Spawn multiple specialized Claude Code agents as MCP servers, each independently configured.
To add claude-octopus to Claude, run the install command below or copy the ready-made config for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and VS Code further down. Restart your client after adding it and its tools show up in your next conversation. It needs 7 environment variables, listed below.
Install
npx -y claude-octopus@1.1.10Environment variables
ANTHROPIC_API_KEYSet in your MCP configCLAUDE_TOOL_NAMESet in your MCP configCLAUDE_MODELSet in your MCP configCLAUDE_PERMISSION_MODESet in your MCP configCLAUDE_ALLOWED_TOOLSSet in your MCP configCLAUDE_APPEND_PROMPTSet in your MCP configCLAUDE_FACTORY_ONLYSet in your MCP configInstall with your client
claude mcp add claude-octopus --env ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=<YOUR_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY> --env CLAUDE_TOOL_NAME=<YOUR_CLAUDE_TOOL_NAME> --env CLAUDE_MODEL=<YOUR_CLAUDE_MODEL> --env CLAUDE_PERMISSION_MODE=<YOUR_CLAUDE_PERMISSION_MODE> --env CLAUDE_ALLOWED_TOOLS=<YOUR_CLAUDE_ALLOWED_TOOLS> --env CLAUDE_APPEND_PROMPT=<YOUR_CLAUDE_APPEND_PROMPT> --env CLAUDE_FACTORY_ONLY=<YOUR_CLAUDE_FACTORY_ONLY> -- npx -y claude-octopus@1.1.10
Run this in a terminal to add the server to Claude Code.
What this does
claude-octopus exposes a set of tools to Claude over the Model Context Protocol. After you add it to claude_desktop_config.json (snippet above) and restart Claude Desktop, those tools become callable inside any conversation.
Requirements
This server needs the following environment variables to be set before it can run:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY CLAUDE_TOOL_NAME CLAUDE_MODEL CLAUDE_PERMISSION_MODE CLAUDE_ALLOWED_TOOLS CLAUDE_APPEND_PROMPT CLAUDE_FACTORY_ONLY
Set these via the env object in your MCP config (see claude_desktop_config.json snippet above).
Frequently asked questions
How do I install claude-octopus?
Run the Claude Code command in the install section to add claude-octopus to Claude Code, or copy the ready-made config for your client from the install section on this page. Restart your client afterwards and the tools appear in your next conversation.
Which clients work with claude-octopus?
This page carries setup and config for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and VS Code. Any other MCP client that accepts a standard server config can connect to claude-octopus as well.
Does claude-octopus need an API key?
Yes. Before it can run, set these environment variables: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, CLAUDE_TOOL_NAME, CLAUDE_MODEL, CLAUDE_PERMISSION_MODE, CLAUDE_ALLOWED_TOOLS, CLAUDE_APPEND_PROMPT, CLAUDE_FACTORY_ONLY. They go in the env block of your MCP config.
Imported from the Official MCP Registry. The details above come from the registry entry; the maker can claim this listing to correct them, add docs, and see its traffic.
Is this your MCP server?
Claim this listing to see its traffic, fix details yourself, and skip the review queue on future updates.
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