generator

CTX provides an MCP server baked into a compact single binary that gives AI direct access to your codebase. It exposes filesystem tools for reading, writing, searching, and modifying files, along with support for multi-project development and declarative configuration. The server can be extended with custom tools that turn any shell command into an AI-executable action, enabling tests, migrations, linters, deployments, and more to be invoked by the AI. You can operate across multiple projects at once, allowing the AI to coordinate changes that span services or packages within a single conversation. To start using CTX, install the binary, generate your context.yaml configuration, and start the MCP server. The server will be ready to connect to your MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, or any MCP-compatible client) and begin assisting with coding tasks, codebase exploration, and automated workflows.

Prerequisites:

• A supported OS (Linux/macOS/Windows) where you want to run the CTX binary
• Basic shell access to install and run executables

Installation steps:

1. Download the CTX binary from the CTX repository releases page for your OS, or use the provided install script if available.
2. Make the binary executable (on Unix-like systems): chmod +x ctx
3. Move the binary to a directory in your PATH (optional but recommended): sudo mv ctx /usr/local/bin/
4. (Optional) Verify installation: ctx --version
5. Generate a starter configuration and start the MCP server: ctx init # generate initial context/configuration (if supported by your version) ctx mcp:config # generate the MCP configuration JSON if your client supports it ctx server # start the MCP server (the server will listen for MCP clients to connect)
6. Connect an MCP client to the server using the configuration generated by ctx mcp:config or by manually configuring your client with the server address and credentials provided by your setup.

Tips and notes:

• The CTX MCP server is a binary with zero dependencies. Keep it up to date by downloading the latest release when available.
• Use ctx server to start the MCP server; you can customize behavior through context.yaml and the declared tools section.
• If you add custom tools (shell commands) in your context, ensure the commands are safe to run in your environment and properly validated by your tooling.
• When configuring the MCP client, you may want to expose the server address and any necessary authentication in your MCP client config so the AI can connect seamlessly.
• If you run into permission or path issues, ensure the ctx binary is in PATH and has execute permissions, and that any referenced scripts in tools are executable by the user running the server.