Install the Dashboard MCP

← About this platform

Before you start

✦
Claude Desktop App The desktop version of Claude (not the web app). Download from claude.ai/download.
⬡
BigQuery MCP installed The BigQuery MCP must already be set up in your Claude config. Reach out to rachel.bryant@life.church if you're not sure.
1
Open your Claude config folder in Finder

Press ⇧ ⌘ G anywhere in Finder (or go to Go → Go to Folder… in the menu bar). Paste the path below into the box that appears and press Return.

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/
💡

A Finder window will open showing the Claude folder. You'll see a file called claude_desktop_config.json.

2
Open claude_desktop_config.json in a text editor

Right-click the file and choose Open With, then pick TextEdit (or any code editor you have like VS Code or Cursor). Don't double-click — that might open it in the wrong app.

⚠️

If TextEdit opens it in rich text mode, go to Format → Make Plain Text before editing. You need to see raw JSON, not formatted text.

3
Add the Dashboard MCP to your config

Find the "mcpServers" section in your file and add the entry below to it. Pick the scenario that matches what you see:

📋

No "mcpServers" section yet? Your file likely has a "preferences" block but no MCP entries. Add the "mcpServers" block as a new top-level section, making sure there's a comma between it and "preferences":

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dashboard-mcp-remote": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp-server-772467545428.us-central1.run.app/mcp"
      ]
    }
  },
  "preferences": {
    ...
  }
}
🔧

Already have other MCPs installed? Your file already has an "mcpServers": { … } block. Add a comma after the last existing entry, then paste the "dashboard-mcp-remote" block inside it. The result should look like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-existing-mcp": {
      "command": "...",
      "args": [...]
    },
    "dashboard-mcp-remote": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp-server-772467545428.us-central1.run.app/mcp"
      ]
    }
  },
  "preferences": {
    ...
  }
}
⚠️

Never delete your existing content. Only add the new block — leave your "preferences" and any other existing sections exactly as they are. A missing comma between sections will cause Claude to silently ignore your config.

Save the file when you're done (⌘ S).

4
Quit and reopen Claude Desktop

Claude reads the config file on startup, so a full quit-and-reopen is required. Make sure to Quit (not just close the window) — right-click the Claude icon in the Dock and choose Quit, or press ⌘ Q while Claude is in focus. Then reopen it normally.

5
Accept the permissions prompt

As soon as Claude reopens, a popup will appear asking you to allow the Dashboard MCP to connect. Click Allow. This only appears once — it's Claude verifying you intentionally added this integration.

🔐

The connection is secured with your Life.Church Google account. You'll be asked to sign in with Google the first time you use a Dashboard MCP tool.

✓
🎉

You're all set!

The Dashboard MCP is installed. Open a new chat in Claude and try asking it to list your dashboards or build a new one.

Tip: On your first message, give Claude a small hint to make sure it uses the right tool set — for example: "Using the dashboard-mcp-remote, list all published dashboards." After that first use, Claude will remember the connection.

Need help?

Something not working? Reach out to rachel.bryant@life.church and include a screenshot of the error or the step where you got stuck.