Quickstart

From API key to first outline in a few minutes. Two moving parts: the binary, and a language server for your ecosystem on PATH.

1. Install the binary

Install the latest stable release with the canonical command for your platform:

macOS & Linux

curl -fsSL https://context-engine.app/install.sh | sh

Windows

irm https://context-engine.app/install.ps1 | iex

If the website is unavailable, use the Unix installer source or PowerShell installer source as emergency fallbacks. Homebrew and Scoop instructions are on the download page.

Existing direct v0.1.1 ARM64 installations are migrated by the installer once. Other unmarked or conflicting installations must be resolved before reinstalling. Package-managed installations should be upgraded with their package manager.

2. Set your key and verify the license

Get a free key from the dashboard and export it in your shell profile. Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex read it from the environment. Antigravity requires the key in its global MCP config; never put the key in a workspace config.

macOS & Linux

export CONTEXT_ENGINE_API_KEY="<your key>"

Windows

$env:CONTEXT_ENGINE_API_KEY = "<your key>"

Confirm the license machinery works end to end:

context-engine license-check

3. Check your language servers

Context Engine drives language servers installed on your system; it does not bundle them. On first initialization, it creates global and workspace configuration files with recommended primary servers preconfigured. Make sure the selected server for your ecosystem is available on PATH.

See the Configuration guide for the recommended servers, alternative server configuration, workspace overrides, and language detection rules.

4. Register the MCP server in your client

# 1. Put your key in your shell profile:
export CONTEXT_ENGINE_API_KEY="<your key>"

# 2. Register the server:
claude mcp add context-engine -- context-engine serve

5. First run: what to expect

The first outline on a large repository waits for the language server's initial indexing—rust-analyzer may take minutes on first open of a large repo. Subsequent outlines are fast; the engine keeps the server warm across calls.

6. Troubleshooting

If a semantic tool reports a missing or failed language server, install or correct the reported server and retry. If you changed .context-engine/config.toml, call reload_config first.

To watch what the binary is doing, context-engine serve --log-file /tmp/context-engine.log writes a session log, and lsof -p <pid> shows exactly which processes and connections it holds. Still stuck? The FAQ covers the common questions.