Free tool · MCP config · updated Oct 27, 2026

Convert MCP servers from Claude Desktop to VS Code

Got MCP servers working in Claude Desktop and want the same ones in VS Code? The servers don't change, only the config wrapper does. Here's exactly what to change.

Where each file lives

Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\)
VS Code: .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace

Before and after

Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp"],
      "env": {"API_KEY": "..."}
    }
  }
}

VS Code

{
  "servers": {
    "context7": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp"],
      "env": {"API_KEY": "..."}
    }
  }
}

What changes

Rename the root key from mcpServers to servers and add a type to each entry. Everything else carries straight over.

Open the converter set to VS Code → Paste your Claude Desktop config, copy the result. It runs in your browser and nothing gets uploaded.

Double-check before you paste the result anywhere: if your config has tokens in it, they'll be in the output too.

Other conversions

Claude Desktop → Codex · Claude Code → VS Code · Cursor → VS Code · Codex → VS Code

Questions people ask

How do I convert an MCP config from Claude Desktop to VS Code?

Paste the Claude Desktop config into PickAPlugin's free MCP config converter with the target set to VS Code, then save the result to .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace.

Do I need to change the MCP server itself?

No. A local server runs the same command in every app. Only the config format around it changes.

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