Claude MCP Servers
MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers extend Claude's capabilities by providing additional tools. Braid lets you configure custom MCP servers that Claude can use during sessions.
Open MCP settings
Go to Settings > Claude Config > MCP Servers.
Transport types
MCP servers communicate over one of three transports:
| Transport | How it works | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| stdio | Braid spawns the server as a child process and communicates via stdin/stdout | Local tools, CLI wrappers |
| SSE | Braid connects to a server over HTTP with Server-Sent Events | Remote servers, shared services |
| HTTP | Braid sends HTTP POST requests to the server | Stateless REST-style servers |
Add a server
- Click Add Server.
- Enter a name for the server (e.g., "database-tools", "design-system").
- Select the transport type.
- Configure transport-specific settings:
- stdio: command, arguments, environment variables
- SSE: URL
- HTTP: URL
- Save.
Enable and disable servers
Each server has a toggle to enable or disable it. Disabled servers are not started when a session begins. Use this to temporarily turn off a server without removing its configuration.
OAuth authentication
Some MCP servers require OAuth authentication. When a server needs auth, Braid shows a prompt in the settings with a button to initiate the OAuth flow. The authentication state is cached so you do not need to re-authenticate on every session.
Health checking
Braid probes configured MCP servers to verify they are reachable:
- stdio - Checks that the command exists and is executable.
- SSE / HTTP - Sends a probe request to the URL and checks for a valid response.
Health status appears as a colored indicator next to each server name.
The Braid MCP server (braid) is registered automatically and does not appear in this settings page. It provides git status, notes, session management, and terminal reading tools. See the Braid MCP Server documentation for details.
MCP servers configured here apply to all sessions in the project. If a server is slow or unreliable, it can delay Claude's tool calls. Disable problematic servers to keep sessions responsive.