The SendSafely MCP Server is currently in limited Beta. Please contact your account manager if you would like to request access. 

The SendSafely MCP (Model Context Protocol) server lets AI assistants such as Claude interact
directly with the SendSafely encrypted file transfer platform. Once installed, the AI can send
packages, manage recipients, upload/download files, administer workspaces, and query activity
logs through natural language.

This guide walks through installing the SendSafely MCP server for use in Claude Desktop. A more detailed overview of working with the SendSafely MCP Server once you have installed it can be found here. 

Pre-requisites

• Node.js 24.14.1 or newer  (The server is written for Node 24; older versions will not install.)
• npm 11.11.0 or newer (Ships with Node 24+; rarely an issue.)
• A SendSafely account  (Including an API key & secret. How to obtain.)
• The .tgz file (Request a copy of this install file from Support@sendsafely.com. Copy it anywhere — no need to extract.)
• Network access to npmjs.com (The install pulls a few transitive dependencies from the public npm registry.)

Installation Steps:

Step 1. Check your Node version

1a. Open a terminal and run:

node --version

You need v24.14.1 or newer. If you see a lower version or `command not found` then choose from one of the three options below to update/install.

macOS / Linux

Recommended: Install nvm , then run:

 nvm install 24
 nvm use 24

Alternative: Use the official installer: download from nodejs.org and pick the latest "Current" release (24.x).

Windows

Use nvm-windows or the nodejs.org installer.

Then re-check:

node --version    # should print v24.x or higher
npm --version     # should print 11.x or higher

Step 2. Install the server from the tarball

2a. Create a dedicated directory to host the install, then install the tarball into it:

macOS / Linux*

mkdir -p ~/sendsafely-mcp
cd ~/sendsafely-mcp
npm install ~/Downloads/sendsafely-mcp-server-stdio-0.1.0.tgz

Windows*

mkdir $HOME\sendsafely-mcp
cd $HOME\sendsafely-mcp
npm install $HOME\Downloads\sendsafely-mcp-server-stdio-0.1.0.tgz

*Replace `~/Downloads/...` with whatever folder you saved the `.tgz` in. 

The install takes ~15 seconds and pulls in about 170 dependencies from the public npm registry. npm auto-creates a minimal `package.json` for the directory.

2b. Note these two absolute paths — you'll need them both in Step 4:

1. Path to node — run `which node` (macOS/Linux) or `where.exe node` (Windows). 
   • Typical output: `/Users/you/.nvm/versions/node/v24.14.1/bin/node`
2. Path to the installed server — should be exactly:

   • macOS/Linux: `~/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/server.js`  
         (expands to something like `/Users/you/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/server.js`)

   • Windows: `C:\Users\you\sendsafely-mcp\node_modules\@sendsafely\mcp-server-stdio\dist\server.js`

2c. Verify the server file exists:

macOS / Linux

ls ~/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/server.js

Windows

Test-Path $HOME\sendsafely-mcp\node_modules\@sendsafely\mcp-server-stdio\dist\server.js

Step 3. Configure credentials in OS keychain

Credentials are stored encrypted in:

• macOS Keychain (on macOS)
• Windows Credential Manager (on Windows)
• Secret Service (on Linux — requires gnome-keyring or similar)

3a. Run the credentials helper via node, pointing at the installed script. Pick the form matching your OS:

macOS / Linux

node ~/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/setupCredentials.js

Windows

node $HOME\sendsafely-mcp\node_modules\@sendsafely\mcp-server-stdio\dist\setupCredentials.js

3b. when prompted, enter the below:

1. SendSafely URL → paste your portal URL including the `https://` prefix (e.g., `https://yourcompany.sendsafely.com`). 
   • DO NOT enter a bare hostname — credentials save but the first tool call fails with a connection error.
2. API Key → from your SendSafely account settings
3. API Secret → from your SendSafely account settings

3c. Verify what's configured:

node ~/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/setupCredentials.js --status

To remove credentials later:

node ~/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/setupCredentials.js --clear

Step 4. Add the server to Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is controlled by a JSON config file. You need to edit it by hand (the app doesn't provide a UI for this).

4a. Find the config file:

macOS / Linux

 ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows 

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Open it in a text editor. If the file doesn't exist yet, create it. You can optionally use the Claude Desktop developer settings pane (Claude -> Settings -> Developer -> Edit Config) to find this folder and file.

4b. Edit the config file

Paste this, replacing `/Users/you/` with your actual home directory and `v24.14.1` with your node version (from `which node` in Step 2):

macOS / Linux

{
 "mcpServers": {
   "sendsafely": {
     "command": "/Users/you/.nvm/versions/node/v24.14.1/bin/node",
     "args": [
       "/Users/you/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/server.js"
     ]
   }
 }
}

Windows 

• use forward slashes even in JSON strings, Node handles both:

{
 "mcpServers": {
   "sendsafely": {
     "command": "C:/Program Files/nodejs/node.exe",
     "args": [
       "C:/Users/you/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/server.js"
     ]
   }
 }
}

Important: `SENDSAFELY_URL` must include the `https://` prefix, same as in the keychain option in 3b above.

If you already have other MCP servers configured, merge the `sendsafely` entry into your existing `mcpServers` object. For example:

{
 "mcpServers": {
   "some-other-server": {
     "command": "...",
     "args": ["..."]
   },
   "sendsafely": {
     "command": "/Users/you/.nvm/versions/node/v24.14.1/bin/node",
     "args": [
       "/Users/you/sendsafely-mcp/node_modules/@sendsafely/mcp-server-stdio/dist/server.js"
     ]
   }
 }
}

Save the file.

Step 5. Restart Claude Desktop and verify

5a. Fully quit Claude Desktop, just closing the window isn't enough. 

• On macOS, press ⌘Q —
• On Windows, right-click the tray icon → Quit.

5b. Relaunch Claude Desktop

5c. Open Settings → Developer → MCP Servers. Look for `sendsafely` — it should show as connected with a green indicator.

5d.  In a new chat, try: `Verify my SendSafely credentials.`

If the connection fails, expand the `sendsafely` entry in the Developer panel for the error message.

Using the MCP Server 

Once connected, Claude has access to several tools covering the receive flow (list received packages, fetch package metadata, decrypt messages, download files), the send flow (create packages, upload files, add recipients, finalize and deliver), workspace management (directories, file rename), and account-level utilities (enterprise info, activity log).

Example prompts: 

• `Verify my SendSafely credentials.`
• `What packages have I received in SendSafely?`
• `Here is a SendSafely link: <link> — please download and decrypt the files.` 
• `Create a SendSafely package, upload /path/to/report.pdf, add alice@example.com as a recipient, and finalize it.`

A more detailed overview of working with the SendSafely MCP Server can be found here.