MCP Desktop Implementation
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a framework designed to help AI models access and interact with various external tools & services.
This diagram illustrates how Model Context Protocol (MCP) works with Claude desktop. Here’s what’s happening:
User Interaction: The user interacts with Claude through the desktop application interface.
MCP Integration:Claude desktop sends MCP requests to the local MCP runtime which processes these requests and executes the appropriate tools. the results are returned to Claude desktop
Available Tools: The diagram shows several example tools that can be made available and this tools are typical examples. For instance, file access for reading / writing local files or search. Web Search, etc.
The key advantage of this desktop implementation is that everything happens locally within the user’s desktop environment, making it more efficient for personal use compared to a server/client setup.
The MCP runtime acts as a mediator between Claude and various resources, allowing Claude to perform useful actions without directly accessing sensitive areas.
Some More Background
There are really two implementations of MCP; one is the open source MCP Server / Client type implementation.
And then there is the Claude for Desktop implementation.
Let me explain the differences between the
- server/client configuration and
- desktop implementation
MCP Server/Client Configuration
The server/client MCP configuration is more distributed in nature without the desktop specific focus. it involves a separate MCP server that handles tool execution.
The client sends requests to this server. It enables more complex tool integrations across networks and is better suited for multi-user environments or enterprise deployments to provide a centralised management of tools and permissions.
MCP Desktop Implementation
The desktop implementation of MCP integrates directly with Claude desktop applications, allowing for local execution of tools without requiring a separate server. Also, direct integration with the desktop environment, more immediate access to local resources and files and a simplified setup for individual users.
Community Building Strategy
Opening up the Model Context Protocol (MCP) does seem like a strategic move that serves multiple purposes.
By making MCP more open, Anthropic can benefit from:
- Community innovation — Developers building tools and extensions that Anthropic wouldn’t have resources to create themselves.
- Wider adoption — Making it easier for their desktop implementation to work with a variety of existing systems and environments
- Ecosystem building — Creating a network effect where more tools make Claude more valuable, which attracts more users, which attracts more developers
This approach follows patterns we’ve seen succeed with other technologies — where providing an open standard or protocol creates value for both the originating company and the broader community.
It allows Claude desktop to potentially leverage a much wider range of capabilities than Anthropic could build on their own.
From a business perspective, it’s a way to expand their product capabilities while distributing some of the development effort.
The desktop client becomes more powerful as the MCP ecosystem grows, without Anthropic needing to build every integration themselves.
The image below shows how Claude can be asked to find data locally on a user’s machine.
From the Claude Desktop app, users can access Settings…
users can add MCP servers…
Upon restarting, users will see a hammer icon in the bottom right corner of the input box…
A view of the available MCP tools…
Chief Evangelist @ Kore.ai | I’m passionate about exploring the intersection of AI and language. From Language Models, AI Agents to Agentic Applications, Development Frameworks & Data-Centric Productivity Tools, I share insights and ideas on how these technologies are shaping the future.
