From b07b6ebcbd5abd56b40f037c132a79d9edf993e0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: David Soria Parra <davidsp@anthropic.com>
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2024 12:02:56 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] docs: Add working directory documentation (#74)

---
 docs/tools/debugging.mdx | 17 +++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+)

diff --git a/docs/tools/debugging.mdx b/docs/tools/debugging.mdx
index c4b47b2..18ca18e 100644
--- a/docs/tools/debugging.mdx
+++ b/docs/tools/debugging.mdx
@@ -80,6 +80,23 @@ Use the Network panel to inspect:
 
 ## Common issues
 
+### Working directory
+
+When using MCP servers with Claude Desktop:
+
+- The working directory for servers launched via `claude_desktop_config.json` may be undefined (like `/` on macOS) since Claude Desktop could be started from anywhere
+- Always use absolute paths in your configuration and `.env` files to ensure reliable operation
+- For testing servers directly via command line, the working directory will be where you run the command
+
+For example in `claude_desktop_config.json`, use:
+```json
+{
+  "command": "npx",
+  "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/username/data"]
+}
+```
+Instead of relative paths like `./data`
+
 ### Environment variables
 
 MCP servers inherit only a subset of environment variables automatically, like `USER`, `HOME`, and `PATH`.