To learn how to connect an AI tool other than Claude Desktop, skip over to the
Unstructured Transform MCP server installation overview instead.
- AI code editors and IDEs such as Visual Studio Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and JetBrains IDEs.
- AI chat interfaces and desktop assistants such as Codex and Antigravity.
Requirements
This quickstart demonstrates how to use the Unstructured Transform MCP server with Claude Desktop.To learn how to connect an AI tool other than Claude Desktop, skip over to the
Unstructured Transform MCP server installation overview instead.
- A Claude plan. To see if you have a plan, sign in to Claude and then on the sidebar, click your user icon. Sign up for Claude.
-
Claude Desktop installed on your local development machine. Install Claude Desktop.
For Claude Desktop, the Transform MCP server does not support users on the Claude Free plan.
Install the Transform MCP server
Complete one of the following sets of connection instructions, depending on whether you are a Claude Pro or Max plan user or Team or Enterprise plan user.Pro and Max plan users
- Start Claude Desktop.
-
On the sidebar, click your user icon, and then click Settings.
-
On the side pane, under Settings, click Capabilities.
-
In the Code execution and file creation section, switch on the Code execution and file creation toggle.
-
Switch on the Allow network egress toggle.
-
In the Additional allowed domains list, enter the Transform MCP server’s domain as follows:
-
Close the Settings dialog.
-
On the sidebar, click Customize.
-
On the side pane, click Connectors.
-
Next to Connectors, click the plus icon, and then click Browse connectors.
-
With Connectors already selected, do the following:
a. In the Search connectors box, search for and select the Unstructured Transform connector. (If for some reason you cannot find the connector, skip ahead to step 12 in this procedure.)
b. Click Connect, and follow the on-screen directions to finish authenticating.
c. After you finish authenticating, the Transform MCP server is ready for you to start using. Skip ahead to parse your source files.
-
If for some reason you cannot find the Unstructured Transform connector, do the following:
a. Close the Directory dialog.
b. Next to Connectors, click the plus icon, and then click Add custom connector.
c. In the Add custom connector dialog, for Name, enter Unstructured Transform.
d. For Remote MCP server URL, enter the following:
https://mcp.transform.unstructured.io
e. Click Add.
f. Click Connect, and follow the on-screen directions to finish authenticating. After you finish authenticating, the Transform MCP server is ready for you to start using.
g. Click the back button, and then close the Connectors dialog.
h. Skip ahead to parse your source files.
Team and Enterprise plan users
- Start Claude Desktop.
-
One of your plan’s owners must do the following from their Claude Desktop installation first; then you can skip down to step 3 in this procedure.
a. On the sidebar, click your user icon, and then click Settings.
b. On the side pane, under Settings, click Capabilities.
c. In the Code execution and file creation section, switch on the Code execution and file creation toggle.
d. Switch on the Allow network egress toggle.
e. In the Additional allowed domains list, enter the Transform MCP server’s domain as follows:
f. Close the Settings dialog.
g. On the sidebar, click Customize.
h. On the side pane, click Connectors.
i. Next to Connectors, click the plus icon, and then click Add custom connector.
j. In the Add custom connector dialog, for Name, enter Unstructured Transform.
k. For Remote MCP server URL, enter the following:
https://mcp.transform.unstructured.io
l. Click Add.
m. Click the back button, and then close the Connectors dialog.
- On the sidebar, click Customize.
- Click Connectors.
- Click the Unstructured Transform connector that one of your plan’s owners added. It will have a Custom label next to it.
-
Click Connect, and follow the on-screen directions to finish authenticating. After you finish authenticating, the Transform MCP server is ready for you to start using.
-
Click the back button to return to the Claude Desktop main page.
Parse your source files
Parsing requests have the following limits:- Each file must be of a supported file type.
- Each file must be 50 MB or less in size.
- Each request must have 10 files or fewer.
- Only 5 requests can be running at a time.
Chat mode
- In Claude Desktop, on the sidebar, click the speech balloons icon (Chat).
- On the sidebar, click New chat.
- Add the files you want Transform to parse to your chat session. To do this, next to the Write a message prompt, click the plus icon (Add files, connectors, and more).
- Click Add files or photos.
- Follow the on-screen directions to finish adding the files.
-
From your chat message prompt, ask the following:
Transform parses your input files and delivers its results to you as a set of output files, one output file per input file.
- Skip ahead to the next steps.
Cowork mode
- In Claude Desktop, on the sidebar, click the to-do list icon (Cowork).
- On the sidebar, click Projects.
- Click New project.
- Click Use an existing folder.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to choose the folder that contains the files you want Transform to parse.
-
From your chat message prompt, ask the following:
Transform parses your input files and delivers its results to you as a set of output files, one output file per input file.
Next steps
- Control Transform file parsing output: Control how the Unstructured Transform MCP server instructs Transform to partition, enrich, chunk, and embed the data based on your files.
- Control Transform generated sample code: Control how the Unstructured Transform MCP server generates sample curl or Python code that demonstrates how to use Transform to partition, enrich, chunk, and embed the data based on your files.
Questions? Need help?
- For general questions about Unstructured products and pricing, email Unstructured Sales at sales@unstructured.io.
- For technical support, request support.