# Quick Start - Remote MCP Server
> **Note**: This guide is for self-hosted deployments or internal Squad infrastructure.
> End users should connect to Squad's hosted remote server via [Claude Connectors](https://claude.ai).
This guide gets you from zero to deployed in ~15 minutes.
## ✅ What We Built
- **HTTP Server** with Express + OAuth2
- **PropelAuth Integration** for secure authentication
- **Redis Session Store** for multi-user support
- **StreamableHTTP Transport** for MCP protocol over HTTPS
- **30+ Squad Tools** with safety annotations (readOnlyHint/destructiveHint)
- **Railway-ready** configuration
## 🚀 Deploy to Railway (5 minutes)
### Step 1: Create PropelAuth Account
1. Go to https://app.propelauth.com and sign up
2. Create a new project
3. Copy these values (you'll need them):
- **Auth URL** (e.g., `https://12345.propelauthtest.com`)
- **API Key** (Settings → API Keys → Create → Backend/Server API Key)
### Step 2: Configure OAuth Application in PropelAuth
1. In PropelAuth Dashboard → **Applications** → **Create Application**
2. Set redirect URIs (add all three):
```
https://claude.ai/api/mcp/auth_callback
https://claude.com/api/mcp/auth_callback
http://localhost:6274/oauth/callback
```
3. Save the application
### Step 3: Deploy to Railway
```bash
# Login to Railway
railway login
# Link to your Railway project (or create new one)
railway link
# Add Redis
railway add redis
# Set environment variables
railway variables set \
PROPELAUTH_AUTH_URL="https://YOUR_AUTH_ID.propelauthtest.com" \
PROPELAUTH_API_KEY="your_backend_api_key" \
SQUAD_API_URL="https://api.meetsquad.ai" \
NODE_ENV="production"
# Deploy
railway up
```
### Step 4: Get Your Railway URL
```bash
# Get the public URL
railway domain
```
Copy the URL (e.g., `https://your-app.up.railway.app`)
### Step 5: Update PropelAuth with Railway URL
1. Go back to PropelAuth Dashboard → **Applications**
2. Add your Railway URL to redirect URIs:
```
https://your-app.up.railway.app/oauth/callback
```
### Step 6: Set BASE_URI
```bash
railway variables set BASE_URI="https://your-app.up.railway.app"
```
Railway will auto-redeploy with the new variable.
## ✅ Verify Deployment
### Test Health Endpoint
```bash
curl https://your-app.up.railway.app/health
```
Expected response:
```json
{
"status": "ok",
"timestamp": "2026-01-26T...",
"version": "2.3.0"
}
```
### Test OAuth Discovery
```bash
curl https://your-app.up.railway.app/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server
```
Should return OAuth metadata with your PropelAuth endpoints.
## 🔧 Local Development
### Setup
1. Copy environment variables:
```bash
cp .env.example .env
```
2. Fill in .env with your values:
```bash
PORT=3232
BASE_URI=http://localhost:3232
PROPELAUTH_AUTH_URL=https://YOUR_AUTH_ID.propelauthtest.com
PROPELAUTH_API_KEY=your_api_key
SQUAD_API_URL=https://api.meetsquad.ai
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
```
3. Start local Redis (Docker):
```bash
docker run -d -p 6379:6379 redis:alpine
```
4. Run dev server:
```bash
yarn dev
```
Server starts at http://localhost:3232
## 🧪 Testing with MCP Inspector
```bash
# Install MCP Inspector
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
# Start inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector
```
In the inspector:
1. Set URL: `http://localhost:3232/mcp` (or your Railway URL)
2. Configure OAuth:
- Authorization URL: `https://YOUR_AUTH_ID.propelauthtest.com/propelauth/oauth/authorize`
- Token URL: `https://YOUR_AUTH_ID.propelauthtest.com/propelauth/oauth/token`
3. Test authentication flow
4. Try calling tools
## 📱 Using with Claude Desktop
Add to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"squad-remote": {
"url": "https://your-app.up.railway.app/mcp",
"auth": {
"type": "oauth",
"authorization_url": "https://YOUR_AUTH_ID.propelauthtest.com/propelauth/oauth/authorize",
"token_url": "https://YOUR_AUTH_ID.propelauthtest.com/propelauth/oauth/token",
"scopes": ["openid", "profile", "email"]
}
}
}
}
```
Restart Claude Desktop and the Squad tools will be available with OAuth authentication.
## 📊 Monitoring
### View Logs
```bash
railway logs
```
### Check Redis
```bash
railway run bash
# Then inside the container:
redis-cli -u $REDIS_URL ping
# Should respond: PONG
```
### Common Issues
**"Missing PROPELAUTH_AUTH_URL"**
- Make sure all environment variables are set in Railway dashboard
**"Redis connection failed"**
- Ensure Redis service is added in Railway
- Check REDIS_URL is automatically set
**"OAuth fails"**
- Verify redirect URIs are correctly set in PropelAuth
- Check Railway URL matches BASE_URI
## 📝 Next Steps
1. ✅ Deploy to Railway
2. ✅ Test with MCP Inspector
3. ✅ Configure Claude Desktop
4. [ ] Submit to Claude Connector Directory (optional)
5. [ ] Add error tracking (Sentry)
6. [ ] Set up monitoring alerts
## 📚 Documentation
- Full deployment guide: [DEPLOYMENT.md](DEPLOYMENT.md)
- Main README: [README.md](README.md)
- Railway docs: https://docs.railway.app
- PropelAuth docs: https://docs.propelauth.com
## 💰 Costs
- **Railway**: Free tier available, ~$5-20/month for production
- **Redis**: Included with Railway
- **PropelAuth**: Free up to 1,000 MAU
Total estimated cost: **$5-20/month** for production deployment
