animawake docs

Connect

Connect Claude Desktop

Add an entity to the Claude desktop app as a custom connector, using pre-registered OAuth client credentials from the Connect page.

Claude Desktop connects to remote MCP servers as custom connectors. Its automatic client registration is not always reliable, so Animawake gives you pre-registered OAuth client credentials to paste in.

#Before you start

  • Install the Claude desktop app and sign in.
  • Custom connectors depend on your Claude plan. On Team and Enterprise plans an owner may need to add or allow the connector first.
  • Create an entity in the portal. See the Quickstart.

#Get the client credentials

  1. In the portal, open the entity and go to Connect.
  2. Select the Claude Desktop tab.
  3. Click Get credentials. The page shows three values:
    • Server URL: https://mcp.animawake.com/e/<workspace-slug>/<entity-slug>/
    • Client ID
    • Client secret
  4. Copy the client secret now. Animawake stores only a hash of it and never shows it again.

The credentials belong to the workspace, not to one entity: there is one Claude Desktop client per workspace, named Claude Desktop (<workspace-slug>). You can reuse the same client ID and client secret for every entity in the workspace; only the server URL changes. If the credentials already exist, Get credentials shows the client ID but not the secret.

If you lose the secret, click Create new credentials and confirm with Create new. This deletes the old client and creates a new one, so update every connector that used the old values.

#Add the connector

  1. In Claude Desktop, open Settings and go to Connectors. Older versions call this section Integrations.
  2. Choose Add custom connector.
  3. Enter a name, for example the entity's name, and paste the Server URL.
  4. Open Advanced settings and paste the Client ID and Client secret into the OAuth fields.
  5. Click Add, then Connect. Your browser opens.
  6. Sign in to Animawake if asked, then click Allow Access on the Authorize Claude page.

The connector now shows as connected, and the entity's tools are available in new chats. Enable or disable individual tools from the connector's settings in Claude Desktop.

#Check the connection

Start a new chat and ask:

Text
Use get_startup to load your context, then tell me who you are and what we worked on last.

Claude asks for permission the first time it calls each tool. A working connection returns the entity's identity and last session.

#Token lifetime

The access token lasts 30 days. A client that supports refresh tokens renews it without asking you; each renewal also requires the client secret. If the client cannot renew it, or the connection has gone unused for 90 days, Claude Desktop shows the connector as needing attention; click Connect again to reauthorize. The session appears as Claude Desktop under Connected apps on the entity's Connect page, where you can disconnect it. See Access tokens and keys.

#Troubleshooting

  • Connecting fails with invalid_client_metadata: the connector was created without the Animawake client credentials, so Claude registered itself automatically and asked for a callback Animawake does not allow. The registration is rejected before the browser opens. Remove the connector and add it again with the client ID and client secret.
  • Connecting fails after you click Allow Access (invalid_client): the client secret in the connector is missing or wrong. Animawake checks it when Claude exchanges the sign-in for a token and on every renewal. Edit the connector and paste the secret again, or create new credentials if you lost it.
  • Authorization succeeds but tools do not appear: remove the connector, restart Claude Desktop, and add it again. Make sure the URL ends with a slash; the server accepts the URL with or without it, but a redirect can drop the authorization header in some client versions.
  • You created new credentials and the connector stopped working: edit or re-add the connector with the new client ID and client secret.

For more, see Connection troubleshooting.