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How to connect Claude to Power BI Desktop using MCP

By Karine Batista · · 5 min read

After Codex, it is Claude’s turn: configure Microsoft’s MCP server and connect Claude Desktop to your open Power BI model.

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Hello, apprentices! 🧙

In the previous post, we connected Codex to Power BI Desktop using MCP. Now it is Claude’s turn! We will use the same Microsoft server and set up the connection in Claude Desktop, step by step.

There is good news: if you followed the previous tutorial and already installed the extension, you do not need to start from scratch! Go to step 3 to copy the executable path, then configure Claude Desktop in step 4. After that, we will validate the connection to Power BI.

1. Prerequisites

  • Power BI Desktop, with a file open and its model loaded.
  • Claude Desktop for Windows, installed and signed in to your account.
  • Visual Studio Code (VS Code) installed, to install Microsoft’s extension.

2. Install the extension in VS Code

Open VS Code and select Extensions in the left sidebar. You can also use Ctrl + Shift + X.

Search for Power BI, select Power BI Authoring MCP Server, published by Microsoft, and click Install.

Microsoft’s Power BI Authoring MCP Server extension in VS Code, with the Install button.

Figure 1 — Find Microsoft’s extension and click Install.

Wait for installation to finish and check the Installed status. If VS Code asks, click Reload.

The extension page in VS Code showing installation is complete.

Figure 2 — Extension installed.

3. Copy the MCP executable path

In File Explorer, paste this into the address bar:

%USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions

Find the folder whose name starts with analysis-services.powerbi-modeling-mcp-, followed by the version and platform. Open its server folder.

Find powerbi-modeling-mcp.exe, right-click it, and choose Copy as path. If necessary, look under Show more options.

The extension’s server folder, with powerbi-modeling-mcp.exe highlighted in purple.

Figure 3 — Copy the path to the highlighted executable. The folder name depends on the installed version.

Keep the path: we will use it in the command field in the next step.

4. Configure MCP in Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop Settings. Go to Developer and click Edit Config.

Claude Desktop Developer settings, with Edit Config highlighted in purple.

Figure 4 — In Developer, click Edit Config.

On Windows, the configuration file is:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

File Explorer with claude_desktop_config.json highlighted in purple.

Figure 5 — Find the highlighted claude_desktop_config.json file.

Open it in Notepad or VS Code. If it already contains settings, make a copy first and preserve the existing entries.

Before: claude_desktop_config.json containing existing preferences, without the powerbi server.

Figure 6 — Before: existing configuration, without the powerbi MCP server.

If the file is empty, use this structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powerbi": {
      "command": "PASTE_YOUR_EXECUTABLE_PATH_HERE",
      "args": ["--readwrite"]
    }
  }
}

Replace PASTE_YOUR_EXECUTABLE_PATH_HERE with the full path copied from your own installation in step 3. The extension folder includes the installed version and may change after an update. Use the executable path on your computer rather than the path shown in the screenshots. In JSON, each backslash in the path must be written twice: \\. For example, C:\Users becomes C:\\Users. Keep the quotation marks around the value and remove any extra quotation marks added by Copy as path.

If mcpServers already exists, add only the powerbi entry inside it, separated from other entries by a comma. Do not create a second mcpServers block.

The --readwrite argument, used with version 1.0.0 in this tutorial, starts the server with read and write access. Save the file as claude_desktop_config.json, without adding .txt to its name.

After: claude_desktop_config.json with the powerbi server in mcpServers and the --readwrite argument.

Figure 7 — After: mcpServers added with the powerbi server, preserving the previous configuration.

5. Restart Claude and connect to Power BI

Fully quit Claude Desktop and reopen it to load the configuration. If it remains in the Windows system tray, choose Quit from its icon.

To check that the configuration loaded, return to Settings → Developer. Under Local MCP servers, select powerbi and check that its status is Running, as shown below.

Claude Desktop Developer settings with the powerbi MCP server running.

Figure 8 — The powerbi server running in Claude Desktop’s Developer settings.

With the server running, return to the conversation to connect to the file open in Power BI.

In a new conversation, send:

Connect to the open Power BI instance.

If more than one file is open, specify which one you want to use. Review and approve tool execution requests when needed.

On first use, the server may ask you to accept Microsoft’s license agreement. Read the terms presented and, if you agree, authorize Claude to accept them.

Wait for the connection confirmation and check that the file name matches the model you opened.

Claude confirming its MCP connection to the Tutorial_MCP file open in Power BI Desktop.

Figure 9 — Claude’s connection confirmed to the Tutorial_MCP file open in Power BI Desktop.

All set! Claude is connected to Power BI Desktop. If you update the extension, check that command still points to the correct executable.

6. References

Until our next adventure!

Karine Batista