MCP Directory

How to add Minima to Claude Desktop

On-premises RAG over your local files (PDF, DOCX, CSV, MD, TXT), queryable from Claude via MCP. Paste the config into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json and restart Claude Desktop.

Last updated June 14, 2026 · 1.0k★ · stdio · no auth

Claude Desktop config for Minima

git clone https://github.com/dmayboroda/minima && cd minima && docker compose -f docker-compose-mcp.yml --env-file .env up --build
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "minima": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": [
        "--directory",
        "/path_to_cloned_minima_project/mcp-server",
        "run",
        "minima"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config (this opens ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the Minima config below under the top-level "mcpServers" key.
  3. 3Fill in any placeholder secrets (API keys, paths) in the snippet.
  4. 4Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
  5. 5Open a chat and confirm Minima's tools appear under the 🔌 tools menu.

Before you start

  • Docker and Docker Compose
  • Local Python >= 3.10
  • 'uv' installed (for running the MCP server)
  • A .env file based on .env.sample with LOCAL_FILES_PATH, EMBEDDING_MODEL_ID, and EMBEDDING_SIZE set
  • The Minima MCP containers running (docker compose -f docker-compose-mcp.yml)

What Minima can do in Claude Desktop

minima-query

Find a context in local files (PDF, CSV, DOCX, MD, TXT). Takes a 'text' argument describing the context to search for, runs a retrieval over the indexed Qdrant vector store, and returns the relevant document context.

Security

Runs fully on-premises: the indexer and Qdrant vector store stay on your machine, so document contents are not sent to third parties beyond the LLM you connect (Claude, in MCP mode). Requires local Python >=3.10 and 'uv' installed. The MCP server reads files under LOCAL_FILES_PATH recursively, so scope that folder carefully. USER_ID/PASSWORD env vars are only for ChatGPT custom-GPT mode and are not needed for the MCP/Claude integration.

Minima + Claude Desktop FAQ

Where is the Claude Desktop config file?

Claude Desktop reads MCP servers from ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Paste the Minima config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Minima safe to use with Claude Desktop?

Runs fully on-premises: the indexer and Qdrant vector store stay on your machine, so document contents are not sent to third parties beyond the LLM you connect (Claude, in MCP mode). Requires local Python >=3.10 and 'uv' installed. The MCP server reads files under LOCAL_FILES_PATH recursively, so scope that folder carefully. USER_ID/PASSWORD env vars are only for ChatGPT custom-GPT mode and are not needed for the MCP/Claude integration.

Does Minima send my documents to the cloud?

No. The indexer and the Qdrant vector store run on your own machine or cloud. In MCP mode only the retrieved context and your queries are passed to Claude as the LLM; in the fully local Ollama mode no external LLM is involved at all.

How do I connect Minima to Claude Desktop?

Run the MCP containers (docker compose -f docker-compose-mcp.yml --env-file .env up --build), then add the `minima` entry shown in the README to claude_desktop_config.json, pointing the `uv --directory` arg at the cloned project's mcp-server folder. Restart Claude and ask it to find context in your local files.

What file types can it index?

Indexing is recursive over LOCAL_FILES_PATH and supports .pdf, .xls, .docx, .txt, .md, and .csv files.

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