MCP server scopes
MCP and safety · scope: local · project · user
A scope answers two questions: which projects an MCP server works in and who sees it. Claude Code has three, chosen when you add a server: local, the default, only you and the current project; project, the whole team through a .mcp.json file in the repo, each person approves the server before first use; user, only you and all your projects. On a name clash the upper layer wins entirely: local overrides project, project overrides user.
The three scopes side by side
| local | project | user | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who sees it | only you | the whole team | only you |
| In which projects | the current one | this repository | all of yours |
| Where it is stored | ~/.claude.json, under the project path | .mcp.json at the repo root | ~/.claude.json, shared section |
| How to add | claude mcp add by default | claude mcp add --scope project | claude mcp add --scope user |
| Before first use | nothing | everyone approves the server | nothing |
| On a name clash | overrides project and user | overrides user | yields to the others |
Where it appears · 4
- MCP server and AI agent for 1C · Harness
- The agent’s data plane and control plane · Harness
- MCP scopes in Claude Code · Harness
- MCP for an AI agent · Harness