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

# Connecting to MCP Gateway

> Get your MCP client talking to the gateway in two steps: create an API key, then point your client at the gateway URL.

## Overview

To use the MCP Gateway with your AI client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or any MCP-compatible tool), you need two things:

1. A personal API key to authenticate as yourself
2. Your client pointed at `https://mcp-gateway.aptible.com`

<Tip>
  Your admin handles registering servers, setting up grants, and deciding which tools you have access to. Once that's done, this is all you need to do.
</Tip>

## Getting Started

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an API Key">
    In the Aptible dashboard, navigate to **MCP > API Keys** and create a new key. Copy the token. You won't be able to see it again after closing the dialog.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/aptible/PDjQoX1Dzfs96Mzz/images/MCP---API-Key.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=PDjQoX1Dzfs96Mzz&q=85&s=679979fa31876e0e6f2a1cf26f59867e" alt="MCP API Key" width="1280" height="720" data-path="images/MCP---API-Key.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the Gateway as an MCP Server">
    Point your MCP client at `https://mcp-gateway.aptible.com` and pass your API key as a bearer token in the `Authorization` header.

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Claude Desktop">
        Open your Claude Desktop config file (`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS) and add an entry under `mcpServers`:

        ```json theme={null}
        {
          "mcpServers": {
            "aptible": {
              "url": "https://mcp-gateway.aptible.com",
              "headers": {
                "Authorization": "Bearer <your-api-key>"
              }
            }
          }
        }
        ```

        Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Claude Code">
        Run the following command to add the gateway as an MCP server:

        ```bash theme={null}
        claude mcp add aptible https://mcp-gateway.aptible.com \
          --header "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>"
        ```
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Other clients">
        Configure your client to connect to `https://mcp-gateway.aptible.com` and pass your API key as a bearer token:

        ```text theme={null}
        Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>
        ```

        Refer to your client's documentation for where to set custom headers.
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Using the MCP Gateway

Once connected, your AI client will discover the tools available to you through the gateway. From that point, using the gateway is transparent. You call tools the same way you would with any MCP server, and the gateway handles routing, access checking, and logging in the background.

To see the full list of tools you have access to, navigate to **MCP > My Tools** in the Aptible dashboard.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/aptible/sga-2XLXeLkTolqn/images/MCP---My-Tools.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=sga-2XLXeLkTolqn&q=85&s=07d8ee82a5416ea9ae0289621210e721" alt="MCP My Tools" width="1280" height="720" data-path="images/MCP---My-Tools.png" />
</Frame>

If a tool you expect isn't showing up, check with your admin that you've been added to the appropriate grant.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="User API Keys" href="/mcp-gateway/membership#user-api-keys">
    Manage your personal API keys.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit Logging" href="/mcp-gateway/audit-logs">
    See your tool call history.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>