Claude MCP Setup

Setting Up Claude MCP with Burp Suite (Without Claude Desktop)

What is MCP?

  • Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a open framework which allows AI models talking time-synchronously with other tools and data resources.
  • MCP is a bridge to enable AI assistants to engage more productively with corporate tools, dev environments and structured knowledge.
  • Rather than merely being disjointed integrations, MCP achieves a joined-up system, enabling AI tools to be more flexible, responsive and practical in technical workflow.

References & Documentation

  • For anyone hoping to build or know the study of the MCP here are some nice resources:

What is This?

  • This setup allows Claude to directly interact with Burp Suite - reading proxy history, sending requests, creating Repeater tabs, and more. All from your terminal, without needing Claude Desktop.

Stack

  • Claude Code - Anthropic’s official CLI tool
  • Burp Suite - Professional/Community edition
  • Burp MCP Server - Extension that exposes Burp functionality via MCP protocol

Prerequisites

Step 1. Install the MCP Extension in Burp

  • For this guide obviously you need to have setup BurpSuite in your operating system.

  • You can watch any youtube tutorial as installing burp suite is fairly simple in any operating system, download and run the installer.

  • Launch Burp Suite and navigate to the Extensions section.

  • Search for the MCP server plugin and hit Install to get started.

Step 2: Configure Claude Code

  • Create or edit your Claude Code MCP configuration.

  • You have two options:

    • Option A: User-Level Configuration (Recommended)
    • Edit ~/.claude/settings.json:
    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "burp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-proxy", "http://localhost:9876/mcp"]
    }
  }
}
    • Option B: Project-Level Configuration
    • Create .mcp.json in your project directory:
{
    "mcpServers": {
      "burp": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-proxy", "http://localhost:9876/mcp"]
      }
    }
  }

Note: If using project-level config, Claude Code will show “file does not exist” if .mcp.json is missing - this is fine if you’re using user-level config instead.

Step 3: Verify the Connection

  1. Start Burp Suite (ensure the MCP Server extension is loaded)
  2. Open a terminal and run: claude
  3. Type /mcp to see connected servers
  4. You should see: burp ✓ connected

Step 4: Test It Out

  • Ask Claude to fetch proxy history: can you check my burp proxy history?
  • Claude will use the MCP tools to query Burp and return captured requests.

Example Workflow

You: Check my proxy history for any requests to example.com

Claude: [Queries Burp MCP] Found 3 requests to example.com…

You: Send that login request to Repeater

Claude: [Creates Repeater tab with the request]

You: Can you test for SQL injection in the username parameter?

Claude: [Sends modified requests, analyzes responses]

Troubleshooting

  • "File does not exist" warning
    • Normal if using user-level config instead of project-level
  • Burp shows "connecting..."
    • EnsureBurp is running and MCP Server extension is loaded
  • Connection refused
    • Check the port (default 9876) matches your extension config
  • No tools available
    • Restart Claude Code after adding MCP configuration

Why This Matters

  • No Claude Desktop required - works directly in your terminal
  • Full Burp integration - Claude can read, send, and analyze requests
  • Pentesting assistant - automated analysis, payload suggestions, and more
  • CTF helper - quickly analyze challenges with AI assistance

Credits

Happy hacking! 🔐