Claude Code MCP Configuration

MCP server configuration file for Claude Code projects.

Type object
File match .mcp.json **/.mcp.json
Schema URL https://catalog.lintel.tools/schemas/claude-code/mcp-json/latest.json

Validate with Lintel

npx @lintel/lintel check
Type: object

Configuration file for MCP servers in Claude Code (.mcp.json).

This file defines which MCP servers Claude Code should connect to. Place it at the project root and check it into version control so all team members share the same MCP tools.

Add servers via the CLI (claude mcp add --scope project ...) or edit this file directly.

Scopes: Claude Code resolves MCP servers from multiple locations with this precedence:

  1. Local — ~/.claude.json under the project path (private, default)
  2. Project — .mcp.json at the project root (shared via version control)
  3. User — ~/.claude.json global section (available across all projects)

When servers with the same name exist at multiple scopes, higher-precedence scopes win.

All string values in server configs support environment variable expansion: ${VAR} and ${VAR:-default}.

Properties

mcpServers Record<string, Mcp Server Config> required

Map of server names to their transport configuration.

Each key is a unique server name (used in Claude Code to identify the server). Each value is an MCP server configuration specifying the transport type and connection details.

For security, Claude Code prompts for approval before using project-scoped servers from .mcp.json files. Use claude mcp reset-project-choices to reset approval choices.

$schema string

JSON Schema URI for editor validation and autocompletion.