Connecting NautobotGPT MCP Server to Claude Desktop¶

This guide walks you through connecting the NautobotGPT MCP Server to Claude Desktop.

Prerequisites¶

Claude Desktop installed (download from claude.com)
Node.js installed (required for npx command)
NautobotGPT instance
NautobotGPT MCP Server enabled for your instance
Your NautobotGPT API key (see Getting Your API Key)

Configure Claude Desktop¶

We use mcp-remote as a bridge to translate between the server's HTTP protocol and the stdio interface that Claude Desktop expects.

Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file:

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

Add the following MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "NautobotGPT": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote@latest",
        "https://YOUR_NAUTOBOTGPT_INSTANCE.nautobot.cloud/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_NAUTOBOTGPT_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration:

https://YOUR_NAUTOBOTGPT_INSTANCE.nautobot.cloud/mcp - Your NautobotGPT MCP Server's URL
AUTH_HEADER - Set to Bearer YOUR_NAUTOBOTGPT_API_KEY with your NautobotGPT API key

Restart Claude Desktop¶

Close and reopen Claude Desktop. The NautobotGPT MCP Server should now be available.

Verify Connection¶

In Claude Desktop, you should see NautobotGPT listed when clicking the + button in the chat input area then highlighting Connectors.

Claude Desktop NautobotGPT

You can also verify by navigating to Settings -> Developer in the desktop app and checking the status of the NautobotGPT MCP Server.

Troubleshooting¶

Server Not Showing Up or Showing "Failed" in Claude Desktop¶

Check Node.js installation - Verify Node.js is installed by running node --version
Check the configuration file location - Make sure you're editing the correct claude_desktop_config.json
Validate JSON syntax - Use a JSON validator to ensure your config is valid
Verify server is running - Check that the NautobotGPT MCP Server is running and accessible
Check the endpoint - Ensure the URL ends with /mcp
Verify your API key - An invalid NautobotGPT API key will prevent successful connection
Restart Claude Desktop - Completely quit and reopen the application

Why mcp-remote?¶

Claude Desktop doesn't support direct HTTP streaming protocols - it requires a stdio interface. The mcp-remote package acts as a bridge:

It connects to your server's endpoint via HTTP
It provides a stdio interface that Claude Desktop expects
It translates messages between the two protocols

Windows: Connection Fails with Authorization Header¶

On Windows, spaces in --header args are split by cmd.exe, breaking the connection. The configurations above use AUTH_HEADER as an env var to work around this - spaces in env vars are handled safely.