Getting startedMCP server

On-premises

For on-premises (self-hosted) deployments, the MCP server runs inside your own network and may not be reachable from the public internet, so the typical connection flow may not work.

The Polytomic Connector is a Claude Desktop extension that bridges Claude Desktop to your on-premises Polytomic MCP server. It runs on the user’s machine, where the MCP server is reachable, and authenticates with a Polytomic API key. This guide walks through installing and configuring it.

When to use this connector

Use the Polytomic Connector when your Polytomic MCP server is only reachable from within your network (for example, a private-cloud or VPN-gated deployment). If your MCP server is publicly reachable, you can use Claude’s standard remote MCP connector instead.

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop, with the Polytomic Connector extension installed (see below).
  • The URL of your Polytomic MCP server, e.g. https://mcp.polytomic.mycompany.com. Your MCP server must be reachable from the machine running Claude Desktop.
  • A Polytomic API key. Create one in Polytomic under Settings → API keys.
Private and internal certificates

The connector loads your operating system’s trust store at startup, so an MCP server secured with an internal or private certificate authority is verified automatically.

Install the connector

  1. Download the latest version of the connector (polytomic-connector.mcpb) from the GitHub repository.
  2. Double-click the file to open it in Claude Desktop.
  3. Review the details, then click Install.

Installing the Polytomic Connector in Claude Desktop

Configure the connector

Configuring the Polytomic Connector

After installing, click Configure and fill in the connection settings:

  • MCP server URL (required) — the full URL of your Polytomic MCP server, e.g. https://mcp.polytomic.mycompany.com.
  • Polytomic API key (required) — a Polytomic API key. Create one in Polytomic under Settings → API keys.
  • Read-only access (optional) — turn this on to restrict the connection to read-only Polytomic operations. Leave it off for full access.

Click Save.

Read-only mode

When read-only access is enabled, the connector tells the MCP server to allow only read operations. Use this when you want Claude to explore and report on your Polytomic deployment without making changes.

Enable the connection

Enabling the Polytomic Connector

After configuring the extension click the Enabled toggle to connect. You can change the settings any time by clicking Configure, or remove the connector with Uninstall.

Start a new chat in Claude Desktop and ask about your Polytomic deployment to confirm the connection is working.

Troubleshooting

  • Cannot reach the MCP server — confirm the machine running Claude Desktop can reach the MCP server URL (for example, that you are on the VPN). The connector runs on your machine, so the server only needs to be reachable from there, not from Anthropic.
  • Authentication errors — verify the API key is valid and has not been revoked. Create a new key in Polytomic under Settings → API keys if needed.
  • Certificate errors — the connector trusts your OS certificate store. If verification fails, ensure your internal certificate authority is installed in the operating system’s trust store on the user’s machine.