Install Roo in Claude

Get your Roo API key

Sign into app.roo.bz. Open your account settings and go to the Api Keys tab. Press the copy button next to your key.

Keep it private Treat this like a password. Don't paste it in a chat, an email, or a support ticket. In the next steps you'll put it once into a file on your own computer, and Claude reads it from there.

Make sure Node.js is installed

This is the little runtime Roo uses under the hood. Most people already have it. To check, open your terminal (PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on Mac) and type:

node --version

If you see something like v20.11.1 or higher, you're set. If you get "not recognized" or "command not found," install it from nodejs.org — grab the LTS button, run the installer, click through the defaults, then restart your terminal.

Open Claude Desktop's settings file

This is a small text file where Claude keeps its list of connected tools. We're going to add Roo to it. The easiest way works on every platform and every install type:

Inside Claude Desktop, click:

Settings → Developer → Edit Config

That opens claude_desktop_config.json in your default text editor. Skip to Step 4.

Don't see "Edit Config"? Some older versions or non-standard installs hide it. Use the manual fallback below for your OS.

Open Finder, then in the menu bar choose Go → Go to Folder… (or press ⌘⇧G). Paste this and press Return:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude

You should see a file called claude_desktop_config.json. Right-click it and choose Open With → TextEdit (or any text editor you like). If the file doesn't exist yet, create a new plain-text file with that exact name and put the two characters {} in it as its content.

Press Win + R to open the Run box. Paste this and press Enter:

%APPDATA%\Claude

File Explorer opens on the folder. You should see claude_desktop_config.json. Right-click it and choose Open with → Notepad. If the file doesn't exist yet, create a new text file with that exact name (including the .json extension) and put the two characters {} in it as its content.

If Windows says "cannot find" This means you have the Microsoft Store version of Claude Desktop, which sandboxes its settings folder. The Run-box path doesn't work for Store installs — go back and use the Settings → Developer → Edit Config option in the app instead. That works regardless of install type.

Add Roo to the file

The file might already have other tools set up (GitHub, Filesystem, and so on). We're adding Roo alongside them, not replacing them. Pick the case that matches what you see in the file:

Replace whatever is in the file with this whole block. Then swap PASTE_YOUR_KEY_HERE with the key you copied in Step 1. Save the file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "roo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@roo-bz/roo-mcp"],
      "env": { "ROO_API_KEY": "PASTE_YOUR_KEY_HERE" }
    }
  }
}

Find the mcpServers block that's already in your file. Add the Roo entry inside it, next to your existing tools. Every entry inside mcpServers needs a comma after it, except the last one.

Here's what a file looks like before adding Roo:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    }
  }
}

…and after. Notice the comma after the GitHub entry and the new Roo block added below it. Swap PASTE_YOUR_KEY_HERE with your key from Step 1, then save.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    },
    "roo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@roo-bz/roo-mcp"],
      "env": { "ROO_API_KEY": "PASTE_YOUR_KEY_HERE" }
    }
  }
}

The Copy button copies just the Roo entry (the part that starts with "roo":). Paste it inside your existing mcpServers braces, and add a comma after the previous entry.

Watch out for

Missing or extra commas. Each entry inside mcpServers needs a comma after it — except the last one.
Extra quotes around your key. Keep exactly the double quotes shown; if your pasted key already has quotes, delete them.
Accidentally deleting a closing } or ]. If the file won't save or Claude complains next launch, the file is invalid — try jsonlint.com to spot the missing bracket.

Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit — closing the window isn't enough. On macOS, right-click the Claude icon in your Dock and choose Quit (or press ⌘Q). On Windows, right-click the Claude icon in the system tray (bottom-right) and choose Quit.

Wait a couple of seconds, then open Claude Desktop again.

Use Roo shortlinks
right inside Claude.

Before you start, you'll need

Get your Roo API key

Make sure Node.js is installed

Open Claude Desktop's settings file

Add Roo to the file

Restart Claude Desktop

Try it out

Something didn't work?