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MCP Barcode in Claude Desktop

QR codes and barcodes drawn locally: SEPA payment codes, WiFi, vCard, Code 128, EAN-13. It draws a QR code from text or a URL, a WiFi join code, a vCard, an EPC069-12 SEPA payment code checked against the shared business profile's IBAN, and Code 128, EAN-13, EAN-8 or UPC-A with the check digit computed or verified. No network call of any kind.

A generated SVG comes back as an inline preview in the reply, which is the exact form you are about to paste into a flyer, a proposal or an invoice template already open in another window, and the 4000 px PNG ceiling on Pro covers a print job without this window ever needing a filesystem picker.

What you get in Claude Desktop

You say	Tool
Make a QR code for this URL.	`qr_create`
Put a payment QR code on invoice INV-2026-0007.	`invoice_payment_qr`
Give this SKU a Code 128 barcode.	`barcode_create`

The first Code 128 table transcription was missing one row, silently shifting 67 of 107 values to their neighbour: a clean-looking barcode that scanned as the wrong string. Comparing against an independent encoder caught it; every table is now pinned against that comparison in the test suite.

Install it in Claude Desktop

The file is claude_desktop_config.json, and the key inside it is mcpServers.

Scope	Path
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json`

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "barcode": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@theluckystrike/mcp-barcode"]
    }
  }
}

If node came from nvm, asdf or homebrew, replace "npx" with the absolute path that which npx prints:

"command": "/Users/you/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/bin/npx"

Save, then completely quit Claude Desktop and start it again. A window reload is not enough.

The npm publish of @theluckystrike/mcp-barcode is pending; until then use the .mcpb bundle or a clone and build from the latest release.

No install: the hosted endpoint

The same server runs at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/barcode over MCP streamable HTTP, no install. Mint a free token with curl https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token, or use a Pro key. It has no filesystem, so a file comes back as a one-hour download link.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "barcode": {
      "url": "https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/barcode",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop notes worth knowing first

Two documented facts decide whether the entry works: every path in claude_desktop_config.json must be absolute, and a stdio server started here inherits only a limited, platform-dependent subset of environment variables. If node came from nvm or homebrew, paste what `which npx` prints instead of the bare word. The .mcpb route avoids both: Claude Desktop ships a built-in Node.js environment.

Free: 20 codes a calendar month, every symbology and QR kind, SVG output. Pro is $19 once, verified offline.

Questions

Where is claude_desktop_config.json?

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. There is no published Linux path. Settings, Developer, Edit Config opens the right copy and creates it if it does not exist.

I added it and MCP Barcode does not appear.

In order: did you fully quit and restart, not just close the window? Is every path absolute? And is the command resolvable, given the limited environment a stdio server inherits here? If node came from nvm, paste what which npx prints.

Can I install it without editing JSON?

Yes. An .mcpb bundle, the format renamed from .dxt, opens with Claude and shows an installation dialog. One you built yourself goes in through Settings, Extensions, Advanced settings, Install Extension.

MCP Barcode in detail · The same server in Claude.ai and Claude Desktop connectors and Claude Code · Every server in Claude Desktop · Guides · Claude Desktop docs