Setting Up the Gumnut MCP Server
This guide walks you through configuring the Gumnut MCP server in popular AI tools.Prerequisites
- A Gumnut account
- An MCP-compatible tool
Any MCP client
Gumnut runs a standard remote MCP server over HTTP, so a client that supports remote MCP servers can connect to it — provided it can also authenticate. Every HTTP request to the server carries your Gumnut credentials, including protocol initialization when your client uses it, tool discovery, notifications, and tool calls. Remote transport on its own isn’t enough: your client needs to support either the MCP OAuth flow or configurable request headers. The same endpoint supports both modern sessionless MCP clients and legacy clients that use theinitialize handshake. You don’t need a separate URL or
sticky-session configuration; use the HTTP transport option your client
documents.
If a request is missing a credential or carries an invalid, expired, or revoked
bearer, the server returns 401 Unauthorized with a WWW-Authenticate OAuth
challenge. OAuth-capable clients can follow that challenge to discover the
sign-in flow. Clients using an API key must send it in the Authorization
header on every request, not only on tool calls.
The tools below have step-by-step instructions because they’re the ones people ask about most, not because they’re the only ones that work.
To connect a client that isn’t listed, you need two things.
The server URL:
- OAuth — if your client can sign in to remote MCP servers, point it at the URL and it will open a browser window to authorize your Gumnut account. Nothing else to configure.
- An API key — if your client can’t do OAuth, or the sign-in flow gives you trouble, send the key as an
Authorizationheader instead.
headers block if you’re using OAuth. The exact keys vary between clients — some want an explicit transport field such as "type": "http" or "transport": "http" alongside the URL — so check your client’s documentation for its spelling.
Claude Code
Claude Code supports MCP servers natively through CLI commands or configuration files. When you connect, you’ll be prompted to authenticate with your Gumnut account via OAuth.Using the CLI (Recommended)
Add the Gumnut MCP server with a single command:--scope user flag:
Using JSON Configuration
Alternatively, add the configuration directly to your~/.claude.json file:
.mcp.json file in your project root with the same structure.
You can also authenticate with an API key instead of OAuth by adding an Or in JSON configuration:
Authorization header:Verify Installation
Check that the server is configured:/mcp command within Claude Code to see available servers and their tools.
Cursor
Cursor supports MCP servers through JSON configuration files. When you connect, you’ll be prompted to authenticate with your Gumnut account via OAuth.Configuration File Location
- Global (all projects):
~/.cursor/mcp.json - Project-specific:
.cursor/mcp.jsonin your project root
Configuration
Create or edit the configuration file:Using Cursor Settings UI
- Open Cursor and go to File > Preferences > Cursor Settings
- Select the MCP tab
- Click Add Server
- Enter the server details:
- Name:
gumnut - URL:
https://api.gumnut.ai/mcp - Transport:
http
- Name:
You can also authenticate with an API key instead of OAuth by adding an
Authorization header to the configuration:Verify Installation
After configuration, go to Cursor Settings > MCP to seegumnut listed as a registered server. Click refresh if needed.
Claude Web (claude.ai)
Claude on the web supports remote MCP servers through the Integrations feature.MCP integrations on Claude.ai require a paid plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise). Free accounts cannot connect to MCP servers—use Claude Code or Claude Desktop instead.
Setup Steps
- Sign in to Claude. See Claude’s custom connector guide for the plan-specific navigation below.
- Add the connector:
- Pro and Max: Open Customize > Connectors, click +, then select Add custom connector.
- Team and Enterprise: An Owner or Primary Owner must open Organization settings > Connectors, choose Add > Custom > Web, and add the connector. After it is configured, members open Customize > Connectors and select the connector.
- Enter the Gumnut MCP server URL:
- You’ll be prompted to authenticate with your Gumnut account via OAuth
- Save the connector
Using the Integration
Once configured, you can ask Claude to interact with your Gumnut library directly in chat:ChatGPT
Connect your photo library with the Gumnut plugin in ChatGPT.Setup Steps
- Open the Gumnut plugin in ChatGPT.
- Follow the prompts to connect your Gumnut account and authorize access to your photo library.
Using Gumnut in ChatGPT
Once configured, you can ask ChatGPT to interact with your Gumnut photo library directly in chat.Local and self-hosted models
You can use Gumnut with a model running on your own hardware:- The model generates the responses. It can run locally or in the cloud.
- The MCP client is the app that connects to Gumnut and calls its tools on the model’s behalf.
https://api.gumnut.ai/mcp over the network, and still authenticates as your Gumnut account.
How you connect depends on which layers your local setup covers:
- Apps that run models and act as an MCP client, such as LM Studio, need nothing extra from Gumnut. Add the server using the Any MCP client instructions and your local model can call Gumnut’s tools.
- Runners that only serve models, such as Ollama, have no MCP client of their own. Pair one with a separate MCP client and point that client at Gumnut. Ollama, for instance, documents running Claude Code against a local Ollama instance — from there, follow the Claude Code section above.
What to expect
Gumnut exposes a broad set of tools, and choosing between them is the hard part for a model:- Use a tool-calling model with a generous context window. Smaller models tend to pick the wrong tool, or ignore the tools entirely, as the list grows.
- Image understanding needs more than a vision model. For
view_assetto work, the model has to be vision-capable and the client has to pass image results from tools back to the model. Clients that only forward text will leave the assistant working from metadata alone. - Interactive MCP Apps widgets are client-side. Clients that don’t implement MCP Apps still get every tool — they render the results as text rather than as photo grids and album cards.