Lantern MCP: Query Your Bug Tracker from Claude

Lantern now has an MCP server.

You can query your entire Lantern workspace from Claude Desktop — list clients, filter issues, read comment threads, create bug reports, and update statuses — all through natural language, all without opening a browser tab.

Here's what shipped and how to set it up.

What MCP is (briefly)

The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that lets AI assistants call external tools. When you configure an MCP server, Claude gains the ability to take real actions against real systems — not just describe how you might do something, but actually do it.

For developer tools, this means your AI assistant can become a direct interface to your workflow. Instead of switching to Lantern, running a filter, copying an issue ID, and pasting it somewhere else — you ask, Claude acts.

What the Lantern MCP server exposes

Six tools are available:

Tool	What it does
`list_clients`	Returns all clients in your org with contact info and notes
`list_issues`	Lists issues with optional filters: `clientId`, `status`, `severity`, `archived`
`get_issue`	Full issue detail — description, metadata, and the entire comment thread
`create_issue`	Creates a new issue against a client with title, description, urgency, and optional assignee
`update_issue`	Updates status, assignee, urgency, or priority on an existing issue
`list_team_members`	Returns all team members with IDs — useful before assigning issues

Each tool is Zod-validated on input, so bad arguments fail fast with a clear message rather than a silent wrong result.

Setup: under 5 minutes

1. Generate an API key

In your Lantern workspace: Settings → Integrations → API Keys → New key. Give it a name, click Generate, and copy the key. It starts with ltn_ and is shown exactly once.

2. Install the package

npm install -g lantern-mcp

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Open your Claude Desktop config:

Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the following:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lantern": {
      "command": "lantern-mcp",
      "env": {
        "LANTERN_API_KEY": "ltn_yourkey"
      }
    }
  }
}

LANTERN_API_URL defaults to https://lanternhq.app. If you're running Lantern locally, set it to http://localhost:3000.

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit and reopen. That's it.

Example queries

Once configured, Claude can handle requests like these directly:

"What open issues does Acme Corp have right now?"

"List all high-severity unassigned issues across every client."

"Show me the full thread on issue [id] — I want to read the comments."

"Create a bug for BuildNL: mobile nav breaks on Safari, high urgency, assign to Jamie."

"Mark issue [id] as fixed."

"Who's on the team? I need to assign a few things."

These aren't suggestions — Claude is calling the Lantern API and returning real data. Status updates write back immediately. Created issues appear in your dashboard.

The security model

API keys are generated per workspace in Lantern settings. When you create a key, the plaintext is shown once and never stored — Lantern keeps a SHA-256 hash of the key, not the key itself.

Each key is scoped to your organisation. The MCP server can only read and write data within that org. Revoke a key at any time from the API Keys panel — it stops working immediately.

The MCP server itself runs locally on your machine. Your API key never leaves your environment except in the Authorization header on requests to the Lantern API over HTTPS.

Under the hood

The server is built with the official @modelcontextprotocol/sdk, TypeScript, and Zod. Input schemas are converted to JSON Schema for Claude's tool definitions, then validated again at runtime before any API call is made.

Source is on GitHub at github.com/lanternhq/lantern-mcp. PRs welcome.

Get started

Full documentation — including the Claude Desktop config, environment variables, and troubleshooting — is at lanternhq.app/docs/integrations/claude-mcp.

npm package: lantern-mcp

If you're not on Lantern yet, start a free 14-day trial at lanternhq.app.