The CData MCP Server for IBM Cloud Object Storage defines each connection to IBM Cloud Object Storage as a named configuration that Claude can use when sending natural language queries.

You create and manage these configurations using the MCP Configuration Tool. The tool automatically handles formatting, storage, and registration with Claude Desktop.

Understanding Connection Configurations

Each connection configuration is stored in a .mcp file. This file includes the details needed to initialize the connector when Claude starts a session.

• On Windows, configuration files are stored in "~/AppData/Roaming/CData/IBM Cloud Object Storage Data Provider/".
• On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/IBM Cloud Object Storage Data Provider/".

The .mcp file is a text file that contains a list of connection properties and a timestamp. For example:

#Tue May 20 15:48:40 EDT 2025
AuthScheme=Basic
User=myUser
Password=myPassword
Security Token=myToken

The configuration tool handles these settings automatically. Each saved configuration enables Claude to launch a dedicated MCP Server instance with the correct connector and options. Manual file editing is not required.

Connecting to IBM Cloud Object Storage

• InitiateOAuth: GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
• ApiKey: The API key which was noted during setup (see Before You Connect).
• CloudObjectStorageCRN (Optional): The cloud object storage CRN established during setup (see Before You Connect). The server attempts to retrieve this automatically, but if you have more than one Cloud Object Storage account, we recommend that you specify this explicitly.

When you connect, the server completes the OAuth process.

1. Extracts the access token and authenticates requests.
2. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.