🔧 MCP Setup Guide

1. Overview

This guide documents the complete process for setting up MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers in Claude Desktop, specifically focusing on Sanity CMS integration. Based on real-world troubleshooting experience from September 26, 2025.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol allows Claude to directly interact with external services like:

• Sanity CMS (content management)
• ChromaDB (vector database)
• Desktop Commander (file system access)
• Filesystem tools (local file operations)

2. Prerequisites

3. Step-by-Step Setup

1Install Sanity MCP Server

Navigate to your Sanity project folder and install the MCP server:

cd C:\Users\yourname\path\to\sanity-project
npm install @sanity/mcp-server

2Generate Sanity Auth Token

1. Go to https://www.sanity.io/manage
2. Select your project
3. Navigate to API → Tokens
4. Click "Add API token"
5. Settings:
   • Name: Claude MCP Integration
   • Permissions: Editor (not Viewer!)
6. Copy the token immediately (you can't view it again!)

3Locate Claude Config File

The configuration file location depends on your operating system:

Operating System	Config File Location
Windows	C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux	~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

4Edit Configuration File

Add the Sanity configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    // Keep existing servers intact!
    "desktop-commander": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest"]
    },
    "chroma": {
      // Your existing ChromaDB config
    },
    // Add Sanity here:
    "sanity": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\yourname\\path\\to\\project\\node_modules\\@sanity\\mcp-server\\build\\index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SANITY_PROJECT_ID": "your_project_id",
        "SANITY_DATASET": "production",
        "SANITY_AUTH_TOKEN": "your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

5Restart Claude Desktop

This step is mandatory! Configuration changes don't hot-reload.

1. Completely close Claude Desktop (not just minimize)
2. Wait 5 seconds
3. Reopen Claude Desktop
4. Start a new chat

6Verify Connection

Check the developer settings:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+I (or Cmd+Option+I on Mac)
2. Look for MCP servers section
3. Sanity should show "running" status

4. Common Errors & Solutions

Error: "MCP sanity: Server disconnected"

Causes & Solutions:

• Wrong path format: Use absolute paths with double backslashes on Windows
• Package not installed: Run npm install @sanity/mcp-server first
• Wrong command: Use node instead of npx
• Token permissions: Must be "Editor" not "Viewer"
• Free tier limitation: Some features may require Claude Pro

Error: "Cannot find module"

The path to the MCP server is incorrect. Verify:

// Check if the file exists:
dir C:\path\to\node_modules\@sanity\mcp-server\build\index.js

Error: "Invalid token"

Token issues can be:

• Token has expired
• Token has wrong permissions (needs Editor)
• Token was copied incorrectly
• Wrong project ID

5. Configuration Templates

Complete Multi-Server Configuration

Here's a complete working example with multiple MCP servers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["filesystem-server-path"]
    },
    "desktop-commander": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest"
      ]
    },
    "chroma": {
      "command": "C:\\path\\to\\chroma-mcp.exe",
      "args": [
        "--client-type", "http",
        "--host", "localhost",
        "--port", "8000",
        "--ssl", "false"
      ]
    },
    "sanity": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\absolute\\path\\to\\node_modules\\@sanity\\mcp-server\\build\\index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SANITY_PROJECT_ID": "nxz8ny4n",
        "SANITY_DATASET": "production",
        "SANITY_AUTH_TOKEN": "sk..."
      }
    }
  }
}

6. Troubleshooting Checklist

7. Pro Tips & Best Practices

Path Handling Tips

• Windows: Use double backslashes \\ or forward slashes /
• Always use absolute paths, never relative
• Test path exists before adding to config

Token Management

• Name tokens descriptively: "Claude MCP Production"
• Store tokens securely (consider using environment variables)
• Rotate tokens periodically
• Never commit tokens to Git

Debugging Process

1. Check Claude Developer Console (Ctrl+Shift+I)
2. Look for specific error messages
3. Test with simpler configuration first
4. Verify each component independently

Performance Optimization

• Use local file paths instead of network paths
• Keep node_modules on SSD for faster loading
• Limit number of concurrent MCP servers

8. Additional Resources

Official Documentation

• Sanity Documentation
• Sanity MCP Server GitHub
• Claude Documentation

Related Guides

• ChromaDB MCP Setup
• Desktop Commander Configuration
• Filesystem MCP Integration

Folder Structure Best Practices

MUTUAL-COGNITION-CURRENT/
├── Educational-HTML/          # Guides like this one
│   └── MCP-Setup-Guide-Sanity-Claude.html
├── broadcasting-hub/          # Sanity project
│   └── node_modules/
│       └── @sanity/
│           └── mcp-server/
├── MCP-Configs/              # Backup configs
│   ├── claude_desktop_config_working.json
│   └── troubleshooting-notes.md
└── Scripts/                  # Helper scripts
    └── test-sanity-connection.js