This guide contains everything you need to connect Claude Desktop to your Celonis MCP Server.
| File | What it does |
|---|---|
| Setup Guide | This file — start here. |
| Configure the Claude Desktop / MCP Setup | The config file that tells Claude Desktop how to connect to Celonis. |
| Auto-Refresh Script for Celonis Access Tokens | A script that automatically fetches a fresh access token before each session. |
Before you start, make sure you have:
- ✅ Claude Desktop installed
- ✅ Your Celonis OAuth Client ID and Client Secret (from Celonis Admin → Applications)
- ✅ Your Celonis MCP Server URL (from your published MCP Asset in Celonis Studio)
- ✅
Node.jsinstalled on your computer (needed to runmcp-remote) — download at nodejs.org if needed.
Step 1 — Fill in the refresh script Go to Auto-Refresh Script for Celonis Access Token and follow the instructions to save the script with your credentials filled in. Run it once — this fetches your first access token and writes it into the Claude Desktop config automatically.
Step 2 — Verify the config file Open Claude Desktop MCP Setup to confirm the config file looks correct after the script runs. The AUTH_TOKEN value should now contain a long token string starting with Bearer eyJ...
Step 3 — Restart Claude Desktop Fully quit Claude Desktop (don't just close the window) and then reopen it. The Celonis MCP server should now appear as connected.
Step 4 — Set up auto-refresh (recommended) The token expires every 15 minutes. Follow the Run the script automatically on login instructions so the token is automatically refreshed every time you start your computer.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Connection refused / blocked | Cloudflare WAF blocking mcp-remote | Contact Celonis support to whitelist MCP traffic from your IP |
| Token invalid or expired | Access token has expired | Re-run the refresh script and restart Claude Desktop |
npx: command not found | Node.js not installed | Install from nodejs.org |
| MCP server not appearing in Claude | Config file path is wrong | Double-check the file is saved in the exact path shown in claude_desktop_config.md |
| Permission denied (Mac) | Script not executable | Run chmod +x refresh-token.sh in Terminal first |
- Never share your Client Secret — treat it like a password.
- The access token expires every 15 minutes — this is a Celonis Platform limitation, not a bug.
- Application Keys are being deprecated — Celonis is blocking new Application Key creation beginning June 30th 2026, so OAuth is the recommended long-term approach.