# Claude Desktop integration

## What you get

Use Claude Desktop with KeepBal discovery, inspection and paid tool execution through one key and prepaid wallet.

## Prerequisites

Create a KeepBal account and API key. Signup includes $1 credit once. Keep the key private and ensure sufficient wallet credit before executing a tool.

[Create an account](/sign-up) · [API keys](/console/keys)

## Setup

Install Claude Desktop and Node.js with npx. This setup uses the mcp-remote bridge: a local stdio process connects to the KeepBal HTTP server. Native remote configuration was not verified. Edit claude_desktop_config.json and replace YOUR_KEEPBAL_KEY with your private key.

```json
{"mcpServers":{"keepbal":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","mcp-remote","https://keepbal.com/mcp","--header","Authorization:${KEEPBAL_AUTH}"],"env":{"KEEPBAL_AUTH":"Bearer YOUR_KEEPBAL_KEY"}}}}
```

Restart Claude Desktop after saving. If the bridge fails to start, check that Node.js and npx are installed and reachable. Keep this credential-bearing configuration private.

[Claude Desktop official documentation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/user)

The official MCP client guide describes local server configuration; the remote connection here is provided by mcp-remote.

[mcp-remote bridge documentation](https://github.com/geelen/mcp-remote)

## Worked example: read a web page

Ask your agent: Find the page-content tool, inspect exa/contents, then fetch https://example.com with text enabled and summarize the result. Review the published price before approving execution. Data is from Exa; this does not imply partnership.

```text
search_tools {"query":"page contents"}
inspect_tool {"tool":"exa/contents"}
run_tool {"tool":"exa/contents","input":{"body":{"urls":["https://example.com"],"text":true}}}
```

These are MCP tool names and argument objects. The client wraps them in tools/call requests. If run_tool returns pending with a run_id, call get_run {"run_id":"RETURNED_RUN_ID"}; do not repeat run_tool.

## Troubleshooting

Initialization and tools/list work without a key; every tools/call requires a valid bearer key, including search and inspect. For 401 check the key and client launch environment. For insufficient_credits check Wallet; for rate_limited respect Retry-After. Check Usage after uncertain outcomes before retrying a paid call. Truncated or unsupported MCP results must not be retried.

[Exa contents tool](/tools/exa/contents) · [Search and extraction tools](/tools/category/search-and-extraction) · [Errors](/docs/errors) · [MCP reference](/docs/mcp) · [All integrations](/integrations)

[Integrations](/integrations)