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CLAUDE_DESKTOP_SETUP.md

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Testing Vultr DNS MCP in Claude Desktop

This guide shows how to set up and test the Vultr DNS MCP package locally with Claude Desktop.

Prerequisites

  1. Claude Desktop installed on your machine
  2. Vultr API Key - Get from Vultr Account > API
  3. Python 3.10+ with the package installed

Installation Options

Option 1: Install from PyPI (Recommended)

pip install mcp-vultr

Option 2: Install from Local Development

# From this project directory
pip install -e .

Option 3: Using uv (Fastest)

uv add mcp-vultr

Claude Desktop Configuration

1. Locate Claude Desktop Config

The configuration file location depends on your OS:

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

2. Add MCP Server Configuration

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vultr-dns": {
      "command": "vultr-mcp-server",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "VULTR_API_KEY": "YOUR_VULTR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: If vultr-mcp-server is not in your PATH, use the full Python module approach:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vultr-dns": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_vultr"],
      "env": {
        "VULTR_API_KEY": "YOUR_VULTR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Alternative: Using uv (if you have it)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vultr-dns": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "vultr-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "VULTR_API_KEY": "YOUR_VULTR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

3a. Using uvx (Recommended for Easy Installation)

This approach uses uvx to automatically install and run the package without needing to manage Python environments:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vultr-dns": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from", "mcp-vultr",
        "vultr-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "VULTR_API_KEY": "YOUR_VULTR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

For TestPyPI version:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vultr-dns": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--index-url", "https://test.pypi.org/simple/",
        "--extra-index-url", "https://pypi.org/simple/",
        "--index-strategy", "unsafe-best-match",
        "--from", "mcp-vultr==1.0.1",
        "vultr-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "VULTR_API_KEY": "YOUR_VULTR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Using Absolute Path (Most Reliable)

If you have issues, use the absolute path to your Python installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vultr-dns": {
      "command": "/usr/bin/python3",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_vultr"],
      "env": {
        "VULTR_API_KEY": "YOUR_VULTR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Testing the Setup

1. Restart Claude Desktop

After saving the configuration file, completely restart Claude Desktop.

2. Test MCP Connection

In Claude Desktop, you should see:

  • An indicator that the MCP server is connected
  • Access to Vultr DNS tools in the interface

3. Example Prompts to Try

Once connected, try these prompts in Claude Desktop:

"List all my DNS domains"

"Show me the DNS records for example.com"

"Create an A record for www.example.com pointing to 192.168.1.100"

"Analyze the DNS configuration for my domain and suggest improvements"

"Set up basic website DNS for newdomain.com with IP 203.0.113.10"

Available MCP Tools

The server provides these tools that Claude Desktop can use:

  1. list_dns_domains - List all your DNS domains
  2. get_dns_domain - Get details for a specific domain
  3. create_dns_domain - Create a new DNS domain
  4. delete_dns_domain - Delete a domain and all its records
  5. list_dns_records - List DNS records for a domain
  6. get_dns_record - Get details for a specific record
  7. create_dns_record - Create a new DNS record
  8. update_dns_record - Update an existing record
  9. delete_dns_record - Delete a DNS record
  10. validate_dns_record - Validate a record before creation
  11. analyze_dns_records - Analyze domain DNS configuration
  12. setup_website_dns - Quick setup for website DNS

Troubleshooting

MCP Server Won't Start

  1. Check Python installation:

    python -c "import mcp_vultr; print('✅ Package installed')"

  2. Test server manually:

    export VULTR_API_KEY="your-key"
vultr-mcp-server
# or
python -m mcp_vultr

  3. Check API key:

    export VULTR_API_KEY="your-key"
python -c "
from mcp_vultr.client import VultrDNSClient
import asyncio
async def test():
    client = VultrDNSClient()
    domains = await client.domains()
    print(f'✅ Found {len(domains)} domains')
asyncio.run(test())
"

Path Issues

If Claude Desktop can't find Python:

  1. Find your Python path:

    which python3
# or
which python

  2. Update config with full path:

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "vultr-dns": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/python3",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_vultr"],
      "env": {
        "VULTR_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Virtual Environment Issues

If using a virtual environment:

  1. Activate and find Python:

    source your-venv/bin/activate  # or your-venv\Scripts\activate on Windows
which python

  2. Use that path in config:

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "vultr-dns": {
      "command": "/path/to/your-venv/bin/vultr-mcp-server",
      "args": [],
      "env": {
        "VULTR_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Security Notes

  • Keep your Vultr API key secure
  • Consider using environment variables instead of hardcoding in config
  • The API key has access to modify your DNS records

Example Natural Language Interactions

Once set up, you can use natural language with Claude Desktop:

  • "What domains do I have in Vultr?"
  • "Add a CNAME record for blog.example.com pointing to example.com"
  • "Delete the old MX record for example.com"
  • "Set up email DNS for my domain with mail.example.com as the mail server"
  • "Check if my domain has proper SPF and DMARC records"
  • "Create an IPv6 AAAA record for www pointing to 2001:db8::1"

Claude Desktop will use the MCP tools to perform these operations on your behalf!

Next Steps

  • Try the natural language prompts above
  • Explore the comprehensive DNS management capabilities
  • Use the analysis features to improve your DNS setup
  • Set up automation for common DNS tasks

Happy DNS managing! 🎉