Claude Desktop Integration

Set up seamless integration between the ActivityPub MCP Server and Claude Desktop for AI-powered fediverse exploration.

📋 Prerequisites

✅ Claude Desktop Installed

Download and install Claude Desktop from the official website.

Download Claude Desktop

✅ ActivityPub MCP Server

Ensure the ActivityPub MCP Server is installed and working.

npx activitypub-mcp install

⚙️ Configuration Setup

Step 1: Locate Claude Desktop Configuration

Find your Claude Desktop configuration file:

🪟 Windows

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

🍎 macOS

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

🐧 Linux

~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2: Add MCP Server Configuration

Add the ActivityPub MCP Server to your Claude Desktop configuration:

Basic Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "activitypub": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "activitypub-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LOG_LEVEL": "info"
      }
    }
  }
}

Advanced Configuration with Custom Settings

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "activitypub": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "activitypub-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LOG_LEVEL": "debug",
        "USER_AGENT": "MyApp-ActivityPub-MCP/1.0",
        "REQUEST_TIMEOUT": "45000",
        "CACHE_TTL": "600"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

Close and restart Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server configuration.

💡 Restart Tips

  • Completely quit Claude Desktop (check system tray/menu bar)
  • Wait a few seconds before restarting
  • Check the Claude Desktop logs if the server doesn't appear

🔍 Verification & Testing

1. Check MCP Server Status

In Claude Desktop, you should see the ActivityPub MCP Server listed in the available tools.

✅ Server appears in Claude's tool list
✅ No error messages in Claude's interface

2. Test Basic Functionality

Try these commands in Claude Desktop to verify the integration:

Discover a Fediverse Actor

Ask Claude: "Can you discover information about @mastodon@mastodon.social?"

Get Server Information

Ask Claude: "What information can you tell me about the ActivityPub MCP server?"

Explore Instance Information

Ask Claude: "Can you get information about the mastodon.social instance?"

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Server Not Appearing in Claude

Possible Causes:

  • Configuration file syntax error
  • Incorrect file path
  • Claude Desktop not restarted

Solutions:

  1. Validate JSON syntax in configuration file
  2. Check file permissions
  3. Restart Claude Desktop completely
  4. Check Claude Desktop logs for errors

Tools Not Working

Possible Causes:

  • Network connectivity issues
  • Rate limiting
  • Invalid parameters

Solutions:

  1. Check internet connection
  2. Wait and retry if rate limited
  3. Verify parameter formats (e.g., @user@domain.com)
  4. Enable debug logging for more details

🚀 Next Steps

Basic Usage Guide

Learn essential commands and workflows for fediverse exploration.

Fediverse Exploration

Discover advanced techniques for exploring the fediverse with Claude.

API Reference

Explore all available tools, resources, and prompts.