--- type: Integration Guide title: claude.ai and Claude Desktop description: Add CyVerse's hosted Formation MCP server (and, optionally, CyVerse's public Data Store server) to claude.ai and Claude Desktop as a custom connector, sign in with your CyVerse account, and use it in chats and in Claude Code. tags: - claude-ai - claude-desktop - connector - formation - remote-mcp - oauth generated: by: "claude-code/2.1.294" at: "2026-10-08T00:00:00Z" sources: - id: claude-connectors resource: "https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11175166-getting-started-with-custom-connectors-using-remote-mcp" title: "Getting started with custom connectors using remote MCP" author: "team:anthropic" - id: claude-code-mcp resource: "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp" title: "Claude Code MCP documentation (Use MCP servers from claude.ai)" author: "team:anthropic" - id: formation resource: "https://github.com/cyverse-de/formation" title: "Formation source repository (README)" author: "team:cyverse-de" status: stable stale_after: "2027-04-08T00:00:00Z" --- # claude.ai and Claude Desktop On claude.ai and in Claude Desktop, MCP servers are added as **connectors**. A custom connector points Claude at a remote MCP server on the internet; Claude connects to it from Anthropic's cloud, not from your computer[^claude-connectors]. The main MESA server you can add this way is **[Formation](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/servers/formation-mcp/)**, CyVerse's hosted MCP server for the Discovery Environment, at . With it, Claude can launch Discovery Environment apps, follow your analyses, and read and write your Data Store files, as you. CyVerse also hosts a public, read-only Data Store server at , which you can add the same way ([below](#optional-public-data-store-connector)). The installer's `mesa-mcp` and `irods` servers run on your own computer and are for [Claude Code](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/claude-code/) and the other agent clients. Custom connectors are available on the Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans; the Free plan allows one custom connector, so pick the one you need. ## Add the Formation connector === "Free, Pro, and Max" 1. Go to **Customize > Connectors**. In Claude Desktop, choose **Customize** in the sidebar, then **Connectors**. 2. Click **+ Add**, then **Add custom connector**. 3. Enter a name, for example `CyVerse Formation`. 4. Enter the URL `https://de.cyverse.org/formation/mcp` exactly (no trailing slash) and click **Continue**. 5. Review the authentication settings Claude detected and click **Continue**. 6. Under **Authentication**, choose **Sign in now** (or **Sign in when needed**). 7. Under **OAuth client**, choose **Register automatically** (not the default **Use Claude's published identity**). Formation registers Claude for you; there is no client ID or secret to enter. 8. Leave **Request headers** empty and click **Add**. 9. Sign in with your CyVerse username and password on the CyVerse page that opens. === "Team and Enterprise" **An owner adds it once for the organization:** 1. Go to **Organization settings > Connectors**. 2. Click **Add**, hover over **Custom**, and select **Web**. 3. Enter a name (`CyVerse Formation`) and the URL `https://de.cyverse.org/formation/mcp`, and click **Continue**. 4. Review the detected authentication, choose **Register automatically** under **OAuth client**, and click **Add**. On Team, Owners and Primary Owners can add connectors; on Enterprise, so can people with a custom role that includes **Manage access to Libraries**. **Then each member connects it:** 1. Go to **Customize > Connectors**. 2. Find **CyVerse Formation** (it has a **Custom** label) and click **Connect**. 3. Sign in with your own CyVerse account. Every member signs in separately, so Claude only reaches what that person can reach in CyVerse. To change a connector's settings later, remove it and add it again. ## Optional: public Data Store connector CyVerse's public Data Store server reads the public collections under `/iplant/home/shared` with no sign-in. Add it as above, with these values: - **Name:** `CyVerse Data Store (public)` - **URL:** `https://mcp-public.cyverse.ai/mcp` - **Authentication:** **No sign in** It cannot reach your own home folder; Formation's `browse_data` and `upload_file` do that. ## Use it in a chat 1. Click **+** at the lower left of the message box and choose **Connectors**. 2. Switch **CyVerse Formation** on for the conversation. 3. Ask, for example: - *"Who am I in CyVerse, and what is in my home folder?"* - *"Find a JupyterLab app in the Discovery Environment and launch it for me."* - *"Which of my analyses are running? Stop the oldest one and save its outputs."* Keep approval on for the tools that change things — `delete_data`, `upload_file`, `set_metadata`, `stop_analysis`, and `launch_app_and_wait` — rather than allowing them always; you can also block individual tools in the connector's settings under **Customize > Connectors**. File contents Formation reads become part of the conversation. The [Formation page](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/servers/formation-mcp/#tools) lists every tool. A connector you add on claude.ai is also available in Claude Desktop and in the Claude mobile apps once it is connected. ## In Claude Code If you are signed in to Claude Code with a claude.ai subscription, connectors you added on claude.ai are available there automatically; run `/mcp` to see them[^claude-code-mcp]. Connectors are not loaded when Claude Code runs with an API key or another model provider; register Formation directly instead (see [Claude Code](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/claude-code/#hosted-servers-and-connectors)). If Claude Code also has its own `formation` entry pointing at the same URL, Claude Code uses its own entry and hides the connector. An older local `formation` entry from the MESA installer does not count as the same server, so you would see both; re-run the [installer](https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/install/) or remove the old entry with `claude mcp remove formation -s user`. ## Troubleshooting | Problem | What to do | |---|---| | **Connect** fails or the CyVerse sign-in page shows an error | Check the URL is exactly `https://de.cyverse.org/formation/mcp`. If it is, remove the connector, add it again, and choose **Register automatically**. | | Tools fail with authentication errors after a while | Go to **Customize > Connectors**, open **CyVerse Formation**, and connect again. | | Formation does not answer at all | Check for a CyVerse outage. | [^claude-connectors]: https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/Getting started with custom connectors using remote MCP, . [^claude-code-mcp]: https://idss-mesa.github.io/docs/Claude Code MCP documentation, .