> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.peacock.support/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Troubleshoot Claude Desktop and Zoom MCP connections

> Diagnose and resolve connection problems between Claude Desktop and Zoom MCP Server, from config errors and permission issues to Electron app failures.

Most connection problems between Claude Desktop and the Zoom MCP Server come down to a misconfigured Claude Desktop config file, missing script permissions, or a stale process. This page covers the most common issues and how to fix each one.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Claude Desktop not connecting to the MCP server">
    If Claude Desktop doesn't offer Zoom tools or reports that the MCP server is unavailable, check your Claude Desktop configuration file.

    **Default config path on macOS:**

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

    Your config should look like this, with an absolute path to `launch-mcp.js`:

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "zoom": {
          "command": "node",
          "args": ["/absolute/path/to/zoommcp/launch-mcp.js"]
        }
      }
    }
    ```

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Confirm the args path is absolute">
        The path in `args` must be an absolute path to `launch-mcp.js`. Relative paths will not work when Claude Desktop launches the server.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Restart Claude Desktop">
        Claude Desktop only reads the config file at startup. After editing the config, fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Check the MCP logs">
        If the server still doesn't connect, inspect the Claude Desktop MCP logs for error details:

        ```bash theme={null}
        ls ~/Library/Logs/Claude/
        ```

        Open any `mcp*.log` file to see what happened when Claude tried to start the server.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Permission denied when running scripts">
    If you see a `Permission denied` error when running `./run.sh` or any script in the `scripts/` directory, the shell scripts aren't marked as executable. Fix this with:

    ```bash theme={null}
    chmod +x *.sh
    chmod +x scripts/*.sh
    ```

    You only need to do this once after cloning the repository.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Claude app not launching or not detected">
    The server checks whether Claude Desktop is running using multiple detection methods at startup, retrying up to 15 times before giving up. If Claude Desktop is not open, the server attempts to open it automatically.

    If the server starts but Claude Desktop never appears:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Check if Claude Desktop is installed">
        Verify the app exists in `/Applications/Claude.app`. If it's missing, download it from the Claude website.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Open Claude Desktop manually">
        Launch Claude Desktop from your Applications folder or Spotlight, then restart the MCP server.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Note>
      If Claude Desktop closes while the MCP server is running, the server detects this automatically and attempts to reopen it during the next monitoring cycle (every 60 seconds by default).
    </Note>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Server won't connect after token refresh">
    When the MCP server refreshes a Zoom token, it injects the new token into the Claude Desktop config file and then restarts Claude Desktop so the new token takes effect. If this restart fails, Claude Desktop may continue running with a stale token.

    **If the automatic restart doesn't complete:**

    Manually restart Claude Desktop. Fully quit the app (not just close the window), then reopen it.

    <Warning>
      Do not use Cmd+W to close Claude Desktop — use Cmd+Q or right-click the Dock icon and choose Quit to ensure the process fully exits before relaunching.
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Electron app: icon appears but no window opens">
    If you're using the Zoom MCP macOS app and the app icon appears in the Dock but no window opens, a stale process from a previous session may be blocking the launch.

    Kill the stale process and relaunch:

    ```bash theme={null}
    pkill -f "Zoom MCP.app/Contents/MacOS/Zoom MCP"
    open "dist/mac-arm64/Zoom MCP.app"
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Electron app: build fails">
    If `./build-app.sh` or `npm run app:build:mac` fails, reset your dependencies and verify system requirements:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Reset dependencies">
        ```bash theme={null}
        npm clean-install
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify macOS version">
        The Electron app requires macOS 10.13 or later. Check your macOS version in System Settings > General > About.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Run in development mode for detailed errors">
        ```bash theme={null}
        npm run app:dev
        ```

        Development mode opens DevTools alongside the app window, making it easier to see build or runtime errors.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>