AI Clients
Overview
Compare the supported AI clients and choose the right integration path for your workflow.
Alpha Ladder's MCP server works with any MCP-compatible AI client. This section provides a setup guide for each supported client and a capability matrix to help you choose the right path.
Capability matrix
| Client | MCP transport | Auth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude.ai | Streamable HTTP (hosted) | OAuth 2.0 + PKCE | Best conversational experience; requires Claude Pro, Team, or Enterprise |
| Claude Code | Streamable HTTP (hosted) | Bearer token (header) | Best for developer and agent workflows; terminal-based |
| Claude Desktop | Local npm package (stdio) | --token flag | Runs MCP server locally; no hosted connection |
| VS Code | Streamable HTTP (hosted) | Bearer token (mcp.json headers) | Best for editor-based development workflows; supports workspace and user-level MCP config |
| Cursor / Windsurf / Cline | Streamable HTTP (hosted) | OAuth 2.0 + PKCE | Editor-integrated; add SKILL.md to system prompt for best results |
All clients connect to the same MCP server and have access to the same tools. The differences are in how they authenticate and how context is loaded.
For details on the two auth paths, see Authentication.