Claude Code on the Mac

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Claude Code and Claude Desktop Compared

Claude Code versus Claude Desktop on Mac. Claude Code CLI compared to Claude Desktop GUI. The desktop app's Code tab. Configuring MCP servers for each.

Anthropic, the creator of Claude, is rapidly innovating and creating new products, and sometimes the product names are confusing. Many people know the Claude AI chat product at claude.ai, a competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT. There's also Claude Desktop, a macOS app that does everything the web browser can do, but better, with a faster native Mac interface.

Then there's Claude Code, a popular AI coding tool. It reads your codebase, edits files (with your permission), and runs commands so you can develop software with AI assistance. Claude Code is actually a coding tool, a capability rather than a single app, and the same engine runs in several places: any macOS terminal, editors such as Zed or VS Code or JetBrains, on the web at claude.ai/code, and also can be found in the Claude Desktop app's Code tab.

If you're a software developer, you may want to know which you should install. Claude Desktop or Claude Code CLI? The short answer: install both.

I recommend using our free app to install either version. It is a FREE Mac app that installs both the Claude Code CLI and the Claude Desktop app, configures your system, and verifies it is working. It does everything this guide covers, but easier and faster. Here are all the details about the app before you download. Then:

Choosing your Claude coding tools is one step in setting up your Mac for development. For the rest, see the Mac development setup guide.

Claude Code CLI or Claude Desktop?

Claude Code and Claude Desktop are easy to confuse, because the two overlap. Claude Code is a tool that can run in several places, and Claude Desktop (the GUI app) is one of the places it runs. In addition to finding Claude Code in the Claude Desktop app, you can install Claude Code as a software package to run in any macOS terminal application. To avoid confusion, I refer to Claude Code in the terminal as Claude Code CLI, the CLI or command line interface version of Claude Code.

Claude Desktop is Anthropic's desktop application for macOS and Windows. It has three tabs: Chat for general conversation (much like claude.ai), Cowork for a general-purpose business AI agent (longer, autonomous knowledge work such as organizing files, analyzing data, and drafting documents), and Code, which is Claude Code with a graphical interface and direct access to your local files.

The practical question most people ask is whether to install the Claude Desktop app or run Claude Code in the terminal. Or, choosing a graphical app versus the command line. You don't have to choose one or the other. Most developers use both.

When to use Claude Code CLI or Claude Desktop

Which you use will depend on your use case. If:

  • If you "live in the terminal," install the Claude Code CLI and launch it with claude in your project directory. See Install Claude Code on Mac.
  • If you prefer a graphical app, install Claude Desktop and use the Code tab. It includes Claude Code, so there is no extra step after you set up your development environment and log in to your Anthropic account.
  • You only want AI chat, use claude.ai in the web browser or install Claude Desktop and use the Chat tab, which works much like claude.ai.
  • Or install both the Claude Desktop app and Claude Code CLI. They can run in tandem on the same project and share your CLAUDE.md, settings, hooks, skills, and MCP servers, with separate session history.

Either way, you need to set up a developer environment first. See What's Needed to Run Claude Code.

Compare Claude Code and Claude Desktop at a glance

So, Claude Code is the tool, and Claude Desktop is one of the apps it runs in.

  • What each one is. Claude Code is the AI coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, and runs commands. Claude Desktop is a desktop application that includes three tabs: Chat for general conversation, Cowork for a general-purpose business AI agent, and Code for coding with a graphical interface.
  • Where Claude Code runs. The terminal CLI is scriptable, suited to automation and continuous integration (CI) on servers. The same tool also runs in editors, in the Desktop app's Code tab, and on the web at claude.ai/code.
  • How you start coding. With the CLI, you navigate to your project in a terminal and type claude. With the app, you launch it, click the Code tab, and pick a project folder to work in.
  • What you install. Either version installs with Homebrew (recommended for developers) or the native installer. The desktop app installs with brew install --cask claude and the Claude Code CLI with brew install --cask claude-code@latest.
  • Where config and MCP servers live. The CLI uses ~/.claude/, ~/.claude.json, a project .claude/, a project CLAUDE.md, and a project .mcp.json. The app uses that same shared config and also reads its own chat config at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json.
  • Which platforms are supported. The CLI runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The desktop app runs on macOS and Windows only, so use the CLI on Linux.
  • What each is best for. The CLI suits terminal workflows, scripting, and CI. The Desktop app is the more full-featured choice: an interface for multiple conversational sessions for code editing, with parallel sessions and session history, plus access to general chat and the Cowork business AI agent in other tabs.

Set up MCP servers in the right config file

MCP servers connect AI agents to services they can't reach on their own, such as web searches and macOS apps.

It is easy to get this wrong, so be careful. Ideally you would edit one config file and an MCP server appears everywhere. It almost works, with one gotcha.

  • MCP servers in the global user files ~/.claude.json or a project file .mcp.json work in both the Claude Code CLI and the Claude Desktop Code tab. This is a shared Claude Code configuration.
  • MCP servers in claude_desktop_config.json (the Claude Desktop app's configuration file, at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json) load into Code tab sessions too, alongside ~/.claude.json and .mcp.json. A server defined there is available in both the Desktop Chat tab and the Code tab.
  • HOWEVER, the standalone CLI does not read claude_desktop_config.json. A server you install from the Desktop app configuration interface will not appear in the terminal CLI on its own.

To bring MCP servers that you configured in the Desktop app settings interface into the terminal CLI, import them. On macOS, run one command:

$ claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop

This copies the servers from claude_desktop_config.json into ~/.claude.json.

The Desktop Code tab reads both configuration files but the terminal CLI ignores claude_desktop_config.json.

You will need a paid plan for Claude Code

Using Claude Code, in the terminal CLI or the Desktop Code tab, requires a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise) or an Anthropic Console or API account. The free web browser Claude.ai does not include Claude Code, so clicking the Code tab on a free account prompts you to upgrade. The Desktop Chat tab works much like claude.ai, so general chat is available without a Claude Code subscription. Plan names and prices change, so check the current tiers at claude.com/pricing.

Continue setting up your Mac

Don't miss the full visual roadmap and checklist that shows how to set up a Mac for software development, with all the essential tools and settings you might not yet know about.