Claude Desktop does not ship native HTTP MCP headers in every build. The mcp-remote bridge launched through npx forwards Bearer auth to https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp so local Claude sessions can call Get Trends, Get Growth, and Get Top Trends without running a separate proxy.
The parent guide at Trends MCP for Claude covers Claude.ai, Claude Desktop, and Claude Code in one place. This page goes deeper on the Desktop-only path: the mcp-remote package, exact JSON shape, file locations, and the restart step teams skip when tools never appear.
Claude Desktop spawns MCP servers as child processes and speaks stdio to them. Trends MCP runs as a hosted HTTP endpoint. Without a bridge, Desktop cannot attach Bearer headers to a remote URL.
npx mcp-remote starts a small local process that:
https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcpAuthorization header from the config env blockThat pattern matches the snippet in llms.txt and keeps one API key valid across REST and MCP calls.
| OS | Path |
|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json |
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json |
If the file is missing, create it with an empty mcpServers object and add the block below.
Replace YOUR_API_KEY with a key from https://www.trendsmcp.ai/account.
"trends-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"],
"env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
}
The entry sits inside mcpServers at the root of claude_desktop_config.json. A minimal file looks like:
{
"mcpServers": {
"trends-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"],
"env": { "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
}
}
}
Node.js must be installed so npx resolves. The -y flag accepts the mcp-remote package download on first run.
Claude Desktop caches MCP processes. After editing JSON:
If tools are missing, open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer and confirm trends-mcp shows as connected. A 401 response usually means the Bearer prefix was dropped or the key was rotated at account.
Tools for this workflow
get_trendsAfter restart, ask Claude Desktop to chart five years of Google Search volume for a product category. Claude calls get_time_series and narrates whether demand is rising or fading.
{"mode": "get_time_series", "source": "google search", "keyword": "standing desk"}get_growthCompare 3-month and 12-month growth for a keyword across Google Search, TikTok, and YouTube in one message. Claude returns period labels, percent change, and direction fields from the growth payload.
{"mode": "get_growth", "source": "google search,youtube,tiktok", "keyword": "cold plunge", "percent_growth": ["3M", "12M"]}get_top_trendsPull the current YouTube Trending or Google Trends leaderboard with no keyword. Claude summarizes what is breaking before drafting a brief or outline.
{"mode": "get_top_trends", "type": "YouTube Trending", "limit": 15}FAQ