Claude Code & Claude Desktop

Claude Code adds the Routeur MCP server with a single claude mcp add command and reads the key from your shell. Claude Desktop and claude.ai reach the same server as a custom connector, with the key stored as a request header. Both use https://api.routeur.app/mcp and the same API key as REST.

Claude Code

Export the key, then add the server. --transport http is the Streamable HTTP transport; --header is sent on every request.

export ROUTEUR_API_KEY="rk_live_..."   # or put it in your shell profile
claude mcp add --transport http routeur https://api.routeur.app/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $ROUTEUR_API_KEY"

Scope	Flag	Where it is stored	Use it when
local (default)	`--scope local`	`~/.claude.json`, this project only	Trying it out.
user	`--scope user`	`~/.claude.json`, every project	You want Routeur in every session.
project	`--scope project`	`.mcp.json` in the repository, committed	The team shares the server. Keep the key in the environment, not in the file.

The project form, with the key expanded from the environment at load time:

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "routeur": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.routeur.app/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${ROUTEUR_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code expands ${VAR} and ${VAR:-default} in .mcp.json. Syntax and scopes are from code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp, checked on 2026-09-17.

Verify

claude mcp list        # routeur should be listed as connected
claude mcp get routeur # shows the URL, transport and scope it was added with

Inside a session, /mcp lists the connected servers, their tools and lets you reconnect after rotating a key. Then ask for something only Routeur knows:

Use routeur: read routeur://concepts/prices, then compare the Detroit vs Buffalo total points market across venues and tell me which venue is cheaper for the Over 54.5.

Claude should call search_markets (query detroit buffalo total points, cross_venue: true), then compare_venues with the event it found. The observed result on 2026-09-17, trimmed:

{
  "events": [{
    "venue": "polymarket", "id": "810546", "title": "Detroit vs Buffalo: Total Points",
    "venues": ["kalshi", "polymarket"], "twin": {"venue": "kalshi", "id": "KXNFLTOTAL-26SEP17DETBUF"},
    "widest_gap_cents": "1",
    "outcomes": [{
      "label": "O/U 54.5", "chance": "0.5200", "best_venue": "kalshi", "gap_cents": "1",
      "prices": [
        {"venue": "kalshi", "market_id": "KXNFLTOTAL-26SEP17DETBUF-55", "yes_ask_usd": "0.52", "no_ask_usd": "0.49"},
        {"venue": "polymarket", "market_id": "nfl-det-buf-2026-09-18-total-54pt5", "yes_ask_usd": "0.53", "no_ask_usd": "0.48"}
      ]
    }]
  }],
  "graph_run": 74
}

A correct answer names Kalshi as 1¢ cheaper for the Over (52¢ against 53¢), gives the observed_at of each price, and does not call a 1¢ gap money without checking find_opportunities.

Claude Desktop and claude.ai

Remote servers are added as custom connectors, not in claude_desktop_config.json (that file only launches local stdio servers; see the alternative below). Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, and the connection is made from Anthropic’s cloud, which reaches api.routeur.app without any change on your side.

Open Customize > Connectors (Team and Enterprise owners: Organization settings > Connectors, then Add > Custom, type Web).
Click Add custom connector. Name it Routeur; MCP server URL https://api.routeur.app/mcp.
Under Authentication choose No sign-in: Routeur authenticates with an API key, not OAuth.
Open Request headers, pick authorization from the list, and enter the value exactly as Bearer rk_live_..., including the word Bearer and the space. Claude sends the value verbatim and stores it without showing it again. Mark the header Required.
Click Add, then enable Routeur for a conversation from the + menu under Connectors.

Routeur’s prompts (scan_for_mispricings, brief_me_on_event, backtest_price_band) and resources appear in the same + menu. Steps and field names are from claude.com/docs/connectors/custom/remote-mcp, checked on 2026-09-17.

Request-header authentication is marked as beta by Anthropic and rolling out by organisation. If the Request headers section is missing from your dialog, use the mcp-remote configuration below, which runs on your machine and adds the header itself.

If your client only launches local servers

claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json; Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json) can launch mcp-remote, which bridges stdio to the remote server. The header is passed through an environment variable because some clients mangle spaces inside args:

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "routeur": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.routeur.app/mcp",
        "--transport", "http-only",
        "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer rk_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop after saving. The file then holds the key, so treat it as a secret.

Getting good answers

Start a pricing session by having Claude read routeur://concepts/prices and routeur://concepts/relations; they cost nothing and stop the usual misreadings (spread as edge, “not proven” as “unrelated”).
Ask for ids: every tool returns venue and id, and explain_relation, market_snapshot, get_market_book and get_market_rules take them. Titles are not ids.
Composed tools cost several requests (market_snapshot five, find_opportunities up to four). On a free key (30 per minute, 2,000 per day) ask for one scan at a time.
Put the ten facts in CLAUDE.md or the project’s instructions if the project is about market data; the server’s own instructions cover only the three most important.

Any MCP client: the protocol by hand, and mcp-remote in detail.
Agent workflows: the tool sequences Claude runs for common questions.
Tool reference: every tool Claude sees, with arguments and cost.
Rate limits: what a key allows per minute and per day.

Get started

Concepts

Agents & MCP

Webhooks

Reference

Claude Code & Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Verify

Claude Desktop and claude.ai

If your client only launches local servers

Getting good answers

Claude Code

Verify

Claude Desktop and claude.ai

If your client only launches local servers

Getting good answers

Related