Connect Zen

Choose your client and follow the steps below.

Visual Studio Code

Install the MCP extension

Open VS Code and install GitHub Copilot (includes MCP support) from the Extensions Marketplace, or confirm it's already installed.

Open your MCP settings

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (or ⌘+Shift+P on macOS) and search for MCP: Add Server, or manually edit:

.vscode/mcp.json

Add the server configuration

Paste the following into your mcp.json file:

{
  "servers": {
    "zen": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "mcp/zen"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY",
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY",
        "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Set required environment variables

When prompted, provide values for:

OPENROUTER_API_KEY GEMINI_API_KEY OPENAI_API_KEY XAI_API_KEY

Start using it

Open Copilot Chat and the Zen tools will be available automatically.

Cursor

Open Cursor Settings

Go to Cursor Settings → MCP and click + Add new global MCP server, or manually edit:

~/.cursor/mcp.json

Add the server configuration

Paste the following into your mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zen": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "mcp/zen"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY",
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY",
        "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Set required environment variables

Provide values for:

OPENROUTER_API_KEY GEMINI_API_KEY OPENAI_API_KEY XAI_API_KEY

Start using it

Open Cursor's AI chat — the Zen tools will appear automatically.

ChatGPT (Desktop)

Open ChatGPT Desktop settings

Click your profile icon → Settings → Beta features and ensure MCP plugin support is enabled.

Add the MCP server

Navigate to Settings → MCP Servers → + Add Server and paste:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zen": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "mcp/zen"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY",
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY",
        "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Set required environment variables

Provide values for:

OPENROUTER_API_KEY GEMINI_API_KEY OPENAI_API_KEY XAI_API_KEY

Start using it

Start a new chat — Zen tools will be available when the server is connected.

Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop config

Open the Claude Desktop configuration file at:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add to the mcpServers object

Merge the following into the "mcpServers" key:

{
  "zen": {
    "command": "docker",
    "args": [
      "run",
      "-i",
      "--rm",
      "mcp/zen"
    ],
    "env": {
      "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY",
      "GEMINI_API_KEY": "YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY",
      "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY",
      "XAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_XAI_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Set required environment variables

Replace the placeholder values for:

OPENROUTER_API_KEY GEMINI_API_KEY OPENAI_API_KEY XAI_API_KEY

Restart Claude Desktop

Quit and reopen Claude Desktop. The Zen tools will appear in the tools menu.