MCP server config generator (free, no signup)
Pick your client, fill in the server command, and this free tool writes the exact MCP config JSON for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, or Windsurf, including where the file lives. No more guessing whether the key is mcpServers or servers. Runs entirely in your browser.
Generator
Build your MCP config
Environment variables (optional)
Nothing you type leaves this page; the values land in the copied file as plain text.
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"/path/to/allowed/dir"
]
}
}
}That value looks like a real secret. Nothing you type here leaves your browser, but the copied file will contain it in plain text. Keep that file out of version control, or use a placeholder and set the real value in your environment.
Copy takes the JSON only. The two comment lines above it tell you where to save the file and the CLI shortcut where one exists.
The map
The five config formats and where each file lives
Every MCP client speaks the same protocol but keeps its config in a different place, under a slightly different shape. Four of the five use a top-level mcpServers key; VS Code alone uses servers and adds a type field to each entry. Claude Desktop only starts local stdio servers from its file, while the others also accept a remote URL, and Windsurf names that field serverUrl where the rest say url. Those small differences are almost the entire failure mode of hand-written configs.
| Client | Config file | Top-level key | Transport notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | .mcp.json in the project root (project scope); user scope via claude mcp add --scope user, stored in ~/.claude.json | mcpServers | stdio and HTTP (type: "http" + url + headers). Full CLI: claude mcp add. |
| Claude Desktop | ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS; %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows | mcpServers | stdio only in this file. Remote servers go through Settings then Connectors, or the mcp-remote bridge. |
| Cursor | .cursor/mcp.json in the project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project | mcpServers | stdio (command/args/env) and remote (url). No CLI; the MCP settings panel lists what loaded. |
| VS Code | .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace, or the user file via the MCP: Open User Configuration command | servers | The odd one out: servers, not mcpServers, with a type field per server. CLI: code --add-mcp. An inputs array can prompt for secrets. |
| Windsurf | ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json | mcpServers | stdio (command/args/env); remote servers use serverUrl rather than url. No CLI. |
These shapes were checked against each client's documentation in July 2026, and they do drift as the clients ship. If a config from here stops loading, the client's own MCP settings panel is the ground truth: it lists what was actually read from the file. Two secret-handling details worth knowing: Claude Code expands ${VAR} references in .mcp.json from your environment, and VS Code can prompt for secrets at start-up through an inputs array, so neither file ever needs the raw key committed.
If you are wiring up a coding agent, the config is usually step one of a longer loop: the agent also needs something worth reading. Quell, the agent-native feedback platform, ships its own MCP server with ten tools for reading and acting on agent-readable feedback, and the same free tools library covers the bug-filing side with a bug report template generator and its siblings.
FAQ
MCP config questions
What is an MCP server config?
It is the JSON block that tells an MCP client, such as Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or Cursor, how to start and talk to an MCP server: the command to run, its arguments, environment variables like API keys, and the transport. Each client keeps this in a different file with slightly different keys, which is why hand-writing it goes wrong so often. This tool writes the correct shape for each client.
Where does the MCP config file live for each client?
Claude Desktop uses claude_desktop_config.json in its application support folder. Claude Code reads .mcp.json in your project or user scope, and has a claude mcp add command. Cursor uses .cursor/mcp.json, VS Code uses .vscode/mcp.json, and Windsurf keeps its own mcp_config.json. Pick a client above and the output states the exact path along with the JSON.
Why is my MCP server not showing up?
The usual causes are the config in the wrong file, the wrong top-level key for that client, a command that is not on PATH, or a missing environment variable, then not restarting the client. Generate the config here for your specific client, paste it whole, restart, and check the client's MCP or logs panel for the server name.
Is this MCP config generator free?
Yes. No signup, no limit, and it runs entirely in your browser, nothing you type is sent anywhere. That matters here because MCP configs usually contain API keys.
Does Quell have an MCP server?
Yes. Quell is an agent-native feedback platform, and its MCP server gives coding agents ten tools to read bug reports with full context, comment, update status, and open GitHub or Linear issues. You supply the agent: no token tax.