How to Install Lara Translate MCP Server into Claude AI Desktop App

This article will guide you through the process of installing the Lara Translate MCP Server into your Claude AI Desktop application on macOS. While the tutorial focuses on Mac installation, a similar process can be followed for Windows users.

It builds on the basic MCP installation steps of a MCP server into Claude AI Desktop (details here) and includes specific instructions tailored for integrating the Lara translation service.

Prerequisites

• A Claude AI account
• Claude AI Desktop application installed on your Mac
• Node.js installed on your Mac (version 22 or superior)

Step 1: Install Claude AI Desktop

1. Create a Claude AI account or log into your existing account
2. Download the Claude AI Desktop application from the official website
3. Install the application on your Mac
4. Launch and log into your account from the desktop app

Step 2: Access Configuration Settings

1. Open the Claude AI Desktop app
2. Go to the main app menu and click "Claude" > "Settings..."
3. In the Settings window, click "Developer" and then "Edit Config"
4. This will open a folder and highlight the Claude AI configuration file
5. Open the Claude AI configuration file with any text editor

Step 3: Add Lara Translate MCP Configuration

1. Copy the Lara Translate configuration text below
   
   {
  "mcpServers": {
    "lara-translate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@translated/lara-mcp@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LARA_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "<YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID>",
        "LARA_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET": "<YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET>"
      }
    }
  }
}
2. Paste it into the configuration file you opened
3. Add your Lara Translate API credentials
4. Save the configuration file
   

If you have other MCP Servers activate on your Claude AI, just append the text below inside the mcpServers section.

"lara-translate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@translated/lara-mcp@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LARA_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "<YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID>",
        "LARA_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET": "<YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET>"
      }
    }

Make sure to add a comma after the last mcp server.

Replace <YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID> and <YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET> with your Lara Translate API credentials

See example below:

Step 4: Activate and Test

1. Restart the Claude AI Desktop application
2. When the app reopens, you should see a hammer icon indicating that MCP is active
3. Test the Lara Translate functionality

After completing these steps, your Claude AI Desktop application should now be integrated with Lara Translate MCP Server, allowing you to use translation capabilities within the Claude interface.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues during installation, verify that:

• Your Node.js installation is working correctly
• You've the latest version of Node.js installed
• Having multiple versions of Node.js can cause the MCP Server to fail
• You've correctly entered your Lara API credentials
• The configuration file is properly formatted
• You've restarted the Claude AI Desktop application after making changes

Enjoy using Lara Translate with your Claude AI Desktop application!

Useful links

• Claude AI MCP configuration guide
• Nodejs installation file and guide
• Lara Translate MCP Server Code
• How to Generate an API Key for Lara translate
• Lara Translate API documentation
• Model Context Protocol – A Guide for AI and Multi-Agent Systems
• What Should an MCP Server for Language Translation Do?

This article is about

• Step-by-step guide for installing Lara Translate MCP Server in Claude AI Desktop
• Instructions for configuring the Desktop app to integrate translation capabilities
• Complete process from basic MCP setup to adding Lara API credentials