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MCP Configuration Locations

Purpose: Reference guide for where each AI tool stores MCP server configurations Last Updated: 2025-01-11 Status: All configs point to local XcodeBuildMCP build Note: Added comprehensive Claude Code CLI vs Claude Desktop differences

Configuration Files by Tool

1. Claude Code CLI

Primary Location:

~/.claude.json

Additional Files:

  • ~/.claude/settings.json - User preferences, hooks, plugins
  • ./.mcp.json - Project-scoped MCP servers (when using --scope project)

Configuration Structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/Users/dalecarman/Groove Jones Dropbox/Dale Carman/Projects/dev/XcodeBuildMCP/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_ENABLED_WORKFLOWS": "simulator,device,logging,project-discovery,ui-testing",
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_SENTRY_DISABLED": "true",
        "INCREMENTAL_BUILDS_ENABLED": "false"
      }
    },
    "RepoPrompt": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/Users/dalecarman/RepoPrompt/repoprompt_cli",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Status: ✅ Using local build

Configuration Methods:

  1. CLI Commands: claude mcp add, claude mcp list, claude mcp remove
  2. Direct file editing: Edit ~/.claude.json
  3. JSON import: claude mcp add-json
  4. Project configs: .mcp.json files (committed to Git)

Configuration Scopes:

  • Local scope (--scope local) - Project-specific, user-private (default)
  • Project scope (--scope project) - Team-shared via Git
  • User scope (--scope user) - Cross-project, user-private

Example Commands:

# Add XcodeBuildMCP with different scopes
claude mcp add --transport stdio xcodebuild -- node /path/to/xcodebuildmcp/build/index.js
claude mcp add --transport stdio xcodebuild --scope user -- node /path/to/xcodebuildmcp/build/index.js

# List and manage
claude mcp list
claude mcp get XcodeBuildMCP
claude mcp remove XcodeBuildMCP

# Import from Claude Desktop
claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop

Development Features:

  • Hot-reload with restart_server command for MCP development
  • Debug mode: --mcp-debug flag
  • Timeout configuration: MCP_TIMEOUT environment variable
  • Output limits: MAX_MCP_OUTPUT_TOKENS environment variable

2. Cursor

Location:

~/.cursor/mcp.json

Format: JSON

Current Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP-Production": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/Users/dalecarman/Groove Jones Dropbox/Dale Carman/Projects/dev/XcodeBuildMCP/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_ENABLED_WORKFLOWS": "simulator,device,logging,project-discovery,ui-testing",
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_SENTRY_DISABLED": "true",
        "INCREMENTAL_BUILDS_ENABLED": "false"
      }
    },
    "XcodeBuildMCP-Dev": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/Users/dalecarman/Groove Jones Dropbox/Dale Carman/Projects/dev/XcodeBuildMCP/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_DEBUG": "true",
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_ENABLED_WORKFLOWS": "simulator,device,logging,project-discovery,ui-testing,project-scaffolding",
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_SENTRY_DISABLED": "true",
        "INCREMENTAL_BUILDS_ENABLED": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Status: ✅ Both Production and Dev use local build

Notes:

  • Has two configurations (Production and Dev)
  • Both point to same local build
  • Dev includes additional workflows (project-scaffolding)

3. Claude Desktop

Location (macOS):

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

Location (Windows):

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration Structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/Users/dalecarman/Groove Jones Dropbox/Dale Carman/Projects/dev/XcodeBuildMCP/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_ENABLED_WORKFLOWS": "simulator,device,logging,project-discovery,ui-testing",
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_SENTRY_DISABLED": "true",
        "INCREMENTAL_BUILDS_ENABLED": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Status: ✅ Using local build (when configured)

Access Method:

  1. Open Claude Desktop
  2. Settings → Developer → Edit Config
  3. This creates/opens the config file

Configuration Process:

  1. Open Claude Desktop
  2. Click Settings → Developer → Edit Config
  3. Edit JSON manually
  4. Save and restart Claude Desktop

Limitations:

  • Single scope: Global configuration only
  • Manual editing: No CLI commands for management
  • Restart required: Must restart app for config changes
  • Limited transports: Primarily stdio-based servers

** Differences from Claude Code CLI:**

  • Configuration: GUI-based vs CLI-based
  • Scopes: Global only vs local/project/user scopes
  • Management: Manual editing vs CLI commands
  • Development: No hot-reload vs hot-reload support

4. Factory Droid CLI

Location:

~/.config/claude/mcp.json

Format: JSON (servers object, not mcpServers)

Current Configuration:

{
  "servers": {
    "xcodebuildmcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/Users/dalecarman/Groove Jones Dropbox/Dale Carman/Projects/dev/XcodeBuildMCP/build/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Status: ✅ Using local build

Note: Uses servers key, not mcpServers like other tools

4. Factory Droid CLI (Codex)

Location: Global config (NOT per-project)

~/.factory/mcp.json

Format: JSON (mcpServers object)

Current Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "XcodeBuildMCP": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/Users/dalecarman/Groove Jones Dropbox/Dale Carman/Projects/dev/XcodeBuildMCP/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_ENABLED_WORKFLOWS": "simulator,device,logging,project-discovery,ui-testing",
        "XCODEBUILDMCP_SENTRY_DISABLED": "true",
        "INCREMENTAL_BUILDS_ENABLED": "false"
      },
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

Status: ✅ Using local build

Note: Factory uses a GLOBAL config, not per-project configs

Quick Reference

Tool Config Path Format Status
Claude Code CLI ~/.claude.json JSON ✅ Local build
Cursor ~/.cursor/mcp.json JSON ✅ Local build (2 servers)
Claude Desktop ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json JSON ✅ Local build (when configured)
Factory Droid ~/.factory/mcp.json JSON ✅ Local build

Updating Configuration

When XcodeBuildMCP Code Changes

After making changes to XcodeBuildMCP:

# 1. Build the project
cd "/Users/dalecarman/Groove Jones Dropbox/Dale Carman/Projects/dev/XcodeBuildMCP"
npm run build

# 2. Restart your AI tool to reload MCP servers
# - Claude Code: Quit and relaunch
# - Cursor: Quit and relaunch
# - Factory Droid: Restart the CLI session

Switching Between Published and Local

To use published package (stable):

{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "xcodebuildmcp@latest"]
}

To use local build (your changes):

{
  "command": "node",
  "args": ["/Users/dalecarman/Groove Jones Dropbox/Dale Carman/Projects/dev/XcodeBuildMCP/build/index.js"]
}

Verification

Check which version is running:

In any AI tool, ask:

"What version of XcodeBuildMCP are you using?"

Should show:

  • Version: 1.14.1 (from package.json)
  • Using local build path if configured correctly

Or check processes:

ps aux | grep xcodebuildmcp | grep -v grep

Should show paths to your local build, not npm cache.

Backups

Before modifying configs, backups are created:

  • ~/.claude.json.backup-TIMESTAMP
  • ~/.cursor/mcp.json.backup-TIMESTAMP

To restore:

cp ~/.claude.json.backup ~/.claude.json
cp ~/.cursor/mcp.json.backup ~/.cursor/mcp.json

Summary

✅ Claude Code CLI - Using local build with full MCP configuration ✅ Cursor - Using local build (both Production and Dev) ✅ Claude Desktop - Configuration documented (requires manual setup) ✅ Factory Droid - Using local build

Key Differences:

  • Claude Code CLI: 3 configuration scopes, CLI management, hot-reload for development
  • Claude Desktop: GUI configuration, global scope only, manual setup required
  • Factory Droid: Global configuration similar to Claude Desktop

All configurable AI tools can use your local XcodeBuildMCP build with the visionOS platform fix.