Claude Desktop is one of the first applications to fully integrate Model Context Protocol (MCP), which allows it to connect with external services like Webflow.
This powerful application brings Anthropic's advanced AI capabilities directly to your computer, with enhanced features not available in the browser version.
Setting Up Claude Desktop for Webflow
To get started with using Claude Desktop with Webflow:
- Install Claude Desktop - Download and install from claude.ai/desktop
- Create a Webflow API Token - In your Webflow account settings, generate a new API token with appropriate permissions
- Set Up the Webflow MCP Server - Follow the installation instructions from Webflow's documentation
- Configure Claude Desktop - Add the Webflow MCP server in Claude's settings
Best Practices for Claude Desktop with Webflow
Use Projects to Save Context
Create dedicated projects for different Webflow sites to maintain context and save important information like site IDs, collection IDs, and other reference data.
Be Token-Efficient
Claude Desktop has high token limits but can still run out during complex operations. To maximize efficiency:
- Provide site and collection IDs directly when possible
- Use clear, concise instructions
- Break complex tasks into smaller chunks
Handling Limitations
Claude Desktop is a powerful tool but has some limitations to be aware of:
- Token Limits - Unlike ChatGPT, when Claude runs out of tokens, it stops the conversation completely
- No Token Counter - There's no visual indicator of token usage
- Occasional UI Issues - The desktop app may occasionally need to be restarted
Common Webflow Tasks with Claude Desktop
Here are some examples of tasks you can accomplish:
- Review and identify unpublished CMS items
- Generate content for pages and CMS collections
- Analyze site structure and suggest improvements
- Debug issues with custom code
- Create and modify styles and components
Limitations
Tokens
- Claude offers a lot of tokens, however unline ChatGPT when Claude runs out of tokens in a session, it does a "hard stop." Starting a new session forgets everything that the previous session.
- There is no indication either of "token use", e.g. a gas meter
- MCP is doing API calls in the background
Workaround;
General Limitations
Windows user. So many issues but the main 3-
1. There's no way to restart Claude completely, and have it reload fully including MCPs. Often it's not even possible to kill Claude in the processes window, and there are usually 7-10 processes running. This means the only way to adjust MCP configs is to completely reboot the computer. This is SUCH a pain in the middle of a development project.
2. Sometimes the Claude screen just goes blank. No error, no UI. Reload from the top left menu sometimes words, and sometimes nothing. If you manage to reload it, it often loses the last conversation piece as though it never happened and you have to start over. Again a huge problem in MCP, where it just made a whole bunch of API calls and db changes.
3. Find. Convos get long. A simple CTRL+F to locate previous dialog, code, etc would be very helpful. Even starred responses so they can be quickly located. Even whatsapp has both and the convos are so much shorter.
Overall I love the tool and the idea, the model is great and Desktop is a big step towards making it more accessible outside of the browser tab, but these problems are extremely painful
