Why does Claude Desktop need mcp-remote?

Claude Desktop launches local commands from its config file. mcp-remote is a small bridge that connects those local servers to a remote one, and it can send an Authorization header.

Can I add Reddinbox as a connector in Claude's web app?

Not yet. Web connectors need OAuth, and Reddinbox uses API keys for now. Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor work today.

Where do I find my API key?

In the Reddinbox dashboard under Settings, then API keys. Keys are shown once when created. Create a new one if you lose it.

Does Claude Desktop need to stay open for it to work?

Yes. The MCP connection lives inside the app. For unattended jobs, use Claude Code instead.

Claude Desktop setup

Set up the Reddinbox MCP server in Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from a JSON file. Reddinbox is a remote server, so the config uses mcp-remote to connect and send your API key as a header. It takes about two minutes.

Get your API key I already have an account

Free trial. No credit card required.

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "reddinbox": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://reddinbox.com/api/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: ${REDDINBOX_AUTH}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "REDDINBOX_AUTH": "Bearer rdb_your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Endpoint: https://reddinbox.com/api/mcp. Swap the placeholder for your key.

Steps

Set up Claude Desktop step by step

1
Install Node.js
The config runs npx, so Node.js must be installed. Run node --version in a terminal to check.
2
Create an API key
Sign up, open Settings, then API keys. Create a key and copy it. It starts with rdb_ and is shown once.
3
Edit the config file
Open claude_desktop_config.json and add the reddinbox block from below. If the file already has mcpServers, add reddinbox next to the others.
4
Restart Claude Desktop
Quit the app fully, then reopen it. Closing the window is not enough on every system.
5
Check the tools
Open a chat and look for Reddinbox in the tools menu. Then ask it to search for a topic.

Where the config lives

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
You can also open it from Claude Desktop: Settings, Developer, Edit Config.

Check it works

First prompts to try

Search Reddit and Hacker News for what people say about our competitor this month.
Open this Reddit thread and summarize the comments.
List my Reddinbox Market Briefs.

Tools

What Claude Desktop can call

search_threads

Search Reddit, X, Hacker News, Bluesky and Facebook. Spam and AI-generated noise is filtered out. Returns raw posts with links.

querystringrequired: What to search for.
platformsstring[]: Limit to specific platforms. Defaults to all your plan allows.
communitystring: Subreddit or community to search within.
timestring: Time range, e.g. day, week, month, year.
limitnumber: Max posts to return.

Example response

{
  "posts": [
    {
      "platform": "reddit",
      "title": "The new export flow is much slower after the update",
      "body": "Since the last release, exporting takes over a minute...",
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/example/comments/abc123/",
      "author": "example_user",
      "community": "r/example",
      "engagement": {
        "upvotes": 214,
        "comments": 58
      },
      "created_at": "2026-09-30T14:12:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

get_thread

Fetch a full Reddit or Hacker News thread with its nested comment tree.

urlstringrequired: Thread URL.
max_commentsnumber: Max comments to return (default 300, max 500).

Example response

{
  "post": {
    "title": "The new export flow is much slower",
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/example/comments/abc123/"
  },
  "comments": [
    {
      "author": "another_user",
      "body": "Same here, started right after the update.",
      "score": 41,
      "replies": []
    }
  ]
}

summarize_feedback
Summarize sentiment and themes from a query or from posts you already fetched.
querystring
Search and summarize. Provide this or posts.
postsobject[]
Posts from search_threads to summarize.
focusstring
What to focus on, e.g. a feature name.
Example response
```
{
  "summary": "Mostly negative on export speed; positive on the new dashboard.",
  "themes": [
    {
      "label": "Slow exports",
      "sentiment": "negative",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.reddit.com/r/example/comments/abc123/"
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

list_briefs

List your Reddinbox Market Briefs and the latest report for each.

No parameters.

Example response

{
  "briefs": [
    {
      "id": "uuid",
      "niche_label": "Project management software",
      "platforms": [
        "reddit",
        "x"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

run_research
Run a full Reddinbox research strategy on a topic: keyword and community selection, multi-platform search, filtering.
topicstringrequired
Topic to research.
Example response
```
{
  "strategy": {
    "keywords": [
      "export slow"
    ],
    "communities": [
      "r/example"
    ]
  },
  "posts": []
}
```

Troubleshooting

Claude Desktop troubleshooting

The server does not show up after a restart: The JSON is probably invalid. A missing comma or quote is the usual cause. Paste the file into a JSON validator, fix it and restart.
Claude Desktop reports that npx was not found: Install Node.js, then restart the app so it picks up the new PATH. On Windows, make sure Node is installed system-wide.
Authentication fails: The REDDINBOX_AUTH value must be Bearer rdb_..., including the word Bearer and a space. Check the key was not revoked.
A space in the header causes problems on Windows: That is why the config puts the full value in env and references it as ${REDDINBOX_AUTH}. Keep the structure exactly as shown.
Budget or rate limit errors: Check usage under Settings, API keys. Each key allows 30 calls per minute.

Frequently asked questions

Back to the Reddinbox MCP overview

Connect Claude Desktop to real conversations

Create a key, paste the config and ask your first question.

Get your API key I already have an account

Free trial. No credit card required.

Set up the Reddinbox MCP server in Claude Desktop

Set up Claude Desktop step by step

Install Node.js

Create an API key

Edit the config file

Restart Claude Desktop

Check the tools

First prompts to try

What Claude Desktop can call

Claude Desktop troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

Connect Claude Desktop to real conversations

Stop Guessing What Your Audience Wants