The brilliant tools never appear.

Confirm Node.js is installed (node --version in a terminal). npx needs it to fetch and run the bridge. Then fully restart Claude Desktop.

The bridge starts but calls fail.

Brilliant must be open for the endpoint to answer. Launch it, then restart Claude Desktop.

If Brilliant is on 3334 or 3335 because 3333 was busy, update the URL in the config to match, then restart.

First launch is slow.

The very first run downloads the bridge through npx; later launches reuse it and start quickly.

Connect Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop can drive Brilliant, but it takes one extra piece. Brilliant serves its tools over a local web address, and Claude Desktop's config only knows how to launch local command-line servers. A tiny bridge closes that gap.

Heads up: Claude Desktop appears in Brilliant's Settings → MCP Connections list, but as a non-toggleable row with a note: its config supports only local stdio servers, not a remote URL. There is no one-click toggle here. Use the manual setup below.

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop installed.
Node.js installed (the bridge runs through npx).
Brilliant open. The MCP server only runs while the app is running.

Setup

The bridge is mcp-remote, a small adapter that lets a stdio client talk to an HTTP MCP server. You point Claude Desktop at mcp-remote, and mcp-remote at Brilliant.

In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Developer and click Edit Config. That opens claude_desktop_config.json (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows).
Add a brilliant server that runs the bridge:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brilliant": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://127.0.0.1:3333/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Save, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

If Brilliant reported a fallback port at startup, use 3334 or 3335 in the URL instead of 3333.

Try it

With Brilliant open, ask Claude Desktop to design:

In Brilliant, create a simple landing page with a headline and a signup form.
Read the current canvas in Brilliant and add a footer that matches it.
Export the selected frame in Brilliant as PNG.

Claude Desktop calling Brilliant's tools through the bridge

Troubleshooting

The brilliant tools never appear. Confirm Node.js is installed (node --version in a terminal). npx needs it to fetch and run the bridge. Then fully restart Claude Desktop.
The bridge starts but calls fail. Brilliant must be open for the endpoint to answer. Launch it, then restart Claude Desktop.
Port mismatch. If Brilliant is on 3334 or 3335 because 3333 was busy, update the URL in the config to match, then restart.
First launch is slow. The very first run downloads the bridge through npx; later launches reuse it and start quickly.