---
title: Add Cascades to Claude Code
description: "Add Cascades to Claude Code: config, install command and the scopes your API key needs for the Cascades MCP server."
canonical_url: "https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/claude-code"
doc_version: "1.0.0"
last_updated: "2026-10-09T14:37:54Z"
source: docs/mcp/tools.json
---

# Add Cascades to Claude Code

1. Run the command below from your project. `npx` fetches the server on first use; nothing to install.
2. Restart Claude Code (or run `/mcp`) and confirm `cascades` shows as connected.
3. Ask: *List my cascades and run the first one for a sandbox test case.*

```bash
claude mcp add cascades \
  -e CASCADES_API_KEY={{API_KEY}} \
  -e CASCADES_PROD_BASE_URL=https://cascades.crscreditapi.com \
  -- npx -y @crscreditapi/cascades-mcp-server
```

`.mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cascades": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@crscreditapi/cascades-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CASCADES_API_KEY": "{{API_KEY}}",
        "CASCADES_PROD_BASE_URL": "https://cascades.crscreditapi.com"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Notes

- `CASCADES_PROD_BASE_URL` is the host **without** `/api/v1` (`https://cascades.crscreditapi.com`); the server adds the prefix.
- The key needs `workflows:read`, `workflows:write`, `executions:read`, `executions:write`. A key missing a scope gets `403 insufficient_scope` on the affected tool only.
- Sandbox keys can only run in test mode: `execution_mode: "live"` is billable, needs a production-approved account, and is rejected for docs-issued keys.
- Prefer the JSON? Commit `.mcp.json` to the repo so every collaborator gets the server; keep the key out of git by using `${CASCADES_API_KEY}` and exporting it in your shell.

## Test with MCP Inspector

```bash
CASCADES_API_KEY={{API_KEY}} CASCADES_PROD_BASE_URL=https://cascades.crscreditapi.com \
  npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx -y @crscreditapi/cascades-mcp-server
```

## Other clients

- [Claude Desktop](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/claude-desktop.md)
- [Cursor](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/cursor.md)
- [VS Code](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/vscode.md)
- [Windsurf](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/windsurf.md)
- [ChatGPT](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/chatgpt.md)

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/sitemap.md) for all pages.