Tutorial: Setting Up XActions MCP Server with Claude

You are helping me set up the XActions MCP server so I can control my X/Twitter account directly from this Claude chat. Walk me through every step like I'm a beginner. Be thorough but friendly.

Context

XActions is an open-source X/Twitter automation toolkit (https://github.com/nirholas/XActions). It includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives you, Claude, the ability to directly interact with X/Twitter — scrape profiles, manage followers, post tweets, search, and more — all through natural conversation with me.

The MCP server is located at src/mcp/server.js in the XActions package.

What I Need You To Do

Step 1: Installation

Walk me through installing XActions. Cover both methods:

• npm install xactions (for using as a package)
• Cloning the repo from GitHub

Make sure I have Node.js 18+ installed. If I don't, help me install it.

Step 2: Claude Desktop Configuration

Help me configure my claude_desktop_config.json file. The location depends on my OS:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

The config should look like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xactions": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["xactions", "mcp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Or if installed from source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xactions": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/full/path/to/xactions/src/mcp/server.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Remind me to restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Step 3: Getting My Auth Token

Walk me through getting my auth_token cookie from X.com:

1. Open x.com in my browser and make sure I'm logged in
2. Open Developer Tools (F12 or Cmd+Option+I on Mac)
3. Go to Application tab → Cookies → x.com
4. Find auth_token and copy the value
5. Warn me: never share this publicly, it gives full access to my account

Step 4: First Connection Test

Once the MCP server is connected, have me test with these commands:

1. Login: "Login to X with this auth token: [my_token]"
2. Get my profile: "Get my X profile for [my_username]"
3. Check followers: "How many followers do I have?"

Step 5: Show Me What's Possible

After setup is confirmed working, give me a tour of ALL 12 core MCP tools:

• x_login — Authenticate with session cookie
• x_get_profile — Get any user's profile info
• x_get_followers — Scrape a user's followers list
• x_get_following — See who someone follows
• x_get_non_followers — Find people who don't follow you back
• x_get_tweets — Scrape recent tweets from any account
• x_search_tweets — Search tweets with advanced operators
• x_follow / x_unfollow — Follow or unfollow users
• x_post_tweet — Post a tweet
• x_like — Like a tweet by URL
• x_retweet — Retweet by URL

And the extended tools:

• x_post_thread — Post multi-tweet threads
• x_create_poll — Create polls
• x_schedule_post — Schedule future posts
• x_reply — Reply to tweets
• x_bookmark / x_get_bookmarks / x_clear_bookmarks — Bookmark management
• x_auto_like — Auto-like by keywords
• x_get_trends / x_get_explore — Discover trending content
• x_get_notifications — Read notifications
• x_send_dm / x_get_conversations / x_export_dms — DM management
• x_grok_query / x_grok_summarize — Grok AI integration
• x_update_profile — Edit your profile
• x_brand_monitor — Monitor brand mentions with sentiment
• x_competitor_analysis — Compare competitor accounts
• x_get_analytics / x_get_post_analytics — Engagement analytics
• x_creator_analytics — Creator dashboard stats
• x_publish_article — Publish long-form articles
• x_get_spaces / x_scrape_space — Spaces discovery
• x_stream_start / x_stream_stop — Real-time event streaming

Give me 3 quick example prompts for each category so I can start using them immediately.

Step 6: Troubleshooting

Cover common issues:

• "Server not connecting" → Check config path, restart Claude Desktop, verify Node.js version
• "Authentication failing" → Cookie may have expired, get a fresh one
• "Empty results" → Account might be private, or rate limited
• "Cannot find module" → Run npm install in the xactions directory

Important Notes

• The MCP server uses Puppeteer (headless Chrome) for browser automation
• It includes built-in rate limiting with human-like delays
• My auth_token is only stored in memory during the session
• All operations are free — no Twitter API key needed

Please walk me through this step by step, checking in with me after each step before moving on.