In claude.ai and Claude Desktop, open Customize, then Connectors, then Add custom connector. Paste your MCPifex URL with your key at the end. If your organization has Request headers (beta), you can instead use the plain URL and add Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_MCPX_KEY> there. In Claude Code, run one claude mcp add command with your key in a Bearer header. Both reach the same hosted servers.

Start free The Free plan has 3 instances and needs no card.

Step by step

Get a key. In the portal, create an instance, choose which tools are allowed, run Test connection and generate an API key (it starts with mcpx_).
claude.ai or Claude Desktop: open the connector form. Go to Customize, then Connectors, then Add custom connector. On Team and Enterprise plans an Owner adds it under Organization settings, then Connectors. Name it after the server, for example PostgreSQL.
Add the URL and your key. Choose No sign-in. If you see Request headers, enter https://mcp.mcpifex.com/mcp as the URL and add an authorization header with the value Bearer followed by your key. Otherwise enter https://mcp.mcpifex.com/mcp/ followed by your key as the URL.
Claude Code: run one command. Run the command below, then claude mcp list to confirm the server shows as connected.
Try one read. Ask Claude for something harmless and check that a tool result comes back.

claude mcp add mcpifex --transport http https://mcp.mcpifex.com/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_MCPX_KEY>"

Replace <YOUR_MCPX_KEY> with your key from the portal.

Which key form should I use in Claude?

Claude.ai and Claude Desktop take either form. Header form: the plain gateway URL, No sign-in, and Request headers set to Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_MCPX_KEY> (Request headers is in beta and not shown to every organization). Key-in-URL form: https://mcp.mcpifex.com/mcp/<YOUR_MCPX_KEY>.

Claude Code sends headers, so use the header form there. The gateway accepts either form, and a URL that holds your key should be treated like a password.

What should I try first?

Start with reads. Each prompt below works with one of the live servers.

List the tables in my PostgreSQL database and show the five largest by row count. (PostgreSQL server, query tool only.)
Compare search interest in 'claude mcp' and 'chatgpt mcp' over the last 12 months. (Google Trends server, no credentials needed.)
Which pages lost the most clicks in Google Search Console this month? (Google Search Console server, connect with Google sign-in.)

See every server on the marketplace, or read how the gateway controls which tools your AI can call.

Troubleshooting

The connector says it cannot connect or returns 401. The key is wrong, revoked or cut off. Copy it again from the portal, check there is no trailing space, and make sure the URL is https://mcp.mcpifex.com/mcp/ plus the key with one slash between them. With Request headers, the URL is the plain gateway URL and the value must start with Bearer and a space.
Connected, but Claude sees no tools. The instance has no tools switched on. Open the instance in the portal, allow the tools you want and run Test connection. Write tools start off, so an empty list is common on a new instance.
Claude Code lists the server as failed. Re-run the add command with the exact URL https://mcp.mcpifex.com/mcp and the header in quotes. Remove an old entry first with claude mcp remove mcpifex if the name is taken.

More errors and fixes are in the troubleshooting docs.

Full setup guides

Another client? See Connect your AI.

Ready to try it?

Run hosted MCP servers behind one endpoint and choose exactly which tools your AI can use.

Start free Browse the marketplace