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🖥️ Claude Desktop — Reference MCP Client

Claude Desktop
MCP Server Setup Guide

Claude Desktop is Anthropic's official MCP reference client. anonym.legal MCP Server connects over HTTP transport — no Node.js, no npm package, no local install. Just a URL and an API key. Setup takes under 2 minutes.

HTTP transport claude_desktop_config.json requires Pro or Business
Transport
HTTP
Config key
mcpServers
Endpoint
anonym.legal/mcp
Cost
Pro / Poduzeće
Install
None required

Prerequisites

No Node.js needed: anonym.legal MCP Server is HTTP-only — there is nothing to install and no npm package to run. You just paste a URL and an API key into the config file below.

Installation

1

Open Claude Desktop Config File

The config file is created automatically on first launch. Open it in your editor:

macOSterminal
code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windowsterminal
code %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linuxterminal
code ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Tip: If the file doesn't exist yet, create it. If it's empty, start with {}.
2

Add the MCP Server Entry

Add the mcpServers block. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual key:

claude_desktop_config.jsonjson
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anonym-legal": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://anonym.legal/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}
⚠ Important: Never commit your API key to version control. Consider using an environment variable manager or your OS keychain.

Prefer not to manage a config file at all? On Claude.ai (web) you can add anonym.legal as a Custom Connector instead — sign in with your anonym.legal account and approve access via Settings → Connectors (OAuth 2.1 with PKCE). No config file required.

3

Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window) and reopen it. On macOS: Cmd+Q. The MCP server starts automatically when Claude Desktop launches.

4

Verify the Connection

Look for the MCP icon (hammer 🔨) in the Claude Desktop interface. Click it to see available tools. You should see 7 tools with the anonym_legal_ prefix.

Quick test: Type "Use anonym_legal_get_balance to check my balance" and Claude will call the tool and return your account info.

Multiple MCP Servers

Claude Desktop supports multiple MCP servers simultaneously. Just add more entries to mcpServers:

claude_desktop_config.json — multiple serversjson
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anonym-legal": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://anonym.legal/mcp",
      "headers": {"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"}
    },
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/files"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools (7)

All tools are invokable by Claude automatically or on request. Tool names use the anonym_legal_ prefix.

anonym_legal_analyze_text
free
Scan text and return all detected PII entities with type, position, and confidence score — without modifying anything.
anonym_legal_anonymize_text
tokens
Replace PII with reversible tokens using configurable operators per entity type. Returns anonymized text + session token map.
anonym_legal_detokenize_text
free
Restore original PII values from session tokens. Used to de-anonymize AI responses.
anonym_legal_get_balance
free
Returns your current token balance, plan tier, and next reset date.
anonym_legal_estimate_cost
free
Preview token cost for a text before anonymizing it. No tokens consumed.
anonym_legal_list_sessions
free
List all active tokenization sessions with creation time, entity count, and expiry.
anonym_legal_delete_session
free
Delete a session and all stored tokens — for GDPR right-to-erasure compliance.

Operators (6)

Control how each entity type is anonymized. Pass via entity_operators in anonym_legal_anonymize_text:

replace
Substitute with custom text or entity type label.
John Smith → [CLIENT] or [PERSON]
redact
Remove entirely — no trace left in the text.
john@acme.com → (removed)
hash
SHA-256 or SHA-512 — deterministic, one-way. Enables deduplication across documents.
John Smith → a3f9b1...
encrypt
AES-256 with your personal key — reversible only by key holder.
4111-xxxx → enc:U2FsdGVkX1...
mask
Partial replacement — configurable chars from start or end.
john@acme.com → jo**@****.com
keep
Detect but pass through unchanged. Useful to audit without modifying.
John Smith → John Smith (tracked)

Usage Examples

Analyze text for PII

prompt to Claude Desktop
Use anonym_legal_analyze_text to scan the following and tell me what PII it contains:
"Please review the contract for John Smith (john@acme.com, +1-555-0123)
 regarding project Alpha at 123 Main St, New York."

Anonymize before sending to Claude

prompt to Claude Desktop
1. Use anonym_legal_anonymize_text to anonymize this text with replace operator for all entities.
2. Then summarize the anonymized contract.
3. Finally use anonym_legal_detokenize_text to restore the original names in your summary.

Text: "Contract between Sarah Miller (sarah@corp.eu) and TechCorp GmbH..."

Advanced: operator per entity type

prompt to Claude Desktop
Use anonym_legal_anonymize_text with these operators:
- PERSON: replace (with [CLIENT])
- EMAIL: redact
- CREDIT_CARD: hash
- PHONE: mask

Text: "Call Maria Garcia at +49-30-1234567, email: maria@example.de.
       Card ending 4111-1111-1111-1111 on file."

Advanced Configuration

Entity Groups

Use entity_groups to process specific regions instead of all 267+ types:

entity group examples
UNIVERSAL    — Names, emails, phones, addresses, IPs (all regions)
FINANCIAL    — IBAN, SWIFT, credit cards, account numbers
DACH         — German/Austrian/Swiss-specific IDs, tax numbers
HEALTHCARE   — Medical record numbers, insurance IDs, diagnoses
NORTH_AMERICA— SSN, SIN, driver's licenses (US/CA)
EU_GENERAL   — EU-wide VAT, passport formats

Custom Regex Recognizers

ad-hoc recognizer example in prompt
Use anonym_legal_anonymize_text with ad_hoc_recognizers to also detect
project codes matching pattern "PROJ-[0-9]{4}" as entity type PROJECT_ID.

Text: "Assigned to PROJ-4821, contact: alice@example.com"

Troubleshooting

Tools not appearing in Claude Desktop

Double-check the url is exactly https://anonym.legal/mcp and the Authorization header is formatted as Bearer YOUR_API_KEY (no missing "Bearer" prefix, no extra quotes). Check the Claude Desktop logs: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/ (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\ (Windows).

JSON parse error on startup

Validate your claude_desktop_config.json with a JSON linter. Common mistake: trailing commas (JSON doesn't allow them). Use jsonlint.com to check.

Authentication failed / 401 error

Your API key is incorrect or has insufficient plan. Verify at anonym.legal — MCP requires Pro or Business plan.

Corporate firewall or proxy blocks the connection

Since the connector uses standard HTTPS to anonym.legal/mcp, allowlist that host if your network filters outbound traffic. No local process or port needs to be opened.

Claude says "I don't have access to that tool"

Claude Desktop must be fully restarted (Cmd+Q / Alt+F4), not just the window closed. Also confirm the MCP hammer icon is visible — if it shows 0 tools, the server failed to start.

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