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How to Connect CloudSee Drive to Claude

Written by Daniela Camargo

The CloudSee Drive MCP connector links your CloudSee account to Claude Desktop, so you can work with your S3 buckets by describing what you need in plain English instead of clicking through folders.

Setup takes about five minutes: create an API key in CloudSee Drive, add a connector block to Claude's configuration file, and restart Claude.

This guide walks you through creating your API key, adding the connector in Claude Desktop, confirming the connection is running, and what you can do with it once it is.

Before you start: you'll need CloudSee Drive and the Claude Desktop app. The connector runs locally on your computer, so it isn't available in Claude on the web or on mobile.

Sign In to CloudSee Drive

  1. Access CloudSee Drive: Open your browser and navigate to CloudSee Drive.

  2. Sign In: Enter your credentials and select the Sign In button to access your CloudSee Drive dashboard.

Create an API Key

  1. Open Settings: From the top bar of your CloudSee Drive dashboard, select the settings menu.

  2. Go to API Management: Choose API Management to review your API settings. Your existing keys are listed under Your API Keys, alongside Organization API Keys.

  3. Create a New Key: Select + Create API Key.

  4. Name the Key: Enter a descriptive name you'll recognize later.

  5. Set an Expiration: Choose an expiration period from the dropdown — 30, 60 or 90 days, one year, or a custom date. Only Admins and Owner Admins can select No expiration.

  6. Generate the Key: Select Create Key.

  7. Copy the Access Key ID: In the API Key Created window, select the copy icon beside Access Key ID.

  8. Copy the Secret Access Key: Select the copy icon beside Secret Access Key. Keep both values somewhere safe — you'll need them in the next section.

  9. Finish: Select Done. Your new key appears in the list with a status of Active.

Important: The Secret Access Key is displayed only once. CloudSee Drive cannot show it again. If you lose it, you'll need to rotate the key and update your configuration.

Add the Connector in Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop is updated frequently, so your screens may look slightly different from the video.

  1. Open Settings: In Claude Desktop, open Settings from your profile menu.

  2. Go to the Developer Tab: Under Desktop app, select Developer. This is where local MCP servers are listed. If you haven't added one before, it will read No servers added.

  3. Open the Config File: Select Edit Config. This opens the folder containing Claude's configuration file.

  4. Edit the JSON: Open claude_desktop_config.json in any text editor.

  5. Paste the Connector Block: Add the following inside mcpServers, replacing the placeholder values with your own

  6. Save and Restart: Save the file, then quit Claude completely and reopen it. Reloading the window is not enough — the connector only loads on a full restart.

  7. Confirm the Connection: Return to Settings → Developer. You should see cloudsee-drive listed with a green running badge. Select View Logs if you need to troubleshoot.

What You Can Do Once Connected

Claude can see every drive on your CloudSee account, so you don't need to specify which bucket to look in. Describe the task and the connector works out which drives and folders to use.

Browse and search

  • List the drives on your account, with current object counts

  • See your most recently modified files across every drive

  • Explore the contents of any folder, including file and subfolder counts

  • Search for files by name across a whole drive

  • View full file details: size, modified dates, content type, encryption, storage class and tags

Retrieve and share

  • Generate a time-limited download link for any file

  • Download a file directly from the conversation

Create and upload

  • Create folders, including nested paths, in any drive

  • Upload files you've attached to the conversation, to any drive and path you name

  • Copy files between folders or between drives

Organize

  • Set or update a file's project, category and description

  • Add or change AWS tags

  • Group, filter and rank files across drives in a single request — for example by file type, date modified or folder

Because the connector reads your drives directly, answers reflect what is actually stored rather than a cached view, and Claude will tell you when a result set is paginated instead of presenting a partial list as complete.

Troubleshooting

  • The connector doesn't appear under Developer. Quit Claude completely and reopen it. Reloading the window doesn't pick up configuration changes.

  • The connector shows an error instead of running. Select View Logs. The most common causes are a syntax error in the JSON, or a key ID and secret that don't match.

  • Claude reports it can't reach your drives. Check that your API key still shows Active in API Management. Keys stop working on their expiration date.

  • You've lost the Secret Access Key. It can't be retrieved. Create a new key, update claude_desktop_config.json, and restart Claude.

  • You don't see a Developer tab. The connector requires the Claude Desktop app. It isn't available in Claude on the web or on mobile.

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