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This tutorial walks you through installing the Aryn MCP Server extension and using it to process documents directly in Claude Desktop.

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What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to:
  • Install the Aryn MCP Server extension in Claude Desktop
  • Configure your API key and settings
  • List your Aryn DocSets through natural conversation
  • Partition and process PDF documents using file paths

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Video Tutorial

Watch this video walkthrough to see the Aryn MCP Server in action:

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Step 1: Download the Extension

First, download the appropriate .dxt extension file for your system:

macOS

Download for macOS systems

Linux

Download for Ubuntu/Linux systems
The .dxt file is a Claude Desktop extension that automatically configures the MCP server for you.

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Step 2: Install the Extension

  1. Locate the downloaded file in your Downloads folder (usually named mcp-server-macos-latest.dxt or mcp-server-ubuntu-latest.dxt)
  2. Double-click the .dxt file to begin installation
  3. Follow the installation prompts - the extension will automatically configure itself
  4. Restart Claude Desktop when prompted
Make sure Claude Desktop is completely closed before installing the extension. You may need to quit it from the menu bar or dock.

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Step 3: Configure Your API Key

After restarting Claude Desktop:
  1. Open Claude Desktop Settings
    • On macOS: Claude Desktop → Preferences or Cmd + ,
    • On Linux: File → Preferences or Ctrl + ,
  2. Navigate to the MCP Servers section
  3. Find “Aryn Local MCP Server” in the list of installed servers
  4. Add your API key:
    • Click the settings/edit button next to the Aryn MCP Server
    • Enter your Aryn API key in the ARYN_API_KEY field
    • If you don’t have an API key, get one free here
  5. Set output directory (optional):
    • Set ARYN_MCP_OUTPUT_DIR to your preferred download location
    • Default is usually your Downloads folder
  6. Enable the server by toggling the switch to “On”
  7. Save and restart Claude Desktop
Your API key should look like: ey1234567890abcdef... and start with ey

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Step 4: Verify Installation

Let’s test that everything is working properly:
  1. Start a new conversation in Claude Desktop
  2. Ask Claude to list your DocSets: 
    Can you list my Aryn DocSets?
  3. Expected response: Claude should use the MCP server to call the list_aryn_docsets function and show you any existing DocSets, or indicate that you don’t have any yet.
If this is your first time using Aryn, you might not have any DocSets yet - that’s perfectly normal!

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Step 5: Process Your First Document

Now let’s partition a PDF document. For this example, we’ll use a sample document path:
  1. Prepare a PDF file on your computer (or use any existing PDF)
  2. Ask Claude to partition the document: 
    Please partition this PDF file: /Users/yourname/Documents/sample-report.pdf
    Replace /Users/yourname/Documents/sample-report.pdf with the actual path to your PDF file.
  3. Claude will process the document using the partition_pdf function and return:
    • Structured text content
    • Tables (if any)
    • Images (if any)
    • Metadata about the document
  4. Review the results - you’ll see the extracted content organized by type (text, tables, images)

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Step 6: Advanced Usage

Now that you have the basics working, try these more advanced features:

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Create a DocSet

Create a new DocSet called "financial-reports" for storing my quarterly reports

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Add Documents to DocSets

Add the document /Users/yourname/Documents/q3-report.pdf to my financial-reports DocSet

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Search Across Documents

Search my financial-reports DocSet for information about "quarterly revenue"

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Extract Custom Properties

Extract revenue and profit margin data from all documents in my financial-reports DocSet

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Troubleshooting

  • Make sure Claude Desktop is completely closed
  • Try downloading the extension again
  • Check that you’re using the correct version for your operating system
  • Verify your API key is valid at app.aryn.ai
  • Make sure the key starts with ak-
  • Check there are no extra spaces before or after the key
  • Use absolute file paths (start with /Users/ on macOS or /home/ on Linux)
  • Make sure the file exists and is readable
  • Ensure the file is a supported format (PDF, DOCX, etc.)
  • Restart Claude Desktop
  • Check that the server is enabled in settings
  • Try disabling and re-enabling the server

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Next Steps

🎉 Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up and used the Aryn MCP Server. What to try next: Need help? Join our Slack community or reach out at info@aryn.ai.