Time Tracking MCP

# Claude Code CLI vs Claude Desktop: MCP Server Configuration ## Overview There are **two separate environments** for running Claude with MCP servers, each with its own configuration: 1. **Claude Desktop** - The desktop application 2. **Claude Code CLI** - The command-line interface These are **independent** and require **separate configurations** for MCP servers. ## Key Differences ### Claude Desktop **Config Location:** ``` ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json ``` **Configuration Format:** ```json { "mcpServers": { "TimeTracking": { "command": "/path/to/node", "args": ["/path/to/server.js"], "env": { "TIME_TRACKING_DIR": "/Users/markwharton/Documents/time-tracking", "COMPANIES": "HeliMods,Stellantis", "COMPANY_ABBREVIATIONS": "HeliMods:HM:helimods,Stellantis:STLA:stellantis", "DISPLAY_TIMEZONE_OFFSET": "10", "DISPLAY_TIMEZONE_STRING": "AEST" } } } } ``` **How to Update:** - Manually edit the `claude_desktop_config.json` file - **Restart Claude Desktop app** for changes to take effect **When to Use:** - Running Claude in the desktop application - Using the Claude web interface through the desktop app --- ### Claude Code CLI **Config Location:** ``` ~/.claude.json ``` **Configuration Format:** The configuration is embedded in a larger JSON structure. Look for the `mcpServers` section: ```json { "projects": { "/path/to/project": { "mcpServers": { "TimeTracking": { "type": "stdio", "command": "/path/to/node", "args": ["/path/to/server.js"], "env": { "TIME_TRACKING_DIR": "/Users/markwharton/Documents/time-tracking", "COMPANIES": "HeliMods,Stellantis", "DEFAULT_COMPANY": "HeliMods", "DISPLAY_TIMEZONE_OFFSET": "10", "DISPLAY_TIMEZONE_STRING": "AEST" } } } } } } ``` **How to Update:** - **Add server:** `claude mcp add --transport stdio <name> <command> <args...>` - ⚠️ **This command does NOT support environment variables** - **Add environment variables:** Manually edit `~/.claude.json` - **Restart Claude Code CLI** (Ctrl-C and restart) for changes to take effect **When to Use:** - Running Claude from the command line with the `claude` command - Working in terminal-based workflows --- ## Common Confusion Points ### "It's all managed by Claude Desktop" **FALSE** - This is misleading. While Claude Desktop has its own MCP configuration, Claude Code CLI has a completely separate configuration file and does not automatically inherit settings from Claude Desktop. ### "Just restart Claude Desktop" **Incomplete** - If you're using Claude Code CLI, restarting Claude Desktop does nothing. You need to restart the CLI (Ctrl-C and rerun `claude`). ### "Use `claude mcp add` to configure the server" **Incomplete** - The `claude mcp add` command only sets the basic connection details (command and args). It does **not** support adding environment variables. You must manually edit `~/.claude.json` to add the `env` section. --- ## The Problem We Encountered ### What Happened: 1. Configured MCP server for Claude Desktop with proper environment variables 2. Used `claude mcp add` to add the server to Claude Code CLI 3. The CLI configuration was created **without environment variables** (`"env": {}`) 4. Time tracking entries went to "default" company instead of "HeliMods" ### Why It Happened: - `claude mcp add` doesn't support the `--env` flag or similar option - The CLI was using its own config (`~/.claude.json`) with empty env - Claude Desktop's config was correct but irrelevant for CLI usage ### The Fix: 1. Manually edit `~/.claude.json` 2. Find the TimeTracking server configuration 3. Replace `"env": {}` with the full environment variable object 4. Restart Claude Code CLI --- ## Best Practices ### When Developing MCP Servers: 1. **Always configure both environments** if you plan to use both 2. **Keep environment variables in sync** between the two configs 3. **Test in the actual environment** you'll be using (CLI vs Desktop) 4. **Document which environment is being used** in your README ### Configuration Workflow: **For Claude Desktop:** ```bash # Edit the config file code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json # Restart Claude Desktop app # (Quit and reopen from Applications) ``` **For Claude Code CLI:** ```bash # Add the server (basic setup only) claude mcp add --transport stdio TimeTracking /path/to/node /path/to/server.js # Add environment variables (manual edit required) code ~/.claude.json # Find the server config and add the "env" section # Restart Claude Code CLI # Press Ctrl-C, then run: claude ``` --- ## Verification ### Check Claude Desktop Config: ```bash cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json | grep -A 15 TimeTracking ``` ### Check Claude Code CLI Config: ```bash cat ~/.claude.json | grep -A 20 '"TimeTracking"' ``` ### Check Active MCP Servers in CLI: ```bash claude mcp list ``` --- ## Time Lost on This Issue **Estimated time debugging:** 1.5 hours **Root causes:** - Incomplete documentation about dual configuration requirement - `claude mcp add` command doesn't warn about missing env variables - Error messages don't indicate which config is being used - Assumption that Claude Desktop config would be inherited by CLI