The desktop extension allowlist is available for Owners of Team and Enterprise plans.
This article introduces a desktop extension allowlist that Team and Enterprise plan Owners can use to manage their organization’s access to extensions.
How to enable the allowlist
Important: We previously allowed Team and Enterprise plans to control user access to desktop extensions with a blocklist. Organizations using this blocklist need to configure the new extension allowlist prior to October 31, 2025, when extension blocklists will be permanently deleted. For organizations that don’t enable the allowlist by that date, users will have access to all extensions in the registry until the allowlist is switched on.
The desktop extension allowlist is disabled by default, so an organization Owner will need to switch it on manually. This experience varies slightly depending on whether or not you were using the desktop extension blocklist before, but the process to enable the allowlist is the same for both.
Previously using the blocklist
If your organization was previously using the desktop extension blocklist, it will remain active until you manually enable the allowlist, or until October 31, 2025, when the blocklist feature will be permanently deleted. If you choose to leave the allowlist switched off, all desktop extensions will be available in the registry once the blocklist feature is disabled. As soon as you switch the allowlist on, your organization's existing blocklist will be disabled automatically, and all desktop extensions will be blocked until they are added to the allowlist.
Note: Review your current blocklist (Settings > Extensions) before enabling the allowlist to ensure you allow the extensions your team needs.
Not using the blocklist
If your organization was not using the blocklist before, then users will be able to access all desktop extensions in the registry until you enable the allowlist. To prevent this, ensure you activate the allowlist to block all desktop extensions by default, then add only the extensions your team needs access to.
To turn on the allowlist
Open Claude Desktop
Click your initials or name in the lower left corner
Navigate to Admin settings > Connectors
Switch to the "Desktop" tab:
Toggle Allowlist on:
Important: The allowlist requires Claude Desktop version 0.13.91 or higher, so users should update the desktop app by clicking “Claude”, then either “Check for updates” or “Restart to update to Claude 0.13.91”:
Managing allowed extensions
After enabling the allowlist, you can choose which extensions to allow:
Navigate to Admin settings > Connectors and select the “Desktop” tab.
Click “Browse extensions” to view the list of available extensions.
Select the extension you want to add.
Click the “Add to your team” button.
The extension will appear in your allowlist.
If you want to remove an extension from the allowlist, click the “...” button and “Remove from allowlist.”
Uploading custom extensions
You can also upload custom extensions to deploy across your organization via Admin settings > Connectors > Desktop.
Click “Add custom extension”
This will open a filepicker; select the .mcpb file.
The extension will appear under Custom team extensions.
Click "...” then “Add to team” to add it to your allowlist and enable it for your team.
For more in-depth information about creating custom extensions with MCP Bundles (.mcpb), please refer to our desktop extension developer documentation.
Updating custom extensions
We’ve also introduced the ability to update previously-installed custom extensions to new versions without having to remove and reinstall them.
When uploading a new version, update the version in manifest.json, but ensure you leave the name value unchanged. Changing the name will create a new custom desktop extension rather than uploading a new version.
FAQ
I enabled the allowlist but I want to switch back to the blocklist.
You will be able to toggle Allowlist off to revert back to using your extension blocklist until October 31, 2025, when the blocklist will be deleted.