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Claude Code + MCP Setup Guide

Full Video Here

⚫⚫⚫⚪⚪ Intermediate Difficulty | ⏱️ 15-30 Minutes Setup Time

This guide is a companion to my tutorial video on setting up Claude Code and configuring MCP servers. While the process should be straightforward, you might encounter some issues that require troubleshooting.

Before You Begin

What You'll Need

  • Node.js installed
  • Terminal access
  • Anthropic API key
  • Brave API key (optional, for search demo)
  • Admin permissions

Important Notes

  • This guide has been tested on macOS
  • Some commands may require different syntax on Windows
  • Warp terminal users may encounter issues - use native terminal if problems occur
  • Keep note of any error messages for troubleshooting

Installation Steps

1. Install Claude Code

Run in your terminal:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

[Follow Full Claude Code Instructions Here] (https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/agents-and-tools/claude-code/overview)

2. Set Up Basic MCP Server (Fetch)

Run these commands:

claude mcp add fetch npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-fetch

3. Set Up Brave Search MCP (Optional)

There are two potential methods to set up Brave Search with environment variables:

Method 1 (--env):

claude mcp add brave-search npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search --env BRAVE_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY

Method 2 (-e):

claude mcp add brave-search npx @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search -e BRAVE_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY

4. Start MCP Server

Important: Run this in a separate terminal window:

claude mcp serve

5. Verify Setup

Start Claude Code:

claude

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Warp Terminal Issues

    • Switch to native terminal
    • Restart terminal after configuration changes

  2. Environment Variables

    • Try both --env and -e methods
    • Verify API key format
    • Check for extra spaces

  3. Context Issues

    • Sometimes Claude needs multiple prompts to understand MCP context
    • Try closing and reopening Claude

  4. Connection Problems

    • Ensure MCP serve is running in separate terminal
    • Check terminal outputs for errors
    • Verify API keys are valid

Important Tips

  • Always run claude mcp serve in a separate terminal window
  • Restart terminal after making configuration changes
  • When using Warp, switch to native terminal if issues occur
  • Keep MCP serve running while using Claude
  • Monitor terminal output for error messages

Helpful Links