> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tai42.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MCP clients

> Connect any MCP client.

Connect any MCP client to a running server over its published transport.

The runtime is a standard MCP server, so any MCP client connects to it the same way it connects to any other — over the transport the server publishes. The only choices are which transport the server runs and how the client addresses it.

## Match the transport

Start the server on the transport your client speaks (see [Deploy](/guides/deploy)):

* **stdio** — the client launches the server as a subprocess and speaks over its standard streams. Configure the client with a command.
* **HTTP / streamable-http / SSE** — the client connects to a URL. Configure the client with the server's address.

```bash theme={null}
tai serve --transport stdio                          # client launches the server
tai serve --transport http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000   # client connects to a URL
```

## Configure the client

Most MCP clients read a JSON config that maps a server name to either a launch command (stdio) or a URL (HTTP).

<CodeGroup>
  ```json stdio theme={null}
  {
    "mcpServers": {
      "tai": {
        "command": "tai",
        "args": ["serve", "--transport", "stdio"]
      }
    }
  }
  ```

  ```json http theme={null}
  {
    "mcpServers": {
      "tai": {
        "url": "http://localhost:8000/mcp"
      }
    }
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Note>
  A server behind [access control](/guides/access-control) requires an API key. Supply it the way your client passes credentials — for an HTTP transport, an `Authorization` header; for a stdio server, the `TAI_API_KEY` environment variable on the launched process.
</Note>

## Scope a client to a subset

To expose only a subset of tools to one client, publish them as a sub-MCP app and point the client at its slug. See [Expose a private tool set](/guides/private-tool-set).

## See also

* [Claude Desktop](/integrations/claude-desktop) — the config entry for Claude Desktop.
* [Cursor](/integrations/cursor) — the config entry for Cursor.
* [Transports](/concepts/transports) — the transport options in depth.
* [Deploy](/guides/deploy) — running the server for real.