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Install in Claude

ARC-1 plugs into every Claude surface — but how you install depends on which Claude app you use and where the ARC-1 server runs (locally on your machine, or remotely on BTP Cloud Foundry). Find your row, then jump to that section.

You use… ARC-1 runs… Install path Skills included?
Claude Desktop locally (npx, your machine) One-click .mcpb bundle —
Claude Code locally (npx, your machine) Plugin (/plugin install) ✅ all of them
claude.ai / Desktop / mobile / Cowork remotely (BTP Cloud Foundry) Custom connector (URL + OAuth) —
Claude Code remotely (BTP Cloud Foundry) claude mcp add --transport http add separately

MCPB is local-only; skills don't live inside it

The .mcpb bundle and a remote connector both wire up the tools only. The 18 SAP skills (RAP, CDS, ABAP Unit, clean-core, UI5 modernization) are a separate layer. The Claude Code plugin is the only artifact that bundles the MCP server and the skills in one install — so for Claude Code, prefer the plugin.

Claude Desktop — one-click (.mcpb)

The simplest path for a single developer on a SAP system reachable from your laptop.

  1. Download the latest arc-1-<version>.mcpb from the Releases page. It is attached to every release from the first one after this feature ships; if the newest release has no .mcpb yet, build it locally per the publishing guide.
  2. Double-click it, or open Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions and drag the file in.
  3. Claude prompts for your SAP connection. URL, user, and password are required (the password is stored in your OS keychain). The rest are optional and default to the safe choice — client, language, TLS, and the safety toggles (Allow Writes, the write package scope, data preview, free SQL, transport and Git writes). Fill them in and enable the extension. Full field list: configuration reference.
  4. Ask Claude: "Using the SAP tools, show me the source of report RSPO0041." — it should call SAPRead.

What the bundle is

A pure-JS, cross-platform (macOS / Windows / Linux) build of the stdio server. It uses the in-memory cache (the native SQLite cache is intentionally omitted so one bundle runs everywhere). Read-only by default — flip Allow Writes in the extension's settings to enable mutations (writes still land in $TMP unless you widen the package scope). For SQLite caching, multi-user, or CI use, run the Docker image or deploy to BTP instead.

Prefer to hand-edit JSON? The classic claude_desktop_config.json path (and the read-only vs full-dev env blocks) is in the Quickstart.

Claude Code — plugin (server + skills)

For Claude Code, ARC-1 ships as a single plugin from a marketplace hosted in the repo. One install gives you the MCP server and every SAP skill.

/plugin marketplace add marianfoo/arc-1
/plugin install arc-1@arc-1

Claude Code prompts for your SAP connection when the plugin is enabled (password → OS keychain), starts the arc-1 MCP server via npx, and loads the skills namespaced as /arc-1:<skill> — e.g. /arc-1:generate-rap-service. Manage it with /plugin; run /reload-plugins after an update.

Just the server, or just the skills
  • Only the MCP server (no skills, no plugin): claude mcp add arc-1 --env SAP_URL=… --env SAP_USER=… --env SAP_PASSWORD=… -- npx -y arc-1 — see the Claude Code MCP docs.
  • Only the skills (server already added another way): npx skills add marianfoo/arc-1 — see the skills README for the cross-agent CLI (Cursor, Copilot, Codex, Gemini CLI, …).

Remote (BTP Cloud Foundry) — custom connector

When ARC-1 is deployed on BTP Cloud Foundry (multi-user, per-user SAP identity, XSUAA OAuth), clients connect to it over HTTP instead of running it locally. There is no .mcpb for this — MCPB is local-only. You connect a custom connector by URL.

  1. Open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
  2. Paste your server URL: https://<your-cf-app>/mcp.
  3. Authenticate via OAuth (XSUAA). For most clients ARC-1's Dynamic Client Registration handles the rest; if your client asks, supply the OAuth Client ID / Secret under Advanced settings.

The endpoint must be internet-reachable

Claude connects to your server from Anthropic's cloud, not from your device. The CF route is public by design, with XSUAA OAuth + scopes enforcing access — but a server bound only to an internal network won't work for these clients.

claude mcp add --transport http arc-1 https://<your-cf-app>/mcp

Claude Code opens a browser for the OAuth login. Add the skills separately with npx skills add marianfoo/arc-1.

Setting up the deployment (XSUAA, Destination Service, Cloud Connector, per-user principal propagation) is covered in BTP Cloud Foundry Deployment, XSUAA Setup, and Principal Propagation.

Which path should I choose?

  • Trying ARC-1 solo against a reachable dev system → Claude Desktop .mcpb. Zero config files.
  • Doing ABAP work in Claude Code → the plugin. You get the skills, which is most of the value.
  • A team, governed access, per-user SAP identity, SSO → deploy on BTP CF and connect via custom connector. Start at Deployment.
  • SSO-only SAP (SAML / SPNEGO / X.509) with a local install → Basic Auth won't work; use the cookie extractor.

After connecting, see the Tools Reference, the MCP Usage Guide, and the authorization model for what each capability needs.