Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is Anthropic's desktop app. It has no skills folder to sync to, but it's a first-class MCP client: instead of uploading files, you add Skillet's MCP server to its config once, and Claude reads your kit live. When a skill updates, the next chat sees the new version. Nothing to re-upload.

Note Support status: Supported. Delivery is MCP (stdio): Claude Desktop launches skillet mcp itself. Last verified July 3, 2026.

Connect once

1. Set up the CLI and pair your machine, then run skillet sync so your kit has content.

2. In Claude Desktop, open Settings > Developer > Edit Config. That opens claude_desktop_config.json:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

3. Add the skillet entry (keep any servers already there):

   json

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "skillet": {
         "command": "skillet",
         "args": ["mcp"]
       }
     }
   }
   

   Copy

4. Quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Verify

Click the tools icon in the chat input: skillet should be listed with list_skills, get_skill, and search_skills. Ask "list my skillet skills" and Claude reads your kit live.

If the server won't start, the app probably can't find skillet on its PATH. Replace "skillet" with the absolute path from which skillet (macOS/Linux) or where skillet (Windows). More in MCP troubleshooting.

How it behaves

• Live, not a snapshot. The server is a read-only view over ~/.skillet/skills/, the same gated store your other runtimes sync from. Approve an update, and Claude Desktop sees it on the next chat.
• Your machine's credentials. The server authenticates as your paired device automatically. An unpaired machine serves an empty list; pair first.
• Same trust gate. Skills reach the store only after signature verification, the harm scan, and your approval. MCP can't bypass any of that.

Updates from other people are scanned, not certified, and a human approves each one before it lands.

Primary runtime docs

claude.ai/download · support.anthropic.com

Note Live operational signal: Runtime status →.