# Set up MCP Turn on MCP in TalkBar and connect Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex, agy, Grok, OpenCode or any other MCP client. Canonical URL: https://docs.talkbar.app/mcp/setup Connecting an AI app to TalkBar takes two steps: turn MCP on in **Settings → MCP Access**, then copy the ready-made setup for your app. TalkBar fills in the real paths for your computer, so you never have to type them. ## Before you start - TalkBar is installed on this computer. - Your AI app supports local MCP servers (the kind that start a program on your computer, often called "stdio" servers). - If your organization manages TalkBar, MCP may be turned off for you. See [Administrator rules](/mcp/access-and-permissions#administrator-rules). ## Turn on MCP 1. Open **Settings → MCP Access**. 2. Turn on the switch at the top right of the page. It changes from **Disabled** to **Enabled**. 3. Check the badge next to the page title: | Badge | What it means | | --- | --- | | **Ready** | TalkBar found `talkbar-cli` and it answered. You can connect your app. | | **Missing** | TalkBar could not find `talkbar-cli`. Reinstall TalkBar. | | **Error** | `talkbar-cli` was found but failed to start. A warning above the page shows its message. | | **Disabled** | MCP is off. Connected apps see no TalkBar tools. | When MCP is on, reading is allowed and most changes are not. You can change that later in [Access and permissions](/mcp/access-and-permissions). ## Copy the setup for your app The **MCP Connect** card shows one button per app. Pick yours, then use **Copy *app* MCP Connect** under the code box. Depending on the app, you get either a JSON block to paste into its settings or a command to run in a terminal. Every setup does the same thing: it tells your app to start `talkbar-cli` with `serve --transport stdio`, and sets `TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT` to your TalkBar data folder. The examples use placeholders for the executable and data folder. Replace them with the paths shown in **MCP Access**, or copy the ready-made setup from TalkBar. The executable name and paths depend on your operating system. Escape backslashes in JSON paths (or use forward slashes where supported). ### Claude Desktop Copy the JSON and add it to Claude Desktop's configuration file, `claude_desktop_config.json` (in Claude Desktop: **Settings → Developer → Edit Config**). If the file already has an `mcpServers` section, add the `talkbar` entry inside it. Then quit and reopen Claude Desktop. ```json [claude_desktop_config.json] { "mcpServers": { "talkbar": { "command": "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_CLI", "args": [ "serve", "--transport", "stdio" ], "env": { "TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT": "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_DATA" } } } } ``` ### ChatGPT ChatGPT gets the same `mcpServers` JSON as Claude Desktop. Paste it where your ChatGPT app takes MCP server settings, then restart the app. ```json { "mcpServers": { "talkbar": { "command": "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_CLI", "args": [ "serve", "--transport", "stdio" ], "env": { "TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT": "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_DATA" } } } } ``` ### Claude Code Run the copied command once in a terminal. `-s user` adds TalkBar for all your projects. ```shell claude mcp add talkbar -s user -e "TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT=PATH_TO_TALKBAR_DATA" -- "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_CLI" serve --transport stdio ``` Claude Code can also run `talkbar-cli` directly instead of through MCP. See [For AI agents with a shell](/mcp/cli#for-ai-agents-with-a-shell). ### Codex Run the copied command once in a terminal. ```shell codex mcp add talkbar --env "TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT=PATH_TO_TALKBAR_DATA" -- "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_CLI" serve --transport stdio ``` ### agy CLI Run the copied command once in a terminal. agy takes its options before the server name. ```shell agy mcp add --env "TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT=PATH_TO_TALKBAR_DATA" talkbar -- "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_CLI" serve --transport stdio ``` ### Grok CLI Run the copied command once in a terminal. ```shell grok mcp add talkbar -e "TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT=PATH_TO_TALKBAR_DATA" -- "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_CLI" serve --transport stdio ``` ### OpenCode Add the copied block to your OpenCode configuration. If it already has an `mcp` section, add the `talkbar` entry inside it. ```json [opencode.json] { "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json", "mcp": { "talkbar": { "type": "local", "command": [ "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_CLI", "serve", "--transport", "stdio" ], "environment": { "TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT": "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_DATA" }, "enabled": true } } } ``` ### Other apps For any other MCP client, such as Cursor, pick **Generic JSON**. It holds the four facts every client needs: a stdio server, the program, its arguments and the environment variable. Put them where your client expects them. ```json { "type": "stdio", "command": "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_CLI", "args": [ "serve", "--transport", "stdio" ], "env": { "TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT": "PATH_TO_TALKBAR_DATA" } } ``` After you add TalkBar, restart your app or reload its MCP servers. Then ask it something like "What TalkBar sessions did I have this week?" to check the connection. See [Examples](/mcp/examples) for more. ## Copy the serve command **Copy CLI MCP Serve Command** copies the platform-specific command to start the MCP server manually. Run the copied command in a terminal for testing or for a client that needs one command. The server then waits for an MCP client on standard input. Press `Ctrl+C` to stop it. ## Where talkbar-cli is installed `talkbar-cli` is installed with TalkBar. The **Server Settings** card on **MCP Access** shows: | Setting | What it shows | | --- | --- | | **Executable path** | The full path to `talkbar-cli`. **Copy** copies it. | | **Add to PATH** | Copies a command to add the executable folder to your PATH. Follow the command shown for your system, then open a new terminal to use `talkbar-cli` by name. | | **Data root** | Your TalkBar data folder. **Copy** copies it. | ## TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT `TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT` tells `talkbar-cli` which TalkBar data folder to open. TalkBar's ready-made setups always set it to the folder the app uses, shown as **Data root**. ### Windows The default data folder is `%LOCALAPPDATA%\TalkBar`. Check **Data root** for the path in use. ### macOS Check **Data root** for the data folder on your Mac. - Point it only at a TalkBar data folder. A folder without TalkBar data gets a new, empty database, and the assistant would see an empty workspace. - To open a database file directly from the command line, use `--db` instead. See [talkbar-cli](/mcp/cli#global-options). ## After a TalkBar update Installing a TalkBar update closes any `talkbar-cli` that is running from the app folder, including MCP servers your AI apps started. If an app loses its TalkBar tools after an update, restart the app or reconnect its TalkBar server. ## Troubleshooting | Problem | What to try | | --- | --- | | The app shows no TalkBar tools | Check that MCP is **Enabled** in **MCP Access**. If the app connected while MCP was off, restart the app or reconnect TalkBar. | | The assistant says an operation "is turned off in TalkBar" | Turn that operation on in **MCP Access**. See [Access and permissions](/mcp/access-and-permissions). | | The assistant sees an empty workspace | Check that `TALKBAR_DATA_ROOT` in your app's setup matches **Data root** in **MCP Access**. Copy the setup again if you moved your data. | | Deletes are refused with `confirmation_unavailable` | Your app cannot ask you to confirm. See [Confirming deletes](/mcp/access-and-permissions#confirming-deletes). | | The badge shows **Missing** | TalkBar cannot find `talkbar-cli`. Reinstall TalkBar. | | The page is locked with a notice from your organization | An administrator turned off the MCP server or the command-line tool on this computer. | ## Related - [MCP overview](/mcp/overview) - [Access and permissions](/mcp/access-and-permissions) - [MCP Access settings](/settings/mcp-access) - [talkbar-cli](/mcp/cli) - [Examples](/mcp/examples)