Getting Started

In under 2 minutes, your AI agent goes from building blind to building with coaching, memory, and outcome validation.

Prerequisites

You need an AI coding agent that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Built and tested with Claude Code

DevKeel is built and tested with Claude Code (Anthropic's CLI agent). The instructions below are optimized for Claude Code.

DevKeel uses the open MCP standard, so it's compatible with other MCP agents including Codex, Cursor, VS Code (with Copilot), and Windsurf. Setup instructions for each are included below — we just haven't tested them as thoroughly yet.

Create Your Account

Generate an API Token

On the Account page, enter a name for your token (e.g., "Claude Code - MacBook") and click Create token.

Important: Copy your token immediately. It's shown only once and cannot be retrieved later.

Connect Your Agent

Add the MCP config to your AI tool. Select your tool below:

Create .mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devkeel": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://devkeel.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code after adding the config file.

Replace YOUR_TOKEN with the token from step 2. Add the config file to your .gitignore to avoid committing your token.

Codex

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml (or .codex/config.toml in your project root):

[mcp_servers.devkeel]
url = "https://devkeel.com/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "DEVKEEL_TOKEN"

Then set the environment variable with your token:

export DEVKEEL_TOKEN="YOUR_TOKEN"

Restart Codex after adding the config.

Cursor

Create .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devkeel": {
      "url": "https://devkeel.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open Cursor Settings > MCP to verify the connection.

VS Code

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "servers": {
    "devkeel": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://devkeel.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload the VS Code window after adding the config file.

Windsurf

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devkeel": {
      "serverUrl": "https://devkeel.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Windsurf after saving the config file.

Verify the Connection

Tell your AI agent:

"Get my status"

Your agent scans your codebase, reports what it finds, and sets up your coaching foundation. If this is your first project, it creates one automatically.

From here, your agent coaches you based on your goals, remembers your decisions and conventions, and helps you validate whether what you build actually works.

What Happens Where

DevKeel works through your AI agent — you talk to your agent, and it handles the rest. The web dashboard is for tracking progress and reviewing what your agent knows.

Dashboard (this website)

View progress, review what your agent knows, track what's been built, manage your account.

AI Agent (your editor)

Build with memory, get coaching, discuss ideas, process insights, and check if what you built actually worked.

Next Steps

You're connected. Here's what happens next:

Your First Session

Narrated walkthrough of your first DevKeel session.

See It in Action

Annotated examples of the full coaching and validation cycle.