Claude Desktop MCP setup fails in Cowork mode on Windows
A Windows setup is failing while trying to give non-technical coworkers access to an internal Outline wiki. The wiki is locked inside a private company network, so cloud connectors or SSE over public web addresses are not usable. The MCP server must run locally.
The same MCP connection works in the and also works in the desktop app. Claude Code desktop also works in Code mode, which runs locally, but fails in Cowork mode. That pattern suggests the route and the MCP server are probably fine, while or Cowork mode may be handling the connection differently.
The Windows config at `%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` uses `cmd /c npx -y mcp-remote https://outline.internal/mcp`, but it either fails without a clear error or refuses to connect. Opus 4.8 only gave generic troubleshooting advice and did not solve the issue.
Key points
- The internal Outline wiki cannot use connectors because it sits on a private network.
- The MCP connection works in and in the desktop app.
- Claude Code desktop works in Code mode but fails in Cowork mode.
- Windows fails or refuses to connect with the shown `claude_desktop_config.json` setup.
- The evidence points more toward or Cowork behavior than toward the MCP server itself.