Claude Desktop Setup

This guide walks through configuring Claude Desktop to use SimConnect MCP as an MCP server, enabling Claude to query SimConnect documentation or interact with a live flight simulator session.

Prerequisites

• SimConnect MCP binary installed (see Getting Started)
• Claude Desktop installed — download from https://claude.ai/download

Configuration

Open or create claude_desktop_config.json at the platform-specific location:

• macOS / Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Docs mode (cross-platform)

Use this configuration to enable SimConnect SDK documentation lookup. This mode runs on any operating system and does not require a running simulator.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simconnect-mcp": {
      "command": "simconnect-mcp",
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "docs"
      }
    }
  }
}

SimConnect mode (Windows only)

Use this configuration to enable live data exchange with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 / 2024, Prepar3D, or FSX. Microsoft Flight Simulator must be running before Claude Desktop starts the server.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "simconnect-mcp": {
      "command": "simconnect-mcp",
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "simconnect"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: The simconnect-mcp binary must be on your system PATH. If you installed via go install, the binary is placed in $GOPATH/bin (typically ~/go/bin on macOS/Linux or %USERPROFILE%\go\bin on Windows). Add that directory to PATH if it is not already present.

Verification

After saving the configuration file, restart Claude Desktop. Open a new conversation and ask:

“What SimConnect variables are available for aircraft position?”

Claude should respond using the list_simvars tool, returning a list of position-related simulation variables such as PLANE ALTITUDE, PLANE LATITUDE, and PLANE LONGITUDE.

Troubleshooting