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Connect Your AI Client

Get your AI client talking to Willow in under 5 minutes.

Before you start​

You need:

  • An invite email from your admin (already accepted)
  • One of these AI clients: Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code, Claude Web, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, OpenCode, Codex, or Devin Desktop

Step 1: Open the Connect MCP dialog​

Click Connect MCP at the bottom of the left sidebar.

The dialog lists the AI tools it can generate a config for down the left, under Select your AI tool: Cursor, Claude, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, VSCode, and Willow CLI.

Pick Willow CLI if you want to connect from the command line rather than from an AI client. See the MCP-S CLI Reference.

Connect MCP dialog with Cursor selected, showing the AI tool list on the left and a one-click install, server URL, configuration block, and setup steps on the right

Step 2: Select your AI tool​

Click your tool in the list. The panel on the right fills in with everything you need for it:

SectionWhat it gives you
One-click installFor tools that support it, a button that installs the MCP server directly with no manual config. Cursor shows Add to Cursor; VSCode shows Add to VS Code.
Server URLThe endpoint to connect to, with a Copy button. Shown for Streamable HTTP only.
ConfigurationA ready-made config block, also copyable. Switch it between Streamable HTTP and STDIO.
Setup stepsThe manual steps for that specific tool.
Setup guideA link out to fuller instructions.

On Streamable HTTP, the server URL is your gateway root:

https://yourorg.mcp-s.com/mcp

On STDIO, the URL is replaced by a config block that runs the gateway locally through npx, passing your org in the environment:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Willow": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@mcp-s/mcp"],
      "env": { "ORG": "yourorg" }
    }
  }
}

Use legacy user access key​

STDIO adds one extra control below the config block: Use legacy user access key. It is off by default, and it does not appear in Streamable HTTP mode.

Turning it on injects your personal access key into the config as a USER_ACCESS_KEY environment variable:

"env": {
  "USER_ACCESS_KEY": "<your-access-key>",
  "ORG": "yourorg"
}
warning

The value the dialog inserts is your real access key, not a placeholder. Anyone who obtains it can act as you through the gateway. Do not paste the generated config into a shared file, a ticket, a chat message, or a repository. Leave the toggle off and authenticate through the browser unless a client genuinely cannot handle OAuth.

For what the different endpoints mean, and when to use the Dynamic MCP Gateway instead, see Connection Methods.

Cursor and VS Code users: Click the one-click button. Your client opens and configures itself. Skip to Step 4.

Everyone else: Copy the server URL or the configuration block, then continue to Step 3.

Step 3: Configure your client manually​

Paste the URL into your client's MCP server config. The exact location depends on your client. See Per-Client Setup for detailed instructions.

Step 4: Authorize​

When your client connects to Willow for the first time, it will show an authorization prompt. Click Authorize (or equivalent) to confirm.

If you don't see a prompt, restart your client and try again.

Step 5: Verify it worked​

In your AI client, ask:

"List what tools you have access to"

Your AI responds with the available tools. You're connected.

If you see an error instead, see Troubleshooting.

Per-client guides​

Need step-by-step instructions for your specific client?

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