Setup
Claude Desktop MCP Memory Setup with Wenlan
Connect Claude Desktop to Wenlan's local memory daemon through MCP and verify the first memory loop.
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Use the MCP-only setup path for Claude Desktop on supported local setups.
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Wenlan's daemon remains local on your machine.
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Verify in + → Connectors, then capture and recall a harmless fact.
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Quick answer
On macOS, install Wenlan and run ~/.wenlan/bin/wenlan connect claude-desktop. It adds a wenlan entry under mcpServers in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (on Windows, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json; open it from Settings → Developer → Edit Config). Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop, check that Wenlan appears under + → Connectors, then save one harmless fact and recall it in a new chat.
Wenlan gives Claude Desktop a local memory server while preserving the same daemon and artifacts used by coding clients. That makes desktop research or planning available to later coding sessions.
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When this problem appears
Claude Desktop MCP users often add tools one by one, but memory only becomes useful when captures, retrieval, and maintenance all point at the same local store.
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Connect Claude Desktop
Use the CLI-generated configuration first; use manual config only when a client needs raw JSON.
- Install the local runtime with the current setup path for your operating system.
- Run ~/.wenlan/bin/wenlan connect claude-desktop.
- Use ~/.wenlan/bin/wenlan connect claude-desktop --dry-run if you want to inspect the JSON before writing it.
- Manual config (Windows, or no CLI): add "wenlan": {"command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "wenlan-mcp"]} under mcpServers, alongside any existing servers. For the official knowledge-graph server instead, see the MCP memory server guide.
- Restart Claude Desktop after MCP config changes.
- If tools fail, run ~/.wenlan/bin/wenlan doctor in a terminal.
- Recall a known capture before trusting the setup for real work.
- Use Claude Desktop for planning and research, then capture the outcome: selected plans, rejected alternatives, and constraints that implementation agents must respect.
- Recall those decisions from the coding client before implementation begins.
npx -y wenlan setup
~/.wenlan/bin/wenlan connect claude-desktop
~/.wenlan/bin/wenlan connect claude-desktop --dry-run04
What to check next
Do not expose the local daemon beyond loopback unless you are intentionally doing development or self-hosted networking work. Normal desktop setup should stay local. Do not capture every paragraph of a planning conversation; save the outcome, assumptions, and consequences.
Try the local memory loop
Install Wenlan, connect your AI client, and verify that capture, recall, and handoff work on your machine.
FAQ