Before you begin
To connect Air with Claude, you need a few things ready:
Access to a Business or Enterprise Air workspace
An Air API key generated by a workspace owner or admin
Claude Desktop installed on your device
Node.js version 18 or higher installed
Retrieving your Air workspace details
API Access is available in Workspace Settings for eligible Business and Enterprise workspaces to workspace owners and admins. Retrieve both your API key and Workspace ID from Air before configuring Claude Desktop:
In Air, open your workspace, then go to Workspace Settings → API Access.
Under API Keys, generate a new API key or copy an existing key if you have access to it. Keep this key private and do not share it.
Under Workspace IDs, copy the Workspace ID for the workspace you want Claude Desktop to access.
Opening Claude Desktop’s config file
Use Claude Desktop’s Developer settings to open the configuration file. The file is usually located at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, but Edit Config opens the correct folder for you.
In Claude Desktop
Open Settings
Select Developer under Desktop app, and review Local MCP servers
Select Edit Config to open the folder that contains
claude_desktop_config.json.
If you need to locate the file manually on macOS, open Finder from your home folder. To reveal the Library folder, press CMD + Shift + .. This shows hidden folders in your home directory:
Open Library → Application Support → Claude. The Claude Desktop config file is named claude_desktop_config.json:
Open claude_desktop_config.json in a text editor such as TextEdit. Copy the Air MCP JSON block from Air’s developer documentation, paste it into the file, and add your Air credentials in the env section:
{ "mcpServers": { "air": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@air/mcp"], "env": { "AIR_API_KEY": "your-api-key", "AIR_WORKSPACE_ID": "your-workspace-id" } } } }
Replace YOUR API KEY and YOUR WORKSPACE ID with your Air API key and Workspace ID, then save the file. Keep API keys private, and avoid showing real keys in screenshots or screen shares.
Fully quit Claude Desktop and reopen it so the MCP server loads. On macOS, Claude may ask you to confirm; select Quit anyway, then reopen Claude Desktop.
After Claude Desktop reopens, verify Air is connected by asking a simple question, such as "How many uploads has my workspace had in the last week?"
👾 nvm user? 👾
Claude Desktop doesn't load your shell profile, so it may use the wrong Node version. If you get engine errors, use the full path to a Node 20+ npx instead:
JSON
"command": "/Users/you/.nvm/versions/node/v20.19.4/bin/npx"
Find your path with nvm which 20 in a terminal.
See Claude Desktop MCP docs for more details.