Use Claude Code with MCPs

This tutorial shows how to connect MCP servers to Claude Code via LiteLLM Proxy.

Note: LiteLLM supports OAuth for MCP servers as well. Learn more

Connecting MCP Servers

You can connect MCP servers to Claude Code via LiteLLM Proxy.

1. Add the MCP server to your config.yaml

GitHub MCP

In this example, we'll add the Github MCP server to our config.yaml

config.yaml

mcp_servers:
  github_mcp:
    url: "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp"
    transport: "http"
    auth_type: oauth2
    client_id: os.environ/GITHUB_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID
    client_secret: os.environ/GITHUB_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET

Atlassian MCP

In this example, we'll add the Atlassian MCP server to our config.yaml

config.yaml

mcp_servers:
  atlassian_mcp:
    url: "https://mcp.atlassian.com/v1/mcp"
    transport: "http"
    auth_type: oauth2

important

The server name under mcp_servers: (e.g. atlassian_mcp, github_mcp) must match the name used in the Claude Code URL path (/mcp/<server_name>). A mismatch will cause a 404 error during OAuth.

2. Start LiteLLM Proxy

Since Claude Code needs a publicly accessible URL for the OAuth callback, expose your proxy via ngrok or a similar tool.

litellm --config /path/to/config.yaml

# RUNNING on http://0.0.0.0:4000

# In a separate terminal — expose proxy for OAuth callbacks
ngrok http 4000

3. Add the MCP server to Claude Code

GitHub MCP

claude mcp add --transport http litellm-github https://your-ngrok-url.ngrok-free.dev/mcp/github_mcp \
  --header "x-litellm-api-key: Bearer sk-1234"

Atlassian MCP

claude mcp add --transport http litellm-atlassian https://your-ngrok-url.ngrok-free.dev/mcp/atlassian_mcp \
  --header "x-litellm-api-key: Bearer sk-1234"

Parameter breakdown:

Parameter	Description
--transport http	Use HTTP transport for the MCP connection
litellm-atlassian	The name for this MCP server on Claude Code — can be anything you choose
https://your-ngrok-url.ngrok-free.dev/mcp/atlassian_mcp	The LiteLLM proxy URL. Format: <PROXY_URL>/mcp/<server_name_on_litellm>. The atlassian_mcp part must match the key under mcp_servers: in your LiteLLM proxy config
--header "x-litellm-api-key: Bearer sk-1234"	Your LiteLLM virtual key for authentication to the proxy

You can also add the MCP server directly to your ~/.claude.json file instead of using claude mcp add. See Claude Code docs.

note

For MCP servers that require OAuth (such as Atlassian), use x-litellm-api-key instead of Authorization for the LiteLLM virtual key. The Authorization header is reserved for the OAuth flow.

4. Authenticate via Claude Code

a. Start Claude Code

claude

b. Open the MCP menu

/mcp

c. Select the MCP server (e.g. litellm-atlassian)

d. Start the OAuth flow

> 1. Authenticate
 2. Reconnect
 3. Disable

e. Once completed, you should see this success message: