Busabase for Jan

Connect Jan to Busabase

Menlo Research's open-source, local-first desktop chat app that runs open models offline (and cloud models via your keys) and acts as an MCP host; a separate terminal 'Jan Agent' shares its MCP config.

Busabase MCP server

https://busabase.com/api/mcp

Read the Jan documentation

Busabase

MCP connector

Set it up

Hosted chat has no shell and no file system, so a connector is the way in.

Add the server

Point your chat client at the Busabase MCP endpoint.

Sign in

Complete OAuth in the browser — no client id or secret to create.

Pick the smallest permission

changeRequest lets the agent propose but never merge.

Verify

Ask the agent to call auth_verify before it does any work.

Step by step

This host has no shell, so a connector is the only way in.

At a glance

Vendor: Menlo Research
How it connects: MCP + OAuth · MCP + API key
Transport: Streamable HTTP
Authentication: OAuth (dynamic registration)
Config file: mcp_config.json in the Jan data folder (Linux ~/.local/share/Jan/data, macOS ~/Library/Application Support/Jan/data, Windows %APPDATA%/Jan/data); OAuth tokens in mcp_oauth.json beside it

Run this

Download from https://jan.ai (macOS .dmg, Windows .exe, Linux: flatpak install flathub ai.jan.Jan)

In Jan Desktop open Settings -> MCP Servers and click + Add MCP Server.
Set Transport to HTTP (Streamable HTTP) and URL to https://busabase.com/api/mcp. Name it busabase.
Toggle the server on. Its Auth line should offer Sign in: Jan discovers the OAuth metadata, registers itself dynamically, and runs authorization-code + PKCE in your browser (5-minute wait).
Pick a model with the tools capability, start a chat, and ask it to call auth_verify. Approve the tool call in the card.

API-key alternative: add an Authorization: Bearer <key> header on the server (key from Busabase Settings -> API Keys). A manual header wins and OAuth is never attempted.

Jan: MCP servers

Known gotchas

The model must support tool calling (local models often need tool calling enabled in Model Capabilities). Each tool call needs inline approval unless 'Allow All MCP Tool Permissions' is on. The default tool-call timeout is 30 s. The older reference page (/desktop/mcp) only shows a stdio example; remote HTTP/SSE and OAuth are on the MCP Servers integration page. The docs do not say which OAuth scopes Jan requests; Busabase grants `mcp` for generic scopes. Jan Agent (a separate terminal agent, preview, install `curl -fsSL https://delta.jan.ai/jan-cli/install-jan-agent.sh | bash`) reads the same mcp_config.json and has documented SKILL.md skills in ~/.jan/skills/.

How it compares

Connection capabilities side by side with other agents already in this directory.

Capability	Jan	Claude Code	Cursor
Type	Desktop apps	Terminal agents	AI editors
Recommended path	MCP connector	Agent Skill	Agent Skill
How it connects	MCP + OAuth · MCP + API key	MCP + OAuth · Plugin / Skill	MCP + OAuth · Plugin / Skill
Transport	Streamable HTTP	Streamable HTTP	Streamable HTTP
Authentication	OAuth (dynamic registration)	OAuth (dynamic registration)	OAuth (dynamic registration)

These stepsFrom official docsLast checked Oct 21, 2026

Written from this agent's own documentation. We have not re-run every step on a real machine, so check the linked docs if a command has changed.

Where these steps come from Official site

Let your agent do the setup

One instruction, one authorization, and every change it makes afterwards carries a message and a diff you can check or revert.

Browse every agent

Busabase MCP server

https://busabase.com/api/mcp