# Remote Servers and Authorization — Agent Frameworks and MCP Basics

Source: https://www.geekswithgeeks.com/en/agent-frameworks-mcp/cli-remote-servers

> Connect to a remote HTTP server and understand why it needs real authentication.

## OAuth for remote tools

A remote MCP server acts on your behalf in other systems, so it must know who is calling. The MCP specification uses **OAuth 2.1** based authorization for HTTP servers: the host sends you through a sign-in, then presents a short-lived access token with each request. Never paste a long-lived password or API key into a shared server config.

## Adding a remote server

Claude Code can register an HTTP server by URL. The sign-in step happens in the host, so your token is never typed into the config file.

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http issues https://mcp.example.com/mcp
```

**Quiz:** How should a host authenticate to a remote MCP server?

- [x] With an OAuth-based flow and short-lived tokens
- [ ] By sending the user's email password
- [ ] By skipping authentication
- [ ] By hard-coding an admin key in the config

*Answer:* With an OAuth-based flow and short-lived tokens. Token-based authorization lets users grant limited access that can be revoked.