Build with Claude Code or Claude Desktop

Who

Experienced builders; IT must enable the MCP bridge and Node.js must be installed

Time

5 minutes

If you already use Claude Code or Claude Desktop, you can connect it to an app in Applane. This is optional; the normal building workflow needs no extra software.

The connection uses a local MCP bridge. Your assistant can read the paired app and work on it through your builder session. Check that your company permits sharing that app content with your chosen assistant and its provider.

Nothing new is installed in your Google, and no extra permission is granted: the agent uses your existing sign-in.

1. Register it with Claude

applane-mcp is on npm, in beta. Add it to Claude Code or Claude Desktop’s MCP configuration; npx fetches it on first start. It needs Node.js 22 or newer.

The example uses the @beta release channel. Use the version your IT team has approved.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "applane": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "applane-mcp@beta"]
    }
  }
}

Flag or variable	Meaning
--port, APPLANE_BRIDGE_PORT	Pin one port instead of trying 8765 to 8774.
--app-origin, APPLANE_APP_ORIGIN	Where the docs sidecar comes from. Defaults to https://app.applane.dev.
APPLANE_MCP_CACHE_DIR	Where the token and cached docs live. Defaults to ~/.cache/applane-mcp.
APPLANE_BRIDGE_CALL_TIMEOUT_MS	How long one forwarded call may run. Default 120000.

2. Pair

1. Start Claude Code or Claude Desktop, then ask your agent for the pairing code. It reads it straight off the bridge and will tell you. The code is also on the server’s terminal, which most clients tuck away in a log.
2. In the builder, open the app you want the agent to work on and choose Connect agent from the ⋮ menu.
3. Type the code and press Connect.

The code expires after ten minutes. Spaces and letter case do not matter: abcd 2345 and ABCD-2345 are accepted as the same code.

Next time there is nothing to type: the pairing lasts 30 days, so Connect agent goes straight through. Enter a code again only to pair a different agent.

There is also a page at app.applane.dev/bridge/pair that does the same job. Use it to pair an app you do not have open in the builder.

Entering the code authorises the pairing. The local bridge stores a token in its cache directory with owner-only file permissions. You can use Connect again while that pairing is valid.

3. Work

The builder shows a bar naming the connected agent and locks the composer while the agent is driving. The agent can read the app, propose changes, deploy to dev and read advisories. It cannot publish, share, change permissions, run a BigQuery query above the cost limit or act outside the one app you paired it on; for those it raises a card that you approve or carry out yourself in Google’s own dialog.

Disconnect in the bar ends the session. Closing Claude does too.

If it does not connect

• “no tab is paired”: the tab is not connected yet. Open Connect agent in the builder and press Connect.
• “That code did not match a waiting pairing”: codes expire after ten minutes. Ask your agent for the current one. If it still fails, check you are connecting the same app you paired.
• The tab finds no bridge: check Claude is running and, if you pinned --port, that it matches.
• The composer stays locked after Claude closed: click Reconnect or Disconnect in the bar.