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Claude

Claude is available as a desktop app and as Claude Code, Anthropic's CLI tool. Both support MCP and are configured the same way.

Prerequisites

  • Claude desktop app or Claude Code installed.
  • PlanExe MCP server reachable by Claude.

Quick setup

  1. Configure MCP in Claude (see options below).
  2. Ask for prompt examples.
  3. Create a plan and download the report.

Sample prompt

Get example prompts for creating a plan.

Success criteria

  • You can fetch prompt examples.
  • You can create a plan.
  • You can download the report.

Option A: Connect to the cloud server (mcp.planexe.org)

This is the fastest way to get started. No Docker or local installation required.

1. Get an API key

Create an account and obtain an API key at home.planexe.org. Your key will be prefixed with pex_.

2. Add the MCP server

Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http \
  --header "X-API-Key: pex_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  planexe \
  https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp

Replace pex_YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

3. Verify

Start Claude and check that the server is connected.

In Claude Code, type /mcp to see the server status. In the Claude desktop app, go to Settings and check the MCP section. You should see planexe listed with its tools.

Option B: Run Docker locally + connect directly via HTTP

This connects Claude directly to the local MCP server over HTTP. No mcp_local proxy needed.

1. Start PlanExe locally

Follow the Getting Started instructions to set up PlanExe, then start the services:

docker compose up

Wait until the mcp_cloud service is healthy (listening on port 8001).

2. Add the MCP server

claude mcp add --transport http \
  planexe \
  http://localhost:8001/mcp

Authentication is disabled by default for local Docker (PLANEXE_MCP_REQUIRE_AUTH=false), so no API key is needed.

3. Verify

In Claude Code, type /mcp to see the server status. In the Claude desktop app, check Settings > MCP.

Note: With this option, plan_file_info returns a download URL. Claude can fetch the URL content for you, or you can open the URL in your browser.

Option C: Run Docker locally + use the mcp_local proxy

The mcp_local proxy runs as a stdio process and forwards calls to the Docker MCP server. It adds the plan_download tool which saves artifacts directly to disk.

1. Start PlanExe locally

Follow the Getting Started instructions, then:

docker compose up

2. Add the MCP server

claude mcp add --transport stdio \
  --env PLANEXE_URL="http://localhost:8001/mcp" \
  --env PLANEXE_PATH="/Users/your-name/Desktop" \
  planexe \
  -- uv run --with mcp /path/to/PlanExe/mcp_local/planexe_mcp_local.py

Make these adjustments:

  • Replace /path/to/PlanExe with the actual path to your PlanExe clone.
  • Replace /Users/your-name/Desktop with the directory where downloaded plans should be saved.
  • Optional: Adjust http://localhost:8001/mcp if PlanExe is running on a different port.

3. Verify

In Claude Code, type /mcp to see the server status. In the Claude desktop app, check Settings > MCP.

Using mcp_local with the cloud server

You can also use the mcp_local proxy to connect to the cloud server. This gives you the plan_download tool while using the hosted service:

claude mcp add --transport stdio \
  --env PLANEXE_URL="https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp" \
  --env PLANEXE_MCP_API_KEY="pex_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  --env PLANEXE_PATH="/Users/your-name/Desktop" \
  planexe \
  -- uv run --with mcp /path/to/PlanExe/mcp_local/planexe_mcp_local.py

Alternative: manual JSON configuration

Instead of using claude mcp add, you can create a .mcp.json file in your project root.

Cloud server (HTTP):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planexe": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.planexe.org/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "pex_YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local Docker (HTTP):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planexe": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://localhost:8001/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Local proxy (stdio):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "planexe": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--with",
        "mcp",
        "/path/to/PlanExe/mcp_local/planexe_mcp_local.py"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PLANEXE_URL": "http://localhost:8001/mcp",
        "PLANEXE_PATH": "/Users/your-name/Desktop"
      }
    }
  }
}

Managing the MCP server

# List configured servers
claude mcp list

# Get details for the planexe server
claude mcp get planexe

# Remove the server
claude mcp remove planexe

Interaction

My interaction with Claude for creating a plan is like this:

  1. tell me about the planexe mcp tool you have access to
  2. get the prompt examples
  3. I want a prompt about building a community solar farm in rural Denmark
  4. go ahead create this plan
  5. wait for 10-20 minutes, Claude polls status automatically
  6. download the report

Troubleshooting

  • If /mcp shows the server as disconnected, check that Docker is running (docker compose ps) or that mcp.planexe.org is reachable.
  • If you get authentication errors with the cloud server, verify your API key at home.planexe.org.
  • For stdio transport issues, make sure uv is installed and on your PATH.
  • For more help, see the Troubleshooting guide or ask on the PlanExe Discord.