# Claude Code

[<mark style="color:blue;">Claude Code</mark>](https://code.claude.com) is Anthropic's CLI for AI-assisted software engineering. It supports MCP servers at three scopes: local (your machine), project (shared through `.mcp.json` in a repo), and user (your global `~/.claude.json`).

## Prerequisites

* Claude Code installed. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">claude.ai/code</mark>](https://claude.ai/code).
* The `ionoscloud-mcp` binary built and available. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Quick Start</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/quick-start.md).
* An <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud\_api</code> token. For least-privilege access, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Authentication</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration/authentication.md#token-scope-by-product-area) to scope the token to only the tools you need.

## Add the MCP server

### Option A: CLI (recommended)

Use the `claude mcp add` command to register the server:

```bash
claude mcp add ionoscloud /usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp \
  --env IONOS_TOKEN=your-api-token
```

To also enable Object Storage tools:

```bash
claude mcp add ionoscloud /usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp \
  --env IONOS_TOKEN=your-api-token \
  --env IONOS_S3_ACCESS_KEY=your-access-key \
  --env IONOS_S3_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
```

By default, this registers the server at **local** scope (your machine only). To share the config with a team via source control, use `--scope project` instead; this writes to a `.mcp.json` file in the current directory.

### Option B: Project config file

Create or edit `.mcp.json` in your repository root:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Commit this file to share the server configuration with your team. Each team member supplies credentials via their own environment variables; never commit tokens to the file. Use `${env:IONOS_TOKEN}` in the config to reference an environment variable instead of hardcoding the value:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "${env:IONOS_TOKEN}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Each team member then exports `IONOS_TOKEN` in their shell profile (`~/.zshrc`, `~/.bashrc`) and the token is never stored in the committed file.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Claude Code prompts you to approve a project-scoped `.mcp.json` on first use. When the prompt appears, review the `command` path and `env` block; confirm the binary path is correct and no unexpected variables are present. Select **Allow** to proceed or **Deny** to cancel (the server will not load if denied). For CI/CD environments, use the `--allowedTools` flag or a pre-approved trust policy instead of interactive approval.
{% endhint %}

## Verify the connection

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### List available MCP servers

```bash
claude mcp list
```

`ionoscloud` appears in the output when the server is registered.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Start Claude Code and test

```bash
claude
```

Then type: *List my* <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> *data centers.*

{% hint style="success" %}
**Result:** Claude Code calls `list_datacenters` and returns your data centers.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** All tools are registered at startup by default, so Compute Engine and Object Storage tools appear immediately. To reduce the startup tool count, pass `--env IONOS_MCP_LOAD_MODE=lazy` when adding the server (or add it to `.mcp.json`) and call the `ionos_load_compute_tools` or `ionos_load_objectstorage_tools` sentinels on demand. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Selective Tool Loading</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration/selective-tool-loading.md).
{% endhint %}

## Deploying for a team

The project-scoped `.mcp.json` file is the recommended way to share the MCP server configuration across a team. Because the server is read-only, sharing access to production account data carries no risk of accidental modifications.

**Recommended setup:**

1. Add `.mcp.json` to the repository root using `${env:IONOS_TOKEN}` interpolation so no credentials are committed:

   ```json
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "ionoscloud": {
         "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
         "env": {
           "IONOS_TOKEN": "${env:IONOS_TOKEN}"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   ```
2. Each team member exports their own token in their shell profile:

   ```bash
   export IONOS_TOKEN="their-own-api-token"
   ```
3. Commit `.mcp.json` to the repository. Claude Code prompts each team member to approve it on first use; they review the config and select **Allow**.

**For CI/CD pipelines:** Pass the token as an environment variable in your pipeline and use `claude --allowedTools ionoscloud` to pre-approve the server non-interactively.

For full Claude Code MCP documentation including transport options and dynamic tool updates, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Connect Claude Code to tools via MCP</mark>](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/mcp).


---

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