Prepare Claude Desktop config
Open Claude Desktop Settings, choose the Developer tab, and select Edit Config. The file uses a top-level mcpServers object for server entries, as shown in the Claude Desktop local server guide.
Config paths are ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows, and ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Linux. See the Claude Desktop local server guide.
Add the KnowMan server
Add the knowman entry from the config field. Its command is npx, and its arguments are ["-y", "@knowman/mcp"]. Claude Desktop uses command to run a local server with Node.js's npx, while -y confirms package installation automatically. See the Claude Desktop local server guide and the KnowMan MCP server guide.
Keep file paths absolute if you later replace npx with a direct executable path. Claude Desktop documents absolute paths as required in claude_desktop_config.json. See the Claude Desktop local server guide.
Create a KnowMan API key
In the KnowMan web app, open Settings > Connections > Connect an AI agent and create an agent key. Keys start with km_. Put your key in KNOWMAN_API_KEY instead of leaving the km_... placeholder. See the KnowMan MCP server guide for the documented setup.
Sign in once with knowman login
Run npx -p @knowman/mcp knowman login, approve access in the browser, and run npx -p @knowman/mcp knowman status to check the saved credential. The CLI and MCP server share that credential, so you can remove the entire env block from the Claude Desktop config after signing in. See the KnowMan MCP server guide for these commands and credential details.
Restart and verify
After saving the config, completely quit and restart Claude Desktop. Open the Add files, connectors, and more indicator, choose Connectors > Manage connectors, and select knowman to view its available tools. See the Claude Desktop local server guide.
KnowMan tools in Claude Desktop
kb_search searches saved items by keyword or meaning and returns titles, URLs, and metadata. kb_ask answers questions with citations, while kb_get_item retrieves readable content and metadata for one item. See the KnowMan MCP server guide for the tool details.
kb_save saves a URL to Inbox or the Knowledge Base with an optional note. kb_recent lists recent items, and kb_memories lists saved claims, decisions, and playbooks. These six tools are documented in the KnowMan MCP server guide.
Common problems
If npx is unavailable, use the absolute path to your Node installation's npx. If npx still fails, npm may need to be installed globally. See the Claude Desktop local server guide.
For connection troubleshooting, check mcp.log for general MCP connection logs and mcp-server-SERVERNAME.log for each server's stderr output. Log locations are documented in the Claude Desktop local server guide.
Use the hosted KnowMan server
KnowMan also runs as a hosted server at https://api.knowman.io/mcp. In clients that support remote MCP servers you add this URL and sign in with OAuth, approving the request on the KnowMan consent page, or send an API key as an Authorization: Bearer <key> header.
In Claude Desktop you keep the local setup and pass the same API key to the open-source client (https://github.com/Essatt/knowman-mcp): {"mcpServers":{"knowman":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","@knowman/mcp"],"env":{"KNOWMAN_API_KEY":"<key>"}}}}
The consent page requests knowman.read for search, read and ask, and knowman.write for saving links. Access tokens last one hour and refresh automatically.
Questions people ask
Does KnowMan run as a remote MCP server?
Yes. KnowMan runs locally with npx -y @knowman/mcp through Claude Desktop's local command and args configuration, and also as a hosted server at https://api.knowman.io/mcp with OAuth sign-in or an API key, so you can add it to a client that accepts only remote MCP servers. See the KnowMan MCP server guide.
Can I use knowman login instead of an API key?
Yes. Run npx -p @knowman/mcp knowman login once. The saved credential is shared by the CLI and MCP server, so you can remove the env block from the Claude Desktop config. See the KnowMan MCP server guide.
Where is Claude Desktop's MCP config file?
Use ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows, or ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Linux. See the Claude Desktop local server guide.
Which tools does KnowMan expose to Claude Desktop?
KnowMan exposes kb_search, kb_ask, kb_get_item, kb_save, kb_recent, and kb_memories. They cover search, cited answers, item retrieval, saving, recent items, and saved memories. See the KnowMan MCP server guide.