Registering the Bareun MCP server in Claude Desktop

When you connect the Bareun MCP server to the Claude Desktop app, Claude calls Bareun directly during a conversation to perform Korean morphological analysis and spell checking.

What you need

A Bareun API key: For issuing keys and usage, see Using the cloud.
The endpoint address: For Bareun cloud, it is https://api.bareun.ai:443/mcp. If you installed the Korean spell checker yourself, use /mcp on that server's address (for example, http://localhost:5656/mcp). MCP is provided only by Bareun builds that include the spell checker. Installations for morphological analysis only have no /mcp.
Node.js, if you use header authentication: it is needed to run the mcp-remote bridge.

How to register

Add the following under Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json). Claude Desktop connects to remote HTTP servers that need header authentication through the mcp-remote bridge.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bareun": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.bareun.ai:443/mcp",
        "--header", "api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

After saving, restart Claude Desktop.

On some plans, you can add it directly by URL under Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector. Enter the endpoint (https://api.bareun.ai:443/mcp), and a browser opens the first time you connect. Enter your Bareun API key there to log in. Once you log in, the credentials are stored.

Note

Even if you register only mcp-remote as a connector without --header ("args": ["-y","mcp-remote","https://api.bareun.ai:443/mcp"]), the bridge automatically opens an OAuth login window for you.

Verifying the connection

If bareun and its tools (analyze_syntax, tokenize, list_pos_tags, correct_grammar) appear under the tools icon (🔌) in the chat input or under Settings → Connectors, you are connected.
If you make a request such as "Correct this sentence with Bareun," Claude calls Bareun.

Troubleshooting

Is the server gray or missing? Check the JSON syntax (commas and quotes) in claude_desktop_config.json, then quit the app completely and reopen it.
Getting npx/mcp-remote errors? Check that Node.js is installed (node -v).
Permission error (401)? Check that a real key follows api-key: and that the key is valid.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why does Claude Desktop go through `mcp-remote`?

The Claude Desktop config file is, by default, a format for registering locally run (stdio) servers, so to connect to a remote HTTP server with a header, you use the mcp-remote bridge. If you use the connector UI, you can also add it directly by URL with no bridge.

Q. I don't want to write the API key in the config file.

Use the connector (OAuth login) method, or register mcp-remote without --header. You only need to enter the API key once in the browser login window.