Sandtime.io MCP Server

Open the config file

Claude Desktop opens it for you from Settings > Developer > Edit Config. If that menu is not there, or the file will not open, the direct path to the file is below.

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the server

The file holds the rest of your Claude Desktop settings, so add to it rather than replacing it. Which snippet you need depends on whether the file already has an mcpServers block.

If there is no mcpServers block yet, add this as a new key next to your other settings, with a comma in between.

"mcpServers": {
  "sandtime": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": [
      "mcp-remote",
      "https://mcp.sandtime.io/mcp",
      "--header",
      "Authorization:${AUTH}"
    ],
    "env": { "AUTH": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
  }
}

If mcpServers exists already, paste this inside it, with a comma before any server currently listed.

"sandtime": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": [
    "mcp-remote",
    "https://mcp.sandtime.io/mcp",
    "--header",
    "Authorization:${AUTH}"
  ],
  "env": { "AUTH": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
}

A Windows gotcha

On Windows, check the Authorization:${AUTH} line above for a stray space. A space after the colon breaks the connection, and Claude Desktop returns a 401 authentication error that gives no clue why.

Restart, then check

MCP servers only load at startup and are never checked again, so the new one will not work until you quit the app completely and reopen it, not just close the window. Then ask it something simple about the app, like your projects or tracked hours. A sensible answer back means the key, the URL and the header are all fine.

Per user

Writes the configuration to ~/.claude.json (~ is %USERPROFILE% on Windows), so the server is waiting for you in every project you open on this machine.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user sandtime https://mcp.sandtime.io/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Per project

The same command with --scope project, which writes .mcp.json in the current directory, so Claude Code only finds it in this one project. That file is meant to be committed. Prefer the per-user scope if you want the server available everywhere instead.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope project sandtime https://mcp.sandtime.io/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Manual installation

The entry is the same wherever it goes, only the file decides how far it reaches. Each of these files holds other settings too, so add to it rather than replacing it.

Per user (macOS, Linux)

~/.claude.json

Per user (Windows)

%USERPROFILE%\.claude.json

Per project

.mcp.json

If there is no mcpServers block yet, add this as a new key next to your other settings, with a comma in between.

"mcpServers": {
  "sandtime": {
    "type": "http",
    "url": "https://mcp.sandtime.io/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

If mcpServers exists already, paste this inside it, with a comma before any server currently listed.

"sandtime": {
  "type": "http",
  "url": "https://mcp.sandtime.io/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
}

Connect a custom MCP

Open Settings > Plugins > MCPs, click Add, then Add MCP server to reach the connect screen. Pick Streamable HTTP over STDIO. The URL below goes in the address field, and the header name and value together under Headers. The screen also has Bearer token env var and Headers from environment variables fields, but those pass secrets a different way, so leave them empty.

URL

https://mcp.sandtime.io/mcp

Header name

Authorization

Header value

Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Save and switch it on

Save, then switch the entry on in the list. Adding a server does not enable it. There is no scope to choose on this screen, so this always lands in the per-user file. A chat or task already open before you added the server will not see it either - start a new one. If the server still does not show up, restarting the app usually helps.

In config.toml, per user or per project

The same entry added by hand, appended to whatever the file already holds. The per-user file works the same way in the desktop app, the CLI, and the IDE extension. The per-project file is narrower: it only works in the CLI and the IDE extension, only in a project you trust.

Per user (macOS, Linux)

~/.codex/config.toml

Per user (Windows)

%USERPROFILE%\.codex\config.toml

Per project

.codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.sandtime]
url = "https://mcp.sandtime.io/mcp"

[mcp_servers.sandtime.http_headers]
Authorization = "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

How the files layer

Project files are read from the repository root down to your current directory, with the closest one winning, and the per-user file underneath them all. If CODEX_HOME is set, the per-user file lives there instead of in your home directory.

The trust catch

Codex reads project files only in a project you have marked as trusted; in an untrusted one it skips them without saying anything. If a server never shows up, check trust before checking the config itself.