Does anyone use the Compose Hot Reload MCP server ...

# compose

[Stefan Oltmann]

Does anyone use the Compose Hot Reload MCP server with Claude Code Desktop?

I added the .mcp.json like described in github.com/jetbrains/compose-hot-reload#…, but Claude keeps telling me that I need to approve it and it can't connect and so on.

I can't figure out how to make it work. What's the trick?

[Nikita Lipsky]

Hello! For troubleshooting please run ./gradlew hotMcpServer from the root of your project. What does it say?

[Stefan Oltmann]

@Nikita Lipsky Nothing unexpected.

14:18:29: Executing 'hotMcpServer'…

Starting Gradle Daemon...
Gradle Daemon started in 783 ms

> Configure project :app
matching ref: COMMIT - 72f52c8e39af4e7082424668641ac04846df37b3
  ref configuration: COMMIT - pattern: null
    version: ${commit.short}
    describeTagFirstParent: true

app > project version: 72f52c8

> Task :app:hotMcpServerJvm
 | 14:18:38.815 | null     | Info  | ComposeHotReloadMcp | main | MCP server starting. Watching PID file: C:\Users\micro\IdeaProjects\thumbnail-fixer\app\build\run\jvmMain\jvmMain.pid
kotlin-logging: initializing... active logger factory: Slf4jLoggerFactory
SLF4J(W): No SLF4J providers were found.
SLF4J(W): Defaulting to no-operation (NOP) logger implementation
SLF4J(W): See <https://www.slf4j.org/codes.html#noProviders> for further details.
 | 14:19:20.372 | null     | Info  | ComposeHotReloadMcp | main | Found orchestration port 52367, connecting...
 | 14:19:20.624 | null     | Info  | ComposeHotReloadMcp | main | Connected to orchestration on port 52367

[Nikita Lipsky]

Ok. Does Claude see hotreload MCP from CLI?

[Stefan Oltmann]

@Nikita Lipsky
I use Claude Desktop. If I tell it to use the MCP server it always tells me that it can't.
I don't know what to do.

[Stefan Oltmann]

And /mcp just opens up some market place where I can install listed MCP servers.

[Stefan Oltmann]

I think the docs could need some kind of tutorial on how to start using the MCP server with Claude Code. It isn't obvious to me. 😕

[Nikita Lipsky]

> I use Claude Desktop.
I understand this. Don't you have Claude CLI?

[Stefan Oltmann]

I just installed the Desktop app and I doesn't seem to install the CLI - or provide a terminal from withing the app.

[Stefan Oltmann]

So custom MCP server can't be used with Desktop?
In that case I can install the CLI.

Do I need to enter some specific command to make it work?

[Nikita Lipsky]

We tested CHR MCP with Claude Code CLI -- it is installed separately from Claude desktop. Unfortunately I can't test right now Claude desktop -- I don't have access to its "Code" tab so far and "Cowork" says explicitly that it does not support mcp servers. I'll let you know when I have more information.

[Nikita Lipsky]

Ok, I was able to add "Code" tab to Claude desktop and it works ok for me -- it finds the mcp server in .mcp.json connects to it and uses its tools. Please check that you run your app with CHR (MCP server works connecting to a running application that was launched with Compose Hot Reload) and that you use "Code" tab in Claude Desktop, not "Cowork"/"Chat".

[Stefan Oltmann]

🤔

Yes, I'm using "Code".

I assume that I need to connect the MCP server on CLI before Claude Code Desktop can use it. I'll try that.

[Nikita Lipsky]

My session:

[Stefan Oltmann]

Noted. I depleted my quota for now and will try again in 3 hours.

[Stefan Oltmann]

While waiting for my limit to reset, I tried it with OpenCode. It works there.

MiMo V2.5 was able to connect with it and can take screenshots. It also generated the config I need.

One thing I noted:
It said since CMP Hot Reload doesn't provide a REST API but communicates via stdio OpenCode needs to start the MCP server.

{
  "$schema": "<https://opencode.ai/config.json>",
  "mcp": {
    "compose-hot-reload": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": [
        "./gradlew",
        "--no-daemon",
        "--quiet",
        "--console=plain",
        "hotMcpServer"
      ],
      "cwd": "C:/Users/Stefan/IdeaProjects/mines-plus",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

[Nikita Lipsky]

That's correct

[Stefan Oltmann]

So running gradle hotMcpServer before I start Claude Code doesn't really help. That's what Claude demands.
I think it doesn't quite understand that it should start the MCP server - like some configuration that is missing.

[Nikita Lipsky]

Claude Claude CLI starts the MCP servers listed in .msp.json as commands. I believe that Claude Desktop / Code also does it

[Stefan Oltmann]

It doesn't look like that to me.

[Alexandru Caraus]

i tried recently the claude desktop, and cli is much nicer tbh

[Alexandru Caraus]

also didnt know about the existence of the mcp for hot reload until now, though claude code found a way to do that through gnome screen sharing on its own :), the mcp must be a beter way it could runs also some test maybe

[Stefan Oltmann]

I guess Claude Desktop just doesn't get the same love as the CLI.

Maybe that's me, but in general I prefer a nice UI.

[Alexandru Caraus]

I believe its much newer, and targets the average folk that does not fancy cli tools