# Claude Code

[Claude Code](https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code) is Anthropic's CLI for Claude that runs in your terminal. Use this MCP server setup when you want to use Sonar tools directly from the command line or when working in a terminal-based AI workflow.

If you prefer using the [SonarQube Cloud-hosted MCP server](#sonarqube-cloud-hosted-mcp-server) instead, see below.

For full details on installing MCP servers with Claude Code, refer to the [official Anthropic docs](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/mcp#installing-mcp-servers).

## Use the configuration generator

Use the official [SonarQube MCP Server configuration generator](https://mcp.sonarqube.com/config-generator.html) to get a configuration code snippet for your setup:

1. Identify the target MCP Client.
2. Find your [#common-variables](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/reference/environment-variables.md#common-variables).
3. Choose a [hosting method](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/environment-considerations.md#hosting-method).
4. Enter the information into the configuration generator.
5. Paste the generated configuration into your configuration file.

## Manual setup

### Environment variables

The following [common variables](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/reference/environment-variables.md#common-variables) are required. `SONARQUBE_TOKEN` applies to stdio transport only. For HTTP, HTTPS, or the embedded SonarQube Cloud MCP server, use the `Authorization: Bearer <YourSonarQubeUserToken>` header instead.

* `SONARQUBE_TOKEN`: Your SonarQube user token (stdio transport).
* `SONARQUBE_ORG`: Your SonarQube Cloud organization key. Required for SonarQube Cloud only.
* `SONARQUBE_URL`: Your SonarQube Server or Community Build URL. Also required for SonarQube Cloud in the US region (`https://sonarqube.us`). Not needed for SonarQube Cloud in the EU region.

> **Important:** Your SonarQube token is a sensitive credential. Use environment variables to pass tokens rather than hardcoding them in command-line arguments or configuration files. Never commit tokens to version control.

### Transport options

The SonarQube MCP Server supports three transport modes. Use [Stdio](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#local-server-stdio) for local development and most use cases, [HTTPS](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#https) for production and team deployments, and [HTTP](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#http) only on trusted internal networks.

#### Stdio (recommended)

Use [Stdio](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#local-server-stdio) for local development or when you're the only user. It's also the transport mode used in your [Agentic Analysis](/agent-centric-development-cycle/features/agentic-analysis.md) and [Context Augmentation](/agent-centric-development-cycle/features/context-augmentation.md) workflows.

Use the `claude mcp add sonarqube` command to set up the SonarQube MCP Server as a local stdio server:

> **Warning:** *User tokens* are required when setting up connected mode or an MCP server between SonarQube Server and SonarQube for IDE. Your binding won't function properly if you use *project tokens*, *global tokens*, or *scoped organization tokens* during setup.

> **Tip:** SONARQUBE\_URL should be defined as `https://sonarqube.us` each time you use a SonarQube Cloud configuration (`SONARQUBE_TOKEN` + `SONARQUBE_ORG`) and want to connect to a US-region instance. See the [Connecting to SonarQube Cloud in the US region](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/environment-considerations.md#connecting-to-sonarqube-cloud-in-the-us-region) section for details.

For SonarQube Cloud:

```bash
claude mcp add sonarqube \
  --env SONARQUBE_TOKEN=$SONAR_TOKEN \
  --env SONARQUBE_ORG=$SONAR_ORG \
  -- \
docker run -i --rm --init --pull=always -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN -e SONARQUBE_ORG mcp/sonarqube
```

For SonarQube Server:

```bash
claude mcp add sonarqube \
  --env SONARQUBE_TOKEN=$SONAR_TOKEN \
  --env SONARQUBE_URL=$SONAR_URL \
  -- \
  docker run -i --rm --init --pull=always -e SONARQUBE_TOKEN -e SONARQUBE_URL mcp/sonarqube
```

For a manual configuration, add this MCP configuration to your `~/.claude.json` file.

> **Note:** This code sample configures the MCP server using [Stdio](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#local-server-stdio) transport, where `SONARQUBE_TOKEN` is passed as an environment variable.
>
> For [HTTPS](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#https), [HTTP](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#http), or the [SonarQube Cloud-hosted MCP server](#sonarqube-cloud-hosted-mcp-server), the `SONARQUBE_TOKEN` header is deprecated. Pass the token using the `"Authorization": "Bearer <YourSonarQubeUserToken>"` header instead.

> **Tip:** SONARQUBE\_URL should be defined as `https://sonarqube.us` each time you use a SonarQube Cloud configuration (`SONARQUBE_TOKEN` + `SONARQUBE_ORG`) and want to connect to a US-region instance. See the [Connecting to SonarQube Cloud in the US region](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/environment-considerations.md#connecting-to-sonarqube-cloud-in-the-us-region) section for details.

**Claude Code with SonarQube Cloud**

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--init",
        "--pull=always",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG",
        //"-e",
        //"SONARQUBE_URL",
        "mcp/sonarqube"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<YourSonarQubeUserToken>",
        "SONARQUBE_ORG": "<YourOrganizationName>",
        //"SONARQUBE_URL": "https://sonarqube.us"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

**Claude Code with SonarQube Server**

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--init",
        "--pull=always",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN",
        "-e",
        "SONARQUBE_URL",
        "mcp/sonarqube"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SONARQUBE_TOKEN": "<YourSonarQubeUserToken>",
        "SONARQUBE_URL": "<YourSonarQubeServerURL>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

> **Tip:** To verify the connection, ask your AI agent to call the SonarQube MCP `ping_system` tool. For example: *"Ping the SonarQube MCP server."*

> **Tip:** Restart your AI agent for good measure, although it might not be required.

#### HTTPS

Use HTTPS when connecting Claude Code to a shared MCP server deployed for a team. This requires an [HTTPS transport server](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#https) to be running and accessible.

Add the following to your `~/.claude.json` file:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "type": "https",
      "url": "https://<YourSonarQubeMCPServer>:8443/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YourSonarQubeUserToken>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

> **Tip:** To verify the connection, ask your AI agent to call the SonarQube MCP `ping_system` tool. For example: *"Ping the SonarQube MCP server."*

> **Tip:** Restart your AI agent for good measure, although it might not be required.

#### HTTP

> **Important:** The [HTTP](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#http) transport mode is not recommended. Use [Stdio](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#stdio) for local development or [HTTPS](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#https) for multi-user production deployments.

Use HTTP only on a trusted internal network or for local testing. This requires an [HTTP transport server](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#http) to be running.

Add the following to your `~/.claude.json` file:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sonarqube": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://<YourSonarQubeMCPServer>:8080/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YourSonarQubeUserToken>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

> **Tip:** To verify the connection, ask your AI agent to call the SonarQube MCP `ping_system` tool. For example: *"Ping the SonarQube MCP server."*

> **Tip:** Restart your AI agent for good measure, although it might not be required.

## Agentic analysis and context augmentation

When using Agentic Analysis and Context Augmentation services, your `SONARQUBE_TOKEN` lets your local MCP server configured for [Stdio](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/self-hosted.md#local-server-stdio) mode authenticate to the SonarQube Cloud API. See [Agentic Analysis](/agent-centric-development-cycle/features/agentic-analysis.md) and [Context Augmentation](/agent-centric-development-cycle/features/context-augmentation.md) for more information.

## SonarQube Cloud-hosted MCP server

Use the SonarQube Cloud-hosted MCP server to avoid running and maintaining your own MCP infrastructure while always using the current server version. The embedded server exposes a smaller, fixed subset of tools; for the available toolsets and configuration details, see the [SonarQube Cloud-hosted](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/setup/sonarqube-cloud-hosted.md) page.

## Use Sonar tools from Claude Code

Once connected, Claude Code can call SonarQube MCP tools on your behalf. See the [tools](/sonarqube-developer-tools/sonarqube-mcp-server/reference/tools.md) page for the full list of available tools.


---

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