# Local MCP server

> Run the flax-mcp stdio server locally — configure it with FLAX_BASE_URL and FLAX_API_TOKEN and register it with Claude Code or a .mcp.json

*[View this page in the Flax docs](https://flax-analytics.com/docs/developers/mcp-local)*

`flax-mcp` is a local Model Context Protocol server that speaks stdio and calls the Flax [REST API](/docs/api-reference/overview) as a bearer-token client. Your token stays on your machine. This page is for developers wiring Flax into a local MCP client such as Claude Code.

## Prerequisites

1. Create a **service account** and issue a token on the [API access page](/app/settings/api). Choose `read` to explore and add `write` to create or update artifacts.
2. Assign the service account to [teams](/docs/administration/teams-and-rbac) so it can see the data you want.

## Configuration

The server reads two environment variables:

| Variable | Value |
| --- | --- |
| `FLAX_BASE_URL` | Your Flax origin, e.g. `https://flax.example.com` |
| `FLAX_API_TOKEN` | The service-account token secret (`flax_pat_…`) |

## Register with Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add flax -- env FLAX_BASE_URL=https://flax.example.com \
  FLAX_API_TOKEN=flax_pat_xxx /path/to/flax-mcp
```

## Register with a `.mcp.json`

Any MCP client that reads a `.mcp.json` (or equivalent config) can launch the binary directly:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "flax": {
      "command": "/path/to/flax-mcp",
      "env": {
        "FLAX_BASE_URL": "https://flax.example.com",
        "FLAX_API_TOKEN": "flax_pat_xxx"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Once connected, the client can call every tool in the [MCP tools reference](/docs/developers/mcp-tools). Access is bounded by the token's scopes and the service account's team/row-level-security — the server adds no privilege.

## Related

- [MCP overview](/docs/developers/mcp-overview)
- [MCP tools](/docs/developers/mcp-tools)
- [Authentication](/docs/developers/authentication)