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RedNote MCP for Claude Desktop: Setup & Config

RedNote MCP gives Claude Desktop access to Xiaohongshu content through keyword searches and note URLs.

What you can do with RedNote in Claude Desktop

A focused Xiaohongshu note-access bridge with keyword search and reusable browser authentication.

  • Search Xiaohongshu notes by keyword from an assistant.
  • Retrieve note content using a known URL.

Before you start: RedNote in Claude Desktop

  • Node.js 16 or later
  • npm 7 or later
  • Playwright browser environment
  • A manually initialized Xiaohongshu login session
  • An MCP-compatible client

The README begins with npx playwright install. Its global setup runs npm install -g rednote-mcp followed by rednote-mcp init for browser login. Cookies are saved to ~/.mcp/rednote/cookies.json. The --stdio flag is required in the documented Cursor configuration. No required environment variables are stated.

RedNote Claude Desktop configuration

  1. Choose Claude Desktop configuration scope

    For RedNote MCP, open macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Merge under mcpServers via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

  2. Add RedNote MCP to Claude Desktop

    Use the RedNote-MCP entry below in mcpServers. Keep RedNote MCP's documented stdio connection fields and your other Claude Desktop entries.

  3. Check RedNote MCP in Claude Desktop

    RedNote MCP: Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop; check developer diagnostics.

Config file · macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

JSON
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "RedNote-MCP": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "rednote-mcp",
        "--stdio"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

RedNote tools available to Claude Desktop

RedNote's stored tool list documents 1 tool; compare it with Claude Desktop's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

login

When Claude Desktop requests login from RedNote, review the action before approving it.

Initialize authentication from an MCP client; the README does not detail its parameters.

RedNote: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting RedNote in Claude Desktop

  • Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop for RedNote MCP. If npx rednote-mcp (Node.js/npm) is missing, check the desktop process's PATH, which may differ from your terminal.
  • RedNote MCP uses stdio here: Claude Desktop must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
  • Known limitation: Initial login must be completed manually in a browser.
  • Known limitation: Saved cookies are sensitive and need periodic renewal.
  • Known limitation: Comment retrieval by URL is not yet implemented.
  • General Claude Desktop troubleshooting lives in the /clients/claude-desktop guide.

RedNote MCP — details. Claude Desktop guide

Frequently asked questions

Claude Desktop loads RedNote MCP from claude_desktop_config.json: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ on macOS, or %APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows. Open it via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

Claude Desktop's RedNote-MCP example uses stdio.

RedNote MCP's Claude Desktop configuration invokes npx rednote-mcp (Node.js/npm).

RedNote MCP's stored list contains 1 tool, including login. Compare those names with Claude Desktop's connected tool list; the stored list is not a live check.

Run the documented initialization command, complete login manually in the browser, and let the server persist the resulting cookies.

The README gives ~/.mcp/rednote/cookies.json as the cookie location and warns against exposing it.