MCP Setup for Mac

The following setup guide is specific to Mac users.

With MCP, you can use AI assistants to create and manage your Clappia apps simply by giving instructions in plain language.

Below, we’ll show an example setup of connecting Claude with Clappia using MCP. Once connected, you can give prompts like “Create an Employee MIS app with fields to capture Name, Department, and Joining Date” and Claude will build the app for you. The same approach can be used for any other AI tool that supports MCP.

‍

Before you can start giving prompts to the AI that affect your Clappia workplace, you need to prepare your Mac with some tools, install Claude Desktop (if using Claude), and configure the AI with Clappia’s MCP details. This is laying the groundwork so that the AI can “talk” to Clappia.

Once set up, the AI can:

• Create new apps from scratch
• Edit existing apps and fields
• Fetch app information and show you its structure
• Replicate an app
• Add workflows (such as sending emails or approvals)
• Create charts from app data

Essentially, MCP acts as a bridge between your instructions and Clappia’s app builder. This is especially useful if you want to save time, quickly try out different configurations, or if you’re more comfortable giving high-level instructions rather than manually setting up everything yourself.

‍

Step 1: Install required tools

To get started, you’ll first need to install a few tools on your Mac. These will ensure the MCP connection with Clappia runs smoothly.

Install Homebrew

Homebrew is a package manager for macOS. It allows you to install and manage software packages directly from the terminal without downloading installers manually.

To install Homebrew:

Open Terminal on your Mac. Copy and paste the below command and press Enter:

You will be asked to give in your system password. The installation will start once you do that.

Once installed, you can confirm Homebrew is working (not a necessary step, can skip) by typing:

If you see a version number, the installation is successful.

‍

Install the Docker CLI

Docker is a tool that runs lightweight containers. For our purpose, it enables the secure MCP connection between Claude and Clappia.

To install the Docker CLI using Homebrew paste the below command and hit Enter:

This will install the command-line tools needed to interact with Docker.

‍

Install Docker Desktop

In addition to the CLI, you also need Docker Desktop. This is the graphical application that manages Docker on your Mac.

Download Docker Desktop from the official Docker website. Install it by dragging it into your Applications folder. Open Docker Desktop. This is what it will look like below.

You can close the application window but don’t quit it from the background.

Important: Docker Desktop must be running in the background whenever you want Claude to connect with Clappia. If Docker is not running, the AI will not be able to process your Clappia-related prompts.

‍

Step 2: Install Claude Desktop

(if using Claude)

Next, you’ll need Claude Desktop. This is the application where you’ll type your instructions to Claude.

Download Claude Desktop from:  https://claude.ai/download

Once installed, open Claude Desktop and sign in with your Claude account.

Important: You need a paid Claude account to use the MCP connection with Clappia. Without it, the connection will not work.

‍

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop for Clappia

(if using Claude)

This is where you link Claude to your Clappia account.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer Options → Edit Config.

A window will appear with a list of files and folders. Open the file named claude_desktop_config.json

Paste the JSON configuration.

This JSON defines the MCP connection for Clappia. It lists what Claude can do (create apps, manage workflows, handle charts, etc.).

Replace all the “your_api_key” from the json with your workplace api key.

To access your Clappia workplace api key, go to your Clappia workplace > Workplace Settings > Preferences > API Key.

Save the file (command + S).

Completely quit Claude Desktop (do not just close the window — quit the app). Then reopen Claude Desktop.

Restarting is critical. The new servers will not appear until you restart Claude Desktop. If you don’t see the Clappia servers after restarting, close Claude completely and open it again. In some cases, you may need to try twice.

After restarting, go to Claude Desktop → Search & Tools (located just below the prompt input area.). Here you will see a list of all the Clappia MCP connections available.

• Make sure to enable the tools you want to use, such as Apps, Workflows, Charts, etc.
• If a tool is disabled, and you give Claude a prompt related to it (for example, asking it to add a workflow), Claude will not execute the request. Instead, it will explain how you can set it up yourself in Clappia. This ensures you are not left stuck even if something is disabled.

At this point, Claude is connected to Clappia. You can now begin using prompts to create or manage apps directly.

‍

Using Claude with Clappia

Now that the setup is complete, let’s look at how you can actually use Claude to work with Clappia. The basic idea is that you type instructions (prompts) into Claude Desktop, and Claude will perform the actions inside your Clappia workplace.

There are two general ways to use prompts:

• Detailed prompts, where you specify everything (fields, workflows, email, etc.).
• Simple prompts, where you only give the basics and let Claude fill in the rest.

Creating apps

When creating an app, you need to tell Claude what the app should contain and also include the email address where the app should be assigned. This ensures the app appears in your Clappia dashboard.

For example: Create an Inventory Management app for user@example.com with fields for item code, supplier, quantity in stock, reorder level, and expiry date.

Claude will:

• Create the app in Clappia with relevant sections and fields.
• Add the fields listed in the prompt.
• Configure the right panel for each field (validation, dropdown options, etc.).
• Show you a summary of what was added.

Depending on complexity, this may take a few minutes.

‍

Editing apps

You can also make changes to an existing app.

Note: If you are working on the same app in the same chat session, you need not give in the app id in the prompt. However, if you are working on multiple apps in the same Claude session, always provide the App ID so that Claude knows which app it needs to work on. The App ID can be found in the app’s URL or in the right panel inside Clappia.

Add a new field

Prompt Example: [APP_ID] Add a field for item weight.

(The same prompt could also be given as “Add a field for item weight.”, without the app id.)

Here, Claude will add a new field to the app with the same name and appropriate configurations on the field’s right panel.

‍

Edit an existing field

Use the variable name of the field (not just the label) so Claude knows exactly which field you want to edit.

Prompt Example: [APP_ID] Edit {part_number} to SKU Number along with variable name.

‍

View the app structure

Prompt: [APP_ID] Show me the structure of this app.

Useful if you have a very long app and need to know what it contains, or want to replicate the same app with modifications.

‍

Replicate an app

Prompt Example: [APP_ID] Create a copy of this app.

‍

Adding workflows and charts

Claude can configure workflows and charts in your app.

Workflows

Prompt Example: [APP_ID] Add a workflow to send an email notification when a submission is made.

‍

Charts

Prompt Example: [APP_ID] Add a bar chart to show stock levels by supplier

‍

Simple prompts

You don’t always need to be detailed.

For example: Create a simple CRM app for user@example.com

Claude will still build a complete app and then explain what it added. You can refine it further by giving more instructions or editing it manually in Clappia.

‍

Troubleshooting

• Clappia servers not appearing in Claude Desktop
  Restart Claude Desktop after saving the config. If they still don’t appear, quit and reopen Claude again.
  
  
• Workflows or charts not added
  Make sure Docker Desktop is running and that the corresponding tools (Workflows, Charts) are enabled in Claude Desktop settings.
  
  
• Field edits not working
  Use the field’s variable name in your prompt. If Claude cannot apply the change, it will explain how to do it yourself.
  
  

App confusion
Always provide the App ID if you are managing multiple apps in the same Claude chat session.