Connect Claude Desktop

One-paste setup, plus troubleshooting for the things that go wrong.

Prerequisites

A Slidura account — access is by private beta invitation. Request access.
An API key — account dropdown → API keys → New. Copy it now; it is shown once. Keys carry scopes: read, write, delete, build.
Claude Desktop installed.

Add the server

Open claude_desktop_config.json:

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

Add (or merge into) the mcpServers block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slidura": {
      "url": "https://app.slidura.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer slidura_live_REPLACE_ME"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace slidura_live_REPLACE_ME with your actual API key. Save and fully quit Claude Desktop (Cmd-Q on macOS — closing the window is not enough). Reopen.

Verify

In a new chat, type:

“What Slidura tools do you have?”

Claude should list the Slidura tools. If it reports none, check the troubleshooting section below.

Use the agent skill instead

The template workspace (open any template → Overview tab) offers a downloadable agent skill — a ready-made Claude Code skill that already knows your template’s catalog, wires up the recommended build loop, and handles media creation. If you are working from a specific template, the skill is a richer starting point than the bare MCP connection.

Troubleshooting

No tools listed after restart. Confirm the JSON is valid (no trailing commas, matching braces). A syntax error silently prevents the server block from loading. Paste the full file into a JSON validator.

401 Unauthorized in Claude’s logs. The API key is wrong, expired, or was not copied fully. Mint a new one in the account dropdown → API keys.

403 Forbidden on a specific call. The key lacks the scope the tool requires. For example, start_build needs the build scope. Edit the key’s scopes in the app or mint a new key with the needed scopes.

Windows path issues. On Windows the config path uses %APPDATA%, not a tilde. Open a Run dialog (Win+R), paste %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json, and edit the file that opens.

Corporate proxy / firewall. The MCP server uses streamable HTTP at https://app.slidura.com/mcp. If your network blocks outbound HTTPS to that host, the connection will silently fail. Contact your network team or test from outside the proxy.