---
title: "Can Claude Desktop connect to an MCP server available only on my local network?"  
description: "Can Claude Desktop connect to an MCP server available only on my local network?"  
author: "Eetu Saarinen"  
published: 2026-10-21  
updated: 2026-10-21  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162671/can-claude-desktop-connect-to-an-mcp-server-available-only-on-my-local-network  
category: "MCP Integrations"  
tags: ["Claude", "mcp", "Integrations"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# Can Claude Desktop connect to an MCP server available only on my local network?

I’m trying to connect Claude Desktop to an MCP server that runs on a machine inside our office network. It isn’t exposed publicly, and access to it depends on being connected to the company network.

Has anyone set up a **local network MCP server** this way? I’d like to understand what tends to cause trouble with server discovery, authentication, or keeping the connection working across restarts, especially when the desktop app and server are on different machines.


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162671/can-claude-desktop-connect-to-an-mcp-server-available-only-on-my-local-network

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