Does Claude need an API key to use a Kaiva Bridge server?

No. Claude signs in with your Kaiva Bridge account when you click Connect.

Is a connector added on claude.ai available in Claude Desktop?

Yes. Custom connectors belong to your Claude account, so the same connector appears in the desktop app.

What do I put in the advanced settings?

Nothing. Leave the OAuth client ID and secret empty.

CLIENT SETUP

How to add a custom MCP connector to Claude

Updated 24 October 2026

Open Claude's connector settings, choose Add custom connector, paste the server's address and click Add. Then click Connect and sign in with your Kaiva Bridge account; Claude needs no key. A connector added on claude.ai is in Claude Desktop too.

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Step by step

Open connector settingsGo to claude.ai/settings/connectors (Settings, then Connectors), then click Add, then Add custom connector.
Paste the addressPaste the server's address from its Connect tab as the connector URL and click Add. Leave the advanced settings empty.
Connect and sign inClick Connect and sign in with your Kaiva Bridge account. Claude can now use the server's tools in any chat.

The address to paste

Claude adds a remote MCP server by its address, not a configuration file. Each server's Connect tab shows its own:

Connector URL

https://api.kaiv.ai/api/bridge/mcp/your-server

Add the Kaiva Bridge connector to Claude

Kaiva Bridge is listed in Claude's connector directory at claude.ai/directory/kaiva-bridge, where Connect adds it in one click (or add it as a custom connector with the address below). Once connected, ask Claude to turn an OpenAPI spec or a database into an MCP server: it creates the server and lists its tools, and you publish it in the console. This connector manages servers; each server you build is added as its own connector to use its tools.

Connector URL

https://api.kaiv.ai/api/bridge/manage/mcp

If it does not connect

Check the server is published and that the address is exactly the one on its Connect tab. Leave the advanced settings (client ID and secret) empty: Claude registers itself with Kaiva Bridge when you connect. Then run the CLI's check:

Terminal

npx @kaiva/bridge doctor your-server

Other ways to do it

A local server in Claude DesktopClaude Desktop can also start a server on your machine from claude_desktop_config.json. It runs only on that machine and is not available on claude.ai.
Claude CodeIn the terminal, claude mcp add adds the same address. See the Claude Code page.

Questions

Does Claude need an API key to use a Kaiva Bridge server?: No. Claude signs in with your Kaiva Bridge account when you click Connect.
Is a connector added on claude.ai available in Claude Desktop?: Yes. Custom connectors belong to your Claude account, so the same connector appears in the desktop app.
What do I put in the advanced settings?: Nothing. Leave the OAuth client ID and secret empty.