MCP tools missing in the Claude phone app? Why, and how to reach your computer
Local MCP servers and desktop extensions run on your computer and connect only to Claude Desktop there, so the Claude app on your phone and claude.ai on the web can’t use them. BCD is a remote connector instead: a small background agent on your computer connects out to BCD, and every Claude app, phone included, reaches the computer through it. One computer is free with 20,000 tool calls a month.
BCD runs on Mac and Linux, and on Windows in beta. Try the Windows beta ›
One computer free, with 20,000 tool calls a month. No card required. Your AI app’s subscription is separate.
Side by side
| BCD | Local MCP servers in Claude Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Claude on the web, Claude Desktop and the Claude apps for iOS and Android, plus ChatGPT, Claude Code and Codex | Claude Desktop on the computer where the server is installed |
| From your phone | Yes. Ask in the Claude app and the work happens on your computer. | No. The phone apps can’t reach servers on your computer. |
| What runs on the computer | A small background agent that starts when you log in. No app window to keep open. | Each server, started by Claude Desktop |
| Adding it to Claude | Once, as a custom connector in Claude on the web. It then shows up in every Claude app. | On each computer, in Claude Desktop under Settings → Extensions or in its config file |
| Claude plan | Any plan with custom connectors. Free accounts can add one. | — |
| Computers | Mac, Linux, Windows (beta). Several on one account; name one in your request. | The computer running Claude Desktop |
| Network | The computer connects out to BCD; no open ports or tunnels | Stays on the computer |
| Permissions | New computers start read-only. Turn on write, commands, screen control and clipboard per computer in the dashboard. | Set by each server’s own configuration |
| PDF, Word and Excel | Read, write and edit them with built-in tools | Depends on the servers you install |
| Price | One computer free with 20,000 tool calls a month. Personal is $7.99/month for 3 computers and unlimited tool calls; Plus, Pro and Team plans too. | Claude Desktop is a free download; servers vary |
| When the chat connection drops | Long jobs keep running, and BCD can report the outcome of a call whose result was lost | — |
| Undo | Undo file changes the AI made | — |
Claude Desktop and connector details as of October 2026, from Anthropic’s help articles on local MCP servers in Claude Desktop and on custom connectors. “—” means we didn’t check it; see Anthropic’s help center.
Set up BCD in 3 steps
Create a free BCD account.
Paste this line into Terminal on your Mac or Linux computer, then click Approve in your browser (on Windows, the dashboard shows a PowerShell line instead):
curl -fsSL https://bcd.snack-wrap.com | bashIn Claude or ChatGPT, add
https://bcd.snack-wrap.com/mcpas a connector and sign in to BCD when asked. Then ask from any device where you use that app, including your phone.
Your local servers keep working in Claude Desktop next to BCD; they don’t conflict. BCD is for the times you are away from the computer, or when you want the same computer in every Claude app.
What BCD adds
PDF, Word and Excel: read, write and edit documents and spreadsheets.
Video editing on your Mac with AVFoundation; no ffmpeg needed.
iOS apps: build, run tests and upload to TestFlight.
Undo: see the file changes the AI made and roll one back.
Saved workflows: save a series of steps and run it again later, or on a schedule such as every weekday at 8:00 with no chat open, with an email if a run fails. Schedules are not in ChatGPT until OpenAI approves them.
Files and your phone: ask for a file and get a download link; get a link that saves photos from your phone into a folder on the computer. Not in ChatGPT until OpenAI approves it.
Dropped chats: long jobs keep running, and the outcome of a lost call can be checked.
Several computers can share one account, with one set as the default, and teams can share access.
Questions
Why don’t my MCP servers show up in the Claude phone app?
Local MCP servers and desktop extensions run on your computer and connect only to Claude Desktop there. The phone apps and claude.ai use connectors that Claude reaches over the internet instead. BCD is one: your computer connects out to BCD, and Claude reaches the computer through it.
Can I add the connector on my phone?
Add it once in Claude on the web or in Claude Desktop. It then shows up in the Claude app on your phone too.
Do my files get uploaded?
BCD doesn’t copy your folders anywhere. When the AI reads a file, that content passes through BCD’s relay in memory to reach your AI app, and BCD doesn’t store it. Your AI app handles it under its own policy.
Is BCD free?
One computer is free with 20,000 tool calls a month. Personal is $7.99 a month for up to 3 computers with unlimited tool calls, and Plus ($9.99), Pro ($13.99) and Team ($29) are also available. New accounts get Personal free for a month, no card needed. Your AI app’s subscription is separate.
One computer free, with 20,000 tool calls a month. No card required. Your AI app’s subscription is separate.