Connect Claude

Claude Desktop and Claude Code connect in two different ways:

Claude Code

Add the server from your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http dialora https://api.dialora.ai/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer dlr_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

Then run claude and ask it to use Dialora. Verify with /mcp inside Claude Code to see the connection and tool list.

Claude Desktop

Why the config looks the way it does

Claude Desktop’s claude_desktop_config.json only starts local stdio servers. A { "type": "http", "url": … } entry — the shape that works in Claude Code and Cursor — is ignored by Claude Desktop, so the server silently never appears. And Claude Desktop’s Settings → Connectors UI only offers OAuth; there is no field for a static Authorization header, which is what a Dialora dlr_live_… key needs.

So Claude Desktop talks to Dialora through mcp-remote, a small stdio→HTTP bridge run by npx.

1. Check Node.js

mcp-remote needs Node 18 or newer. In a terminal:

node --version
which npx     # macOS / Linux — note this path, you may need it below
where npx     # Windows

If node is missing, install the LTS build from nodejs.org .

2. Open the config file

In Claude Desktop: Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Or edit it directly:

3. Add Dialora under mcpServers

Pick your OS. Replace dlr_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with your key and <you> with your username.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dialora": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.dialora.ai/mcp",
        "--transport", "http-only",
        "--header", "Authorization:${DIALORA_AUTH}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DIALORA_AUTH": "Bearer dlr_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "PATH": "/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dialora": {
      "command": "cmd",
      "args": [
        "/c", "npx",
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.dialora.ai/mcp",
        "--transport", "http-only",
        "--header", "Authorization:${DIALORA_AUTH}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DIALORA_AUTH": "Bearer dlr_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "APPDATA": "C:\\Users\\<you>\\AppData\\Roaming"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dialora": {
      "command": "/usr/bin/npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.dialora.ai/mcp",
        "--transport", "http-only",
        "--header", "Authorization:${DIALORA_AUTH}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DIALORA_AUTH": "Bearer dlr_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "PATH": "/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin",
        "HOME": "/home/<you>"
      }
    }
  }
}

If node is managed by nvm, asdf, mise, or Nix

Version managers put node behind a shim whose path changes with the active version, so a hardcoded command goes stale. Run it through a shell instead (macOS and Linux):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dialora": {
      "command": "/bin/sh",
      "args": [
        "-c",
        "exec \"$HOME/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/bin/npx\" -y mcp-remote https://api.dialora.ai/mcp --transport http-only --header \"Authorization:$DIALORA_AUTH\""
      ],
      "env": {
        "DIALORA_AUTH": "Bearer dlr_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "HOME": "/home/<you>",
        "PATH": "/home/<you>/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit Claude Desktop — closing the window is not enough.

• macOS: Cmd+Q, or right-click the dock icon → Quit.
• Windows: right-click the system-tray icon → Quit.
• Linux: quit from the tray icon, or pkill -f claude.

Reopen it, start a new chat, and the Dialora tools appear under the connectors (plug) icon.

5. Verify

Ask Claude:

“Using Dialora, list my 5 most recent calls.”

If nothing happens, read the MCP log — it names the exact failure:

# macOS / Linux — follow the log while Claude Desktop restarts
tail -n 50 -f ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-dialora.log
tail -n 50 -f ~/.config/Claude/logs/mcp-server-dialora.log

Claude Desktop errors, and what fixes them

spawn npx ENOENT / “Server disconnected” right after launch

Claude Desktop cannot find npx. This is the same root cause on all three platforms — the app is launched by the GUI, which does not inherit your shell’s PATH.

• macOS / Linux — set command to the absolute path from which npx, and add a PATH entry to env that contains the node binary directory.
• Windows — use "command": "cmd" with "/c", "npx" in args. Also run npm install -g npm once if %APPDATA%\npm does not exist.
• Linux, AppImage/Flatpak — also add HOME to env; the sandboxed launcher may not pass it through.

401 unauthorized even though the key is correct

Almost always the header got split on its space. Confirm your config uses "Authorization:${DIALORA_AUTH}" (no space after the colon) with "DIALORA_AUTH": "Bearer dlr_live_…" in env — not "Authorization: Bearer dlr_live_…" inline in args.

Connects, then hangs or drops

Pin the transport with "--transport", "http-only". Dialora exposes streamable HTTP only, no SSE endpoint; without the flag mcp-remote may probe SSE and stall waiting for a stream that never opens.

Worked before, fails now with an auth or session error

Clear the bridge’s cache and restart Claude Desktop:

rm -rf ~/.mcp-auth

Behind a corporate proxy or VPN

TLS interception makes mcp-remote fail on certificate validation. Point it at your CA bundle by adding to env:

"NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS": "/path/to/corporate-ca.pem"

Test the bridge outside Claude Desktop

If the config looks right but Claude still shows nothing, run the exact command yourself — errors that Claude Desktop swallows are printed here:

DIALORA_AUTH="Bearer dlr_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  npx -y mcp-remote <MCP_URL> --transport http-only \
  --header "Authorization:$DIALORA_AUTH" --debug

Replace <MCP_URL> with https://api.dialora.ai/mcp. --debug writes a detailed log to ~/.mcp-auth/{server_hash}_debug.log.

Test it

“Using Dialora, list my 5 most recent calls.”

Remember the preview rate limits: one tool call every 15 seconds, so ask for one thing at a time.