---
id: tuhi-assistant.two-ways-to-connect-an-assistant
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/tuhi-assistant/two-ways-to-connect-an-assistant
category: "Tuhi, your storage assistant"
subcategory: "AI access for other assistants"
question: "What are the two ways to connect an assistant to Storage Studio?"
alt_questions:
  - "Direct local connection vs standard MCP setup"
  - "Which connection type should I pick for my AI tool?"
  - "Does Storage Studio need to be open for AI access?"
  - "Claude Desktop starts Storage Studio in the background"
short_answer: "A direct local connection, for tools that connect to Storage Studio while it's running, and the standard MCP setup, for tools like Claude Desktop that start it in a small background mode. Settings → Connections gives the snippet for each."
tags: ["ai access", "mcp", "setup"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/tuhi-assistant/how-do-i-turn-on-ai-access", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/tuhi-assistant/ai-assistant-cant-connect-to-storage-studio"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What are the two ways to connect an assistant to Storage Studio?

Storage Studio supports both common setups:

- **A direct local connection** — for tools that connect straight to Storage Studio while it's running on your Mac.
- **The standard MCP setup** — for tools like Claude Desktop, which start Storage Studio in a small background mode when they need to read your storage.

The Connections pane gives you the right snippet for each; pick whichever your assistant expects. With the direct connection, Storage Studio needs to be running for the assistant to reach it.