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Set up Claude Code Desktop for agentic development with Power BI Desktop

This article describes how to configure Claude Code Desktop so that an AI agent can read and modify a Power BI semantic model open in Power BI Desktop, and the report of a Power BI project.

The only requirement we assume is Power BI Desktop, already installed. Everything else is part of this setup.

Sample model used in all the steps: ContosoDemo10k.zip. Please, download it before you start.

At the end you have an agent in a window that reads and writes the semantic model, and that also creates and validates report pages.

One clarification on the product. Claude Code Desktop is the Code tab of the Claude desktop application. There is no separate download for it: you install the Claude application, sign in, and select the Code tab. The command-line client is the same agent with a different interface, and the two share the configuration.

Requirements

  • Power BI Desktop, installed.
  • Node.js 22 or later. The Power BI Modeling MCP server is started with npx, which is part of Node.js. The application does not need it for itself. A new machine does not have it, so step 1 installs it.
  • Git for Windows. On Windows the Code tab does not work without it, and the marketplace of the skills cannot be downloaded in step 11. Install it and restart the application.
  • Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows Server 2019 or later.
  • A Claude account with a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan, or a Console account with credits. The free plan does not include Claude Code, and the Code tab asks for an upgrade. Check the plans page before you start.
  • Write permission on any semantic model you modify. The MCP server follows the same rules as the Power BI external tools.

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. The Power BI Modeling MCP server runs on your machine and connects to Power BI Desktop like an external tool. Claude Code Desktop is the client that hosts the agent, and it starts the server as a local process.

Back up your model before an agent writes to it. With the sample model, extract the archive again if something goes wrong.

Step 1: install Node.js

A new installation of Windows does not have it. npm and npx are part of Node.js, and the Power BI Modeling MCP server is started with npx.

Open the command prompt

Several steps of this article ask you to type a command. Windows has two programs that run the commands, and they are not interchangeable:

  • The command prompt. Press Windows+R, type cmd, and press Enter. The window shows a folder path followed by >.
  • PowerShell. Press Windows+R, type powershell, and press Enter. The line starts with PS.

Every command of this article says which of the two to use. To open a window already positioned in a folder, open that folder in File Explorer, type cmd in the address bar, and press Enter. When an installation asks for administrator rights, find Command Prompt in the Start menu, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator.

Install Node.js

Choose one of the two methods. LTS stands for Long Term Support.

Option 1: the installer. Download it from nodejs.org/en/download and run it.

Option 2: WinGet. In the command prompt:

winget install --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS --source winget

Both methods write in the folders of the machine, so they ask for administrator rights. If you do not have them, use one of the options at the end of this step.

Close the command prompt and open it again, so that it reads the updated path. Then verify the installation, in the command prompt:

node --version

The command returns the version you installed. The LTS installer provides 22 or later.

Install Node.js without administrator rights

These are options, not a replacement of the installer. Use one of them when the machine is managed and you do not have administrator rights. Each one writes in your user profile, and each one provides npm and npx.

Option 1: the standalone binary. The download page offers a standalone archive besides the installer. Extract it in a folder of your user profile, for example %LOCALAPPDATA%\nodejs, and add that folder to the Path variable of the user, in Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings > Environment variables. Nothing else is installed.

Option 2: fnm, the Fast Node Manager. It installs and switches the versions of Node.js in your user profile. Install fnm with WinGet, in the command prompt:

winget install Schniz.fnm

Add this line to your PowerShell profile, so that every session finds Node.js. The command notepad $PROFILE, typed in PowerShell, opens that file:

fnm env --use-on-cd --shell powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression

Open a new PowerShell window, install the LTS version, and read the version number it installed:

fnm install --lts

fnm list

Then set that version as the default, replacing <version> with the number of the LTS entry of the list:

fnm default <version>

Option 3: Scoop. It is a package manager that installs in %USERPROFILE%\scoop. Install it in PowerShell, in a window that is not elevated:

irm get.scoop.sh | iex

Then install Node.js, in the same PowerShell window:

scoop install nodejs-lts

With any of the three options, close the window, open a command prompt, and verify with node --version and npm --version.

Step 2: install the Claude desktop application

There is no Microsoft Store version.

Choose one of the two methods.

Option 1: the installer. Download it from claude.com/download, which offers the version for the x64 and the ARM64 processors.

Option 2: WinGet. In the command prompt:

winget install -e --id Anthropic.Claude

The WinGet package is published by Anthropic, and the documentation of Anthropic does not mention it. The download from the web page is the documented method.

Step 3: install Git

Claude Desktop requires Git for some operations, and Windows does not include it. Install it, then close the command prompt and open it again.

Choose one of the two methods.

Option 1: the installer. Download it from git-scm.com/downloads/win and run it.

Option 2: WinGet. In the command prompt:

winget install --id Git.Git --source winget

Step 4: open the sample model

  1. Download ContosoDemo10k.zip.
  2. Extract the archive in a local folder, for example C:\Demo. Please, do not open the file directly from the compressed folder.
  3. Open ContosoDemo10k.pbix in Power BI Desktop and leave Power BI Desktop open.

The title bar shows ContosoDemo10k. You use that name in step 6.

Step 5: open the application and sign in

  1. Start Claude from the Start menu.
  2. Sign in with your Anthropic account.
  3. Select the Code tab. The tabs are Chat, Cowork, and Code, and only the third one is the agent of this article.
  4. Select the folder of the sample, for example C:\Demo, and accept the trust dialog for that folder.

The selector next to the send button controls the permission mode. The modes are Manual, Accept edits, Plan, Auto, and Bypass permissions. Keep Manual for this setup, so that every write asks for a confirmation. The mode is remembered for each folder.

One note: the command /permissions is not available in this tab. The rules are written in the settings files.

Step 6: register the Power BI Modeling MCP server

There is no extension to install. The server is an npm package, and the application starts it on demand.

The Code tab reads the MCP servers from three places: the connectors of the application, the file %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json, and a .mcp.json file in the folder of the project. We use the first file, because it applies to every folder.

Open %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json in a text editor and add the server at the top level of the file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powerbi-modeling-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@microsoft/powerbi-modeling-mcp@latest", "--start", "--readonly"]
    }
  }
}

The --readonly argument blocks every write operation. We suggest it for the first session, so that a wrong prompt cannot modify anything. Step 8 replaces it.

Restart the application, so that it reads the file again. The command /mcp in the Code tab lists the servers and the state of the connection.

The + button next to the box where you write opens the Connectors panel, which is the graphical way to add an MCP server. It is available in the local sessions, and not in the sessions that run in the cloud or in the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Step 7: connect to Power BI Desktop

Send this prompt:

Connect to 'ContosoDemo10k' in Power BI Desktop

The answer reports the model name and an active connection. The first call to the MCP server raises a confirmation prompt. Read it: it is the only checkpoint before a change.

Step 8: verify the connection

Send these two prompts to the agent, one after the other:

List the tables and their row counts
Show me the relationships in the model

Both answers arrive in a few seconds. The chain works: Claude Code Desktop, MCP server, Power BI Desktop.

Step 9: enable the write operations

The session started in read-only mode, so the next prompt would fail. Remove the restriction:

  1. Close the application.
  2. Open %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json and remove "--readonly" from the args array.
  3. Start the application again, select the Code tab and the folder, and connect again, as in step 6.

Then send this prompt:

Create a measure that returns the Sales Amount of the previous year using the same format of the original measure.

The measure appears in Power BI Desktop without a refresh. Each write operation raises a confirmation prompt. The same approach applies to bulk operations, like format strings and display folders on hundreds of objects in a single request.

Step 10: enable the preview features for the report layer

The MCP server operates on the semantic model. The report layer requires a different tool, the Power BI report authoring skill, which works only on PBIP files in PBIR format. PBIP stands for Power BI Project, PBIR for Power BI enhanced report format. The skill cannot modify a .pbix file.

In Power BI Desktop, open File > Options and settings > Options > Preview features and enable these three options:

  • Power BI Project (.pbip) save option
  • Store reports using enhanced metadata format (PBIR)
  • Enable external tool access to Power BI Desktop through secure local APIs

The third option is the Power BI Desktop Bridge, and it is enabled by default. The report authoring skill uses it to reload the project and to capture a screenshot of a page, so that the agent verifies its own work. Verify that the option is checked.

Restart Power BI Desktop.

Step 11: save the sample as a project

Use File > Save as and choose the Power BI Project (*.pbip) file type. Power BI Desktop creates this structure:

ContosoDemo10k.pbip
ContosoDemo10k.SemanticModel/
ContosoDemo10k.Report/
.gitignore

The model is a set of TMDL files (Tabular Model Definition Language) and the report is a set of JSON files. Put the folder under source control and commit a baseline, so to undo a wrong operation with one command.

Step 12: install the report authoring skill

Git is required for this step, and step 3 installed it already. The marketplace is downloaded with git. If it cannot be downloaded, verify in the command prompt that git --version answers.

The skills call two command-line tools. Install them in the command prompt:

npm install -g @microsoft/powerbi-report-authoring-cli@latest @microsoft/powerbi-desktop-bridge-cli@latest

The skill is part of the powerbi-authoring plugin, published in the skills-for-fabric marketplace by Microsoft. The plugin contains five skills: semantic model authoring, report planning, report design, report authoring, and report management.

The commands /plugin marketplace add and /plugin install belong to the command-line client and are not available in the Code tab. In the application the plugins are installed from a panel, and the marketplace of Microsoft is declared in a settings file.

  1. Select the + button next to the box where you write, then Plugins, then Add plugin.
  2. Select the + button next to Filter by that opens the Add marketplace dialog.
  3. Select Add from a repository and provide microsoft/skills-for-fabric as a URL, then click Use “microsoft/skills-for-fabric” in the dropdown list, then click the Sync button.
  4. Select Code to filter the skill from fabric-collection and press the + button in the Powerbi authoring area.
  5. Install powerbi-authoring from the fabric-collection marketplace.
  6. Click Continue in the dialog that warns about the need to install the powerbi-modeling-mcp server.

You can click the settings icon to see the list of skills installed for the Powerbi authoring plugin.

The plugin declares its own copy of the MCP server, with the same name powerbi-modeling-mcp and without --readonly. Verify with /mcp which definition is active before you rely on read-only mode.

One known problem: the file that the plugin uses to declare the server has contained a transport name that Claude Code does not accept, which produces an error at the installation. If you see a message about an unsupported source type, update the application first. If the error remains, clone the repository in the command prompt and copy the five folders of plugins\powerbi-authoring\skills into %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills instead of installing the plugin, because the report skills do not need the server declared by the plugin.

Step 13: connect the agent to the project

Select the folder that contains the .pbip file, so that the agent sees both the model folder and the report folder. Then send this prompt:

Open semantic model from PBIP folder 'C:\Demo\ContosoDemo10k.SemanticModel'

The MCP server manages the semantic model folder. The authoring skill reads and writes the report folder as files.

Step 14: create a report page

Create a report page with a line chart showing Sales Amount by Quarter, and a card showing the Sales Amount of the last year that has data.

Then ask the agent to validate the report, which checks the structure of the PBIR files, and open the .pbip file in Power BI Desktop. The skill runs this command, and you can run it yourself in the command prompt:

powerbi-report-author validate "C:\Demo\ContosoDemo10k.Report"

Save any manual change in Power BI Desktop before the agent iterates. The agent reads the files on disk and does not see the unsaved state. Editing in both places at the same time loses one set of changes.

The examples in the documentation use cards, bar charts, clustered column charts, tables, KPI cards, and slicers, and the skill converts the legacy card and matrix visuals into the modern cardVisual and pivotTable. There is no published list of the supported visuals, so expect some trial and error. Q&A, Bing maps, and filled maps are announced for deprecation, and Microsoft recommends avoiding them.

Configuration options

The command-line arguments of the MCP server go in the args array of the JSON entry.

Option Default Description
--start required Starts the server.
--readwrite enabled Allows write operations, each one with a confirmation.
--readonly   Blocks all the write operations.
--skipconfirmation   Removes the confirmation prompts.
--compatibility PowerBI Set it to Full for Analysis Services databases.
--authmode interactive Set it to serviceprincipal for unattended scenarios.

For the service principal authentication, set AZURE_CLIENT_ID and AZURE_TENANT_ID in the environment of the server, with either AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET or AZURE_CLIENT_CERTIFICATE_PATH.

On a model that matters, run the first session with --readonly, as in step 5.

Alternative installation methods

Manual installation. Download the VSIX package of the Visual Studio Code extension of the MCP server, rename it with the .zip extension, extract it, and configure the path of the executable. This avoids the download that npx performs at every start:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powerbi-modeling-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "C:\\MCPServers\\PowerBIModelingMCP\\extension\\server\\powerbi-modeling-mcp.exe",
      "args": ["--start"]
    }
  }
}

If npx does not start on Windows, use the command interpreter as the launcher:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powerbi-modeling-mcp": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "cmd",
      "args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "@microsoft/powerbi-modeling-mcp@latest", "--start"]
    }
  }
}

The npx command is a .cmd script on Windows, and a process that starts it without a shell can fail to find it.

Claude Code accepts three transports, stdio, sse, and http. The value local, used by other clients, is rejected.

The file of the chat application. The Code tab also reads the servers declared in %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json, which is the file of the chat side of the application, reachable from Settings > Developer > Edit Config. When the same name is declared in two files, the definition of this one wins in the local sessions. Use one file only, to avoid a configuration that is hard to read.

Limitations

  • The MCP server operates on the semantic model, not on the report.
  • The report authoring skill operates on PBIP projects in PBIR format, not on a .pbix file.
  • Neither of them can do anything your permissions do not allow, because they operate with your identity.
  • Model metadata does not stay local: table names, column names, measure definitions, and query results are sent to the language model of the service you signed in to.
  • The MCP server, the report authoring skill, and the Power BI Desktop Bridge are all in preview. Behavior and tools can change before general availability.
  • The agent proposes and executes. The review is your responsibility.
  • The Code tab does not work on Windows without Git for Windows.
  • The commands /plugin and /permissions are not available in the Code tab. The equivalent operations are in the panels and in the settings files.
  • The Cowork tab does not share the configuration of the Code tab. A skill installed here does not appear there.

Troubleshooting

The Code tab reports that Git is missing. Install Git for Windows and restart the application.

The Code tab asks for an upgrade. Claude Code requires a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan. The free plan does not include it.

The MCP server does not appear in the list of tools. Run /mcp in the Code tab. Verify that the entry is at the top level of %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json, restart the application, and verify in the Task Manager that the process of the server is running.

The server does not start and the message mentions npx or spawn. Use the cmd form of the alternative installation methods, or the absolute path of the executable. The application inherits the variables of the user and of the system, and does not read the profile of PowerShell, so restart it after a change of the path.

The plugin does not install and the message mentions an unsupported source type. Update the application. If the message remains, copy the five folders of plugins\powerbi-authoring\skills into %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills, as described in step 11.

The npm or the npx command is not found. Node.js is not installed, or the terminal was opened before the installation. Close the terminal, open it again, and run node --version. See step 1.

The marketplace cannot be added, and the message mentions git. Git is not installed, or the command prompt was opened before the installation. Install Git for Windows as in step 11, then close the command prompt and open it again.

The server starts and provides no tools. Verify that Node.js is installed and that npx runs. The first start downloads the package, so it takes longer than the following ones. Run npx -y @microsoft/powerbi-modeling-mcp@latest --help once in the command prompt, so that the package is already in the cache.

Cannot connect to Power BI Desktop. The file must be open, and the name in the prompt must match the title bar: ContosoDemo10k, not ContosoDemo10k.pbix. After a restart of Power BI Desktop the port changes. Connect again.

The write operations are rejected. You need write permission on the model, and the server must not run with --readonly. See step 8.

The agent reports that a command is not available when it validates the report. Install the two command-line tools of step 11, @microsoft/powerbi-report-authoring-cli and @microsoft/powerbi-desktop-bridge-cli, then restart the client.

The report authoring skill does not modify the report. It requires PBIP in PBIR format. Verify both preview features and save the project again, because enabling PBIR does not convert a project already saved.

The report changes do not appear in Power BI Desktop. Reload the project. Power BI Desktop shows the version loaded before. Verify the preview option of the Power BI Desktop Bridge, so that the agent reloads the project without your intervention.

The agent modifies objects you did not mention. Name the objects explicitly. For example, “add display folders to the measures in the Sales table” instead of “apply the best practices”.

Conclusions

Install Node.js and Git for Windows, install the Claude desktop application, declare the Power BI Modeling MCP server in %USERPROFILE%\.claude.json, open a model in Power BI Desktop, connect with one prompt.

These are the rules we suggest applying:

  • Install Git for Windows before you open the Code tab.
  • Declare the server in one file only, because three files are read and the same name in two of them is confusing.
  • Register the server by its package name, instead of asking the agent to find it.
  • Verify the connection with a read-only prompt before any change.
  • Keep a backup of the model, or work on a PBIP project under source control.
  • Read the confirmation prompts.
  • Use --readonly for the first session on a model that matters.
  • Do not write the connection port in a script.
  • Open the folder of the project in the client, so that the model and the report are both visible to the agent.
  • For the report layer, use PBIP with PBIR, and save in Power BI Desktop before the agent iterates.

References

The content of this article was verified in September 2026, with the @microsoft/powerbi-modeling-mcp package installed from npm with the @latest tag, and with version 0.3.15 of the skills-for-fabric marketplace. Command names, preview settings, and plan boundaries change over time, so the linked documentation is the authority.

Last update: Sep 08, 2026
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