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MCP Server Quick Start Guide

What You'll Need

  • Logarithmic installed and running
  • Claude Desktop app installed (Download here)
  • 5 minutes to set everything up

That's it! Let's get started.

Step 1: Enable MCP in Logarithmic

  1. Open Logarithmic

  2. Go to Settings

    • Click the ⚙️ Settings tab at the top

  3. Enable MCP Server

    • Scroll down to the MCP Server section
    • Check the box next to Enable MCP Server
    • Leave the default settings (Address: 127.0.0.1, Port: 3000) unless you know you need to change them

  4. Restart Logarithmic

    • Close and reopen the application
    • The MCP server will now start automatically

✅ You should see a message in the console: "MCP server started on 127.0.0.1:3000"

Step 2: Add Your Log Files

  1. Add logs in Logarithmic

    • In the main window, enter the path to a log file
    • Click Add Log
    • Repeat for all logs you want to analyze

  2. Verify logs are tracked

    • You should see your logs listed in the 📄 Logs tab
    • The MCP server will automatically make these available to Claude

💡 Tip: You can add friendly names to your logs later (see MCP Details Guide)

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop

Find Your Config File

Locate your Claude Desktop configuration file:

  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

💡 Tip: On Windows, press Win+R, type %APPDATA%\Claude, and press Enter to open the folder.

Edit the Config File

  1. Open the file in a text editor (Notepad, VS Code, etc.)

  2. Add the Logarithmic MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "logarithmic": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3000/sse",
      "transport": "sse"
    }
  }
}

  1. Save the file

  2. Restart Claude Desktop

⚠️ Important: If the file already has content, make sure to merge the mcpServers section properly. The file must be valid JSON.

Verify It's Working

  1. Open Claude Desktop
  2. Start a new conversation
  3. Look for a small indicator showing MCP servers are connected
  4. Ask Claude: "List all available logs"

If everything is set up correctly, Claude will show you the logs that Logarithmic is tracking!

Step 4: Start Using It!

Try These Example Questions

Once everything is set up, you can ask Claude:

📋 List Your Logs

"What logs are available?"

"List all my tracked logs"

🔍 Search for Issues

"Search for 'ERROR' in all logs"

"Find all database connection failures"

"Show me warnings from the last hour"

📖 Read Specific Logs

"Show me the application server log"

"What's in the error log?"

🧠 Analyze and Debug

"What are the most common errors?"

"Summarize what happened between 2pm and 3pm"

"Why did the application crash?"

"Are there any patterns in these errors?"

How Claude Accesses Your Logs

Claude can use three main capabilities:

  1. List logs - See what log files you're tracking
  2. Read logs - Get the full content of any log file
  3. Search logs - Find specific patterns across all logs

You don't need to know the technical details—just ask Claude in natural language!

Troubleshooting

"No logs available" in Claude

Check these things:

  • ✅ Did you add log files in Logarithmic?
  • ✅ Did you enable MCP server in Settings?
  • ✅ Did you restart Logarithmic after enabling?
  • ✅ Is Claude Desktop configured correctly?

MCP Server Won't Start

Port already in use?

  1. Go to Logarithmic → Settings → MCP Server
  2. Change port from 3000 to 8080 (or another number)
  3. Restart Logarithmic
  4. Update your Claude Desktop config to use the new port

Check the console:

  • When you start Logarithmic, you should see: "MCP server started on 127.0.0.1:3000"
  • If you see an error, read the message—it usually tells you what's wrong

Claude Can't Find My Logs

Make sure logs are tracked:

  • Open Logarithmic
  • Check the 📄 Logs tab
  • Your log files should be listed there
  • If not, add them using the input box at the top

Claude Desktop Not Connecting

Check your config file:

  1. Make sure the JSON is valid (use a JSON validator online if unsure)
  2. Verify the file path is correct
  3. Make sure you saved the file after editing
  4. Restart Claude Desktop after changing the config

Tips for Best Results

💡 Give Your Logs Friendly Names

Instead of asking Claude about C:/logs/app.log, you can set up friendly names like "application-server" or "error-log". See the MCP Details Guide for how to do this.

💡 Be Specific with Questions

Better: "Search for database errors in the last 100 lines"

Less specific: "Are there errors?"

💡 Use Follow-Up Questions

Claude remembers the context of your conversation, so you can ask follow-up questions:

  1. "Search for 'timeout' in all logs"
  2. "Show me the context around the first one"
  3. "What happened right before that?"

💡 Ask for Analysis

Don't just search—ask Claude to analyze:

  • "What patterns do you see in these errors?"
  • "Which errors are most critical?"
  • "Can you explain what caused this issue?"

What's Next?

Learn More

  • MCP Details Guide - Learn about all the features, example conversations, and advanced configuration
  • Main README - Learn more about Logarithmic's other features

Start Exploring

Now that you're set up:

  1. Try the example questions above
  2. Experiment with different types of queries
  3. Use Claude to help debug real issues
  4. Share your experience and help improve the docs!

Need Help?

If something isn't working:

  1. Check the Troubleshooting section above
  2. Review the console output when starting Logarithmic
  3. Make sure all steps were followed correctly
  4. Try the simplest test first: "List all logs"

Happy log analyzing! 🎉