Installation Troubleshooting

Common Issues

npm 404 Error: @jasondsmith72/desktop-commander Not Found

If you're seeing an error like this:

npm ERR! code E404
npm ERR! 404 Not Found - GET https://registry.npmjs.org/@jasondsmith72%2fdesktop-commander - Not found
npm ERR! 404 
npm ERR! 404  '@jasondsmith72/desktop-commander@*' is not in this registry.

This means Claude Desktop is trying to install the package from npm, but the package hasn't been published to the npm registry yet.

Solution

The setup scripts have been updated to check if the package is published to npm, and if not, they will configure Claude Desktop to use a local path to the script instead. To fix this issue:

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/jasondsmith72/ClaudeComputerCommander.git C:\Users\[YourUsername]\ClaudeComputerCommander
   

2. Navigate to the cloned directory:

   cd C:\Users\[YourUsername]\ClaudeComputerCommander
   

3. Install dependencies and build the project:

   npm install
   npm run build
   

4. Run the appropriate setup script for your platform:

   • For Windows: npm run setup:windows
   • For custom setup with manual instructions: npm run setup:custom
   • For standard setup: npm run setup

Manual Configuration

You can also manually configure Claude Desktop to use this package:

1. Locate your Claude Desktop configuration file:

   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Update or add the following to the file:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "desktopCommander": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": [
           "C:\\Users\\[YourUsername]\\ClaudeComputerCommander\\dist\\index.js"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

   (Replace [YourUsername] with your actual Windows username)

Using Environment Variables (Windows)

For better portability on Windows, you can use environment variables in your path:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktopCommander": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\%USERNAME%.%USERDOMAIN%\\ClaudeComputerCommander\\dist\\index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

This makes it easier to share configurations between different computers or users. When Claude runs the command, Windows will automatically expand the %USERNAME% and %USERDOMAIN% variables to the correct values for the current user.

Example Working Configurations

Standard path configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktopCommander": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\administrator.MTUSACLOUD\\ClaudeComputerCommander\\dist\\index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

With environment variables:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktopCommander": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "C:\\Users\\%USERNAME%.%USERDOMAIN%\\ClaudeComputerCommander\\dist\\index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Still Having Issues?

If you're still experiencing problems, please:

1. Check the log files in the ClaudeComputerCommander directory:

   • setup.log
   • setup-windows.log
   • setup-custom.log

2. Ensure the file actually exists at the path specified in the configuration.

3. Try running this command to verify the correct path:

   dir "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\ClaudeComputerCommander\dist\index.js"
   

4. Open an issue on GitHub with details about the error and your environment.