set-up-vizro-mcp-with-claude.md•3.46 kB
# How to set up Vizro-MCP with Claude Desktop
!!! notice "Use of large language models"
You must connect to a large language model (LLM) to use Vizro-MCP.
Please review our [guidelines on the use of LLMs](../explanation/disclaimers.md).
This page explains how to set up [Claude Desktop](https://support.anthropic.com/en/articles/10065433-installing-claude-desktop) to use Vizro-MCP.
!!! Warning "Can I use the free tier with Claude?"
You do not need to have a paid account with Claude to use Vizro-MCP, but your tokens for usage will be limited. Furthermore, for best performance, we recommend using the `claude-4-sonnet` model. Using the offered `auto` setting may lead to inconsistent or unexpected results.
If you have not already done so, download and install [Claude Desktop](https://claude.ai/download). Vizro-MCP does not work with the web version of Claude.
## Set up uv or Docker
To access Vizro-MCP, you must first install **either [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/) or [Docker](https://www.docker.com/get-started/)** by following the linked instructions.
## Set up instructions
Once you have uv or Docker, and have installed the desktop version of Claude, you need to set up the Vizro-MCP server configuration.
You can find `claude_desktop_config.json` through the Claude desktop UI, by navigating to the [Developer Settings](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/user#2-add-the-filesystem-mcp-server) and choosing "Edit Config". Open the file and edit it as follows, depending on whether you're using uv or Docker.
### Using uv
If you've installed uv, open a terminal window and type `uv` to confirm that is available. To get the path to `uvx`, type the following:
```shell
which uv
```
Copy the path returned, and add the following to `claude_desktop_config.json`, substituting your path as returned above, for the placeholder given:
```
{
"mcpServers": {
"vizro-mcp": {
"command": "/placeholder-path/uvx",
"args": [
"vizro-mcp"
]
}
}
}
```
### Using Docker
If you are using Docker, add the following to `claude_desktop_config.json`.
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"vizro-mcp": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"mcp/vizro"
]
}
}
}
```
??? information "To use local data with Vizro-MCP"
Mount your data directory or directories into the container with the following extended configuration. Replace `</absolute/path/to/allowed/dir>` (syntax for folders) or `</absolute/path/to/data.csv>` (syntax for files) with the absolute path to your data on your machine. For consistency, we recommend that the `dst` path matches the `src` path.
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"vizro-mcp": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"--mount",
"type=bind,src=</absolute/path/to/allowed/dir>,dst=</absolute/path/to/allowed/dir>",
"--mount",
"type=bind,src=</absolute/path/to/data.csv>,dst=</absolute/path/to/data.csv>",
"mcp/vizro"
]
}
}
}
```
### Restart Claude Desktop
Once you have updated the configuration, restart Claude Desktop. After a few moments, you should see the vizro-mcp menu in the settings/context menu:
