool calls are attributed to the right user. Don't share one pre-authorized connector across a team.
Enable it in a conversation
In any chat, click the + button, open Connectors, and toggle daysurface
on. Your tools are now available to the assistant. Browse what's exposed in
Tools and just ask Claude to use them.
Related
- Anthropic: Build custom connectors via remote MCP servers
- ChatGPT - the equivalent flow for OpenAI's clients
- OAuth 2.1 - zero-provisioning auth for cloud clients