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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11If an MCP server is missing or shows no tools, diagnose the stage that failed: configuration and scope, approval, connection, tool discovery, or tool use. A server can be configured without being approved or connected, and a successful connection does not guarantee that its tools were discovered. First identify the exact client and whether the server runs locally over stdio or remotely over HTTP/SSE; the configuration and recovery steps differ.
First identify the client, server type, and scope
“Claude” may mean Claude Code or Claude Desktop. Their controls are different: Claude Code has a CLI and an /mcp command, while Claude Desktop exposes connected servers and tools in its chat interface. VS Code and Cursor also use their own configuration formats. Do not assume that a server definition copied from one client will work unchanged in another.
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| What to identify | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Client | Commands, configuration paths, approval controls, and logs depend on whether you use Claude Code, Claude Desktop, VS Code, or Cursor. |
| Transport | A local stdio server depends on a process, command, arguments, environment, and standard streams. A remote HTTP/SSE server depends on an endpoint, network access, transport declaration, and often authentication. |
| Configuration scope | A project or workspace server may be available only in that project; a user or global server has a broader scope. In a remote VS Code window, the process and its environment run in the remote environment, which may not have a runtime or token installed on your local machine. |
| Lifecycle state | Configured, approved or enabled, connected, and discoverable are separate states. Check each instead of treating “server exists” as proof that it is ready for a chat. |
Check status in the client you are actually using
- Claude Code: run
claude mcp listto view configured servers,claude mcp get <name>for a server’s details, or/mcpin Claude Code for server health and approval controls. A project server can remain pending approval until the project or workspace is trusted and the server is approved. List output includes configuration decisions and may include states that do not reflect a fresh connection attempt. WebSocket entries may not appear in the ordinary list output; check them withclaude mcp getor/mcp. - Claude Desktop: open the Add files, connectors, and more menu in chat, then inspect the connected servers and their available tools.
- VS Code: run
MCP: List Serversand check the server’s status. - Cursor: run
agent mcp listto see configured status and transport. For an authenticated server, useagent mcp login <identifier>when required.
Check the configuration before trying to reconnect
Use the format and location expected by the target client. A command that works in one app may not work in another because the schema, transport declaration, environment, authentication, or scope differs.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems| Client | Configuration or control to check | Common mismatch |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Use claude mcp get <name> or /mcp to inspect the entry. For a remote URL imported from another client, check that its type explicitly matches the intended transport. |
Claude Code treats a URL without a type as stdio, so a remote server may be interpreted as a local process. |
| Claude Desktop | Inspect the connector in the chat menu and its connection state. | Claude Code CLI commands are not Claude Desktop controls. |
| VS Code | VS Code uses .vscode/mcp.json with a top-level servers object. Its portable format uses .mcp.json or ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json with mcpServers. |
Using the portable schema in the VS Code-specific file, or assuming discovery from another app is enabled. Automatic discovery is controlled by chat.mcp.discovery.enabled; discovery sources are off by default in the configuration reference. |
| Cursor | Project configuration is .cursor/mcp.json; global configuration is ~/.cursor/mcp.json. |
The server is configured in a different scope from the project or user session where you expect to use it. |
For a local stdio server
- Validate the JSON syntax and required fields in the configuration.
- Check that the configured command exists in the environment where the client starts the server. Confirm the arguments, working directory, file permissions, and required environment variables.
- Use an absolute path if the launch directory is uncertain.
- If Docker launches the server, keep the process in the foreground; detached mode prevents the client from communicating with it through standard streams.
For a remote HTTP/SSE server
- Check the URL and transport declaration, network reachability, authentication or OAuth state, and any required headers.
- Confirm that credentials are available to the client and environment that actually make the connection, especially in a remote VS Code window.
- Treat an HTTP 401 or 403, or another authentication-related 4xx response, as a configuration or authorization problem to correct—not as a reason for endless retries.
If the server will not start or connect
Separate a process-launch failure from a remote connection or authorization failure. In Claude Code, inspect the exact status and error with claude mcp list, claude mcp get <name>, or /mcp. Documented states include connected, needs authentication, failed to connect, pending approval, rejected, and disabled. Failure details may include an HTTP status or error text from the server. Use the configuration checks above for local launch problems or remote endpoint and authentication problems, then address the specific error shown.
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In VS Code, the server’s output can identify a malformed configuration, missing command, or connection failure. Use Show Output from the server controls described in the logging section below. In Claude Desktop, inspect its MCP logs; the platform paths are listed there as well.
If it connects but tools are missing or stale
Connection and discovery are separate stages. After connecting, Claude Code requests capabilities such as tools/list, prompts/list, and resources/list. A connected indicator therefore does not prove that the tool-list request succeeded or returned the tools you expect.
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Claude Code documentation says transient network or server errors during discovery are retried up to three times with short backoff. Authentication errors, 4xx responses, and discovery request timeouts are not retried. If discovery fails, inspect the reported error and address its cause rather than assuming the server needs repeated reconnections.
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- Run
MCP: List Serversand inspect the server status. - Choose Show Output to see the server log and determine whether startup or discovery failed.
- If you changed the server’s tool list, run
MCP: Reset Cached Tools. - Choose Restart Server, then check the tools available to the same chat or workspace.
VS Code does not automatically inherit every server configured in another app. Automatic discovery from Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other supported apps depends on chat.mcp.discovery.enabled, and discovery sources are off by default in the configuration reference. Check that setting if you expected a server from another application to appear.
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Check what the server actually exposes
- Cursor: run
agent mcp list-tools <identifier>. This distinguishes a server that is absent from one that is present but reports no tools. - Claude Desktop: inspect the listed tools in the chat connectors menu.
- Claude Code: check
/mcpand the server details for health or discovery errors.
If the server connects but its discovery response is empty or malformed, investigate the server implementation, its protocol compatibility, and server-side logs. A client-side connected state cannot supply tools that the server does not return.
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Find the relevant client logs
- VS Code: run
MCP: List Servers, select the server, and choose Show Output. After correcting the reported issue, use Restart Server and try again. - Claude Desktop: MCP logs are in
~/Library/Logs/Claudeon macOS and%APPDATA%Claudelogson Windows. - Claude Code: use
claude mcp list,claude mcp get <name>, or/mcpto inspect status and error details appropriate to the connection.
Review diagnostic exports before sharing them. They can expose prompts, source code, file paths, tool inputs or outputs, and credentials; redact sensitive information.
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Test the server independently
The MCP Inspector is an interactive test client for stdio and Streamable HTTP servers. It can connect to a server and invoke tools, prompts, and resources. Use it to narrow down which side needs attention:
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- If the Inspector cannot connect or list the expected tools, focus on the server, its runtime environment, protocol compatibility, or endpoint.
- If it works in the Inspector but not in the target client, compare that client’s configuration, authentication, trust or approval state, and execution environment.
For stdio servers, the MCP debugging guidance says: “Local MCP servers should not log messages to stdout (standard out), as this will interfere with protocol operation.” Send ordinary diagnostic messages to stderr so they do not corrupt the protocol stream. For Streamable HTTP, client stderr capture is not available in the same way; use server-side logs and HTTP or network inspection instead.
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Reconnect, then verify the actual tool list
Once you have corrected the cause, reconnect or restart the server in the same client and workspace where the problem occurred. Then check the server’s status and inspect the tools again; do not use connection status alone as the success test.
- VS Code documents Restart Server and
MCP: Reset Cached Toolsfor restarting a server and refreshing a changed tool list. - Cursor CLI provides
agent mcp listandagent mcp list-tools <identifier>to check status and tools. - Claude Code offers reconnection controls in
/mcp; available commands depend on the version in use.
If the error remains, re-read the relevant status or log after each attempt. Restarting cannot by itself fix invalid JSON, a missing runtime dependency, blocked network access, expired credentials, or a server-side discovery bug.
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