> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://reikon.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set Up MCP with Claude Code

> Register Reikon's MCP server, verify the connection, and install the skill from the Skills tab.

# Set Up MCP with Claude Code

Reikon's MCP server gives Claude Code direct, structured access to your project's
health score, complexity hotspots, diff context, and annotations — instead of it
reconstructing that picture from scratch by reading files and running git commands one
at a time. This guide walks through the one-time setup.

## 1. Open the MCP setup panel

In Reikon: **Settings → MCP**, then pick the **Claude Code** card from the agent grid.
Claude Code is the only agent with fully automated setup today — others use a
copy-paste config (see the [other agents guide](./mcp-other-agents)).

## 2. Register the server

Click **Set up**. Reikon runs `claude mcp add` for you, scoped to your user (not just
the current project), pointing at Reikon's own binary with an `--mcp-server` flag:

```bash theme={null}
claude mcp add reikon --scope user -- "<path-to-reikon>" --mcp-server
```

You don't need to type this yourself — Reikon detects the right path for your install
(packaged app vs. running from source) and runs it directly. If you'd rather copy it
into a terminal manually, the exact command is shown in the panel.

If an entry named `reikon` already exists from a previous install, Reikon removes it
first, so re-running setup after an update is safe.

## 3. Verify the connection

Click **Test connection**. This spawns the actual MCP server process, sends an
`initialize` handshake, and calls `get_project_health` — the same tool Claude Code
would call — with an 8-second timeout. A successful response confirms the whole chain
works end to end, not just that the registration command exited cleanly.

## 4. Install the skills (recommended)

Reikon ships two short `SKILL.md` skills:

* **Reikon MCP guide** (`reikon`) — what tools exist, when to use them, an example
  before/after workflow. Without it, Claude Code *can* call Reikon's tools if it discovers
  them, but won't necessarily know when they're useful.
* **Reikon queue worker** (`reikon-queue`) — turns a short nudge ("work Reikon's dispatch
  queue") into the full loop: pull your ⚑ DISPATCHED goals + fix-requested notes over MCP,
  fix each in its own env, return notes via `mark_fix_returned`, and stop. It never resolves
  anything — you give the verdict in Review. This is the MCP-pull companion to the desktop's
  **Copy prompt** hand-off.

They live in their own tab: **Settings → Skills**. Pick which targets to install each into
(you choose — Reikon never auto-detects), each with a **Global** and **Project** scope:

* **Claude Code** — `~/.claude/skills/reikon/SKILL.md` (global) or `<repo>/.claude/skills/`
  (project). This is the only place Claude Code auto-loads skills.
* **Portable** — `.agents/skills/reikon/SKILL.md`, for agents that honor the cross-tool
  skills dir.
* **AGENTS.md** — a marker-delimited block in the repo's `AGENTS.md`, the broad
  instruction-file fallback (project scope).

Flip a target's toggle to install; flip it off to remove. When Reikon ships a newer
skill version, an **Update** button appears next to the installed scope.

## No desktop app?

You can host the same MCP server from the `rei` CLI with nothing installed but
`@reikondev/cli` — `claude mcp add reikon -- rei mcp`. See [Run MCP Without the Desktop
App](./mcp-cli) for the full walkthrough.

## Confirming it's working day to day

The header badge in Reikon shows MCP as connected only when `claude mcp list` actually
contains a `reikon` entry — not just when the `claude` CLI binary is present on your
`PATH`. If the badge shows connected but Claude Code doesn't seem to be calling
Reikon's tools, re-run **Test connection** first before assuming the skill or
registration is broken.

## Next

See the [MCP tool reference](../reference/mcp-tools) for what each tool actually
returns, or the [typical workflow](../reference/mcp-tools#a-typical-workflow) for how
they chain together.