If managedMcpServers exist in a cached remote settings payload but haven't been reconfirmed by the current session's live payload, they are withheld from taking effect rather than applied immediately. A status-only warning is shown explaining that the organization's MCP servers are withheld until the server confirms them this session, and they connect automatically as soon as it does.
Names in the bundlemanagedMcpServers
The entry above is what we published on the day. These lines were added later, as Anthropic's own pages caught up, and they sit beside the original rather than replacing it.
Added since
A small documentation edit on Code in Claude Desktop on 3P touched a line naming managedMcpServers after this was published.
| `allowedPluginMcpServers` | `strictPluginOnlyCustomization` set to `["mcp"]` together with an `allowedMcpServers` list holding your entries and `allowManagedMcpServersOnly`, whether or not `managedMcpServers` is set. MCP servers bundled …third-party/claude-desktop/code see the edit
Confirmed since
Anthropic's documentation has since written up managedMcpServers, on Chat in Claude Desktop on 3P.
| Managed MCP servers | The servers you provision via [`managedMcpServers`](/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/configuration#managedmcpservers) are available in Chat with the same approval model as Cowork sessions: a tool's `toolPolicy` of `…third-party/claude-desktop/chat see the edit
Two sources agreeTwo things we can check say the same as this entry.
Anthropic's documentation agrees
Anthropic's documentation has since written up managedMcpServers, on Chat in Claude Desktop on 3P.
Anthropic's release notes agree
Added managedMcpServers managed setting: organizations can provide HTTP/SSE MCP servers to every user (same entry shape as .mcp.json)…
The name it cites is new in this build
New in this build: managedMcpServers