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Configuration

This guide explains how to configure encoding-music-mcp with various MCP clients.

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is the most common MCP client for using encoding-music-mcp.

Opening the Configuration File

The easiest way to open the configuration file is from Claude Desktop:

  1. Open Settings
  2. Select Developer
  3. Under Local MCP servers, click Edit Config

This locates the correct claude_desktop_config.json file for your installation.

If you need to find the file manually, common locations are:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration Methods

Choose the configuration method that matches your installation method:

For users who installed via uvx (no local clone):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "encoding-music-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/unimelbmdap/encoding-music-mcp.git",
        "encoding-music-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

For users who cloned the repository locally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "encoding-music-mcp": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/absolute/path/to/encoding-music-mcp",
        "run",
        "encoding-music-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Use Absolute Paths

Replace /absolute/path/to/encoding-music-mcp with the actual absolute path to your cloned repository.

  • ✅ Good: /Users/alice/projects/encoding-music-mcp
  • ❌ Bad: ~/projects/encoding-music-mcp
  • ❌ Bad: ./encoding-music-mcp

Applying Configuration

After editing the configuration file:

  1. Save the file
  2. Restart Claude Desktop completely
  3. Verify connection by looking for the MCP server indicator in Claude Desktop

Troubleshooting

If the server doesn't appear:

  • Verify the JSON syntax is valid (no trailing commas, proper brackets)
  • Check that the path is absolute and correct
  • Ensure uv is installed and in your PATH
  • Check Claude Desktop logs for error messages

Other MCP Clients

encoding-music-mcp should work with any MCP-compatible client. The general configuration pattern is:

{
  "command": "uvx",
  "args": [
    "--from",
    "git+https://github.com/unimelbmdap/encoding-music-mcp.git",
    "encoding-music-mcp"
  ]
}

Consult your MCP client's documentation for specific configuration instructions.

Remote HTTP endpoint

Clients that support remote Streamable HTTP can connect to:

https://encoding-music.drdanielrb.com/mcp

Use the MCP endpoint as written rather than the /health URL. Opening /mcp in an ordinary browser can return HTTP 406 because browsers do not send MCP streaming headers; this is expected. The /health endpoint is available for a simple browser or uptime check.

Standalone Mode

You can also run the server directly without an MCP client (useful for testing):

uv run encoding-music-mcp

This starts the server and listens for MCP connections via stdio.

Next Steps