Reference
The setup command line
The complete command map and the high-impact flags for scripting, recovery, and checking what setup changed.
The binary the setup installs. This page maps every public command and the
flags most useful in scripts. For a subcommand's complete, version-matched
syntax, run it with --help.
Commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
setup | The full onboarding flow — auth, workspace, project, editors, config, rules, hooks, indexing |
doctor | Check editor readiness with evidence; optionally repair managed files |
about | Print build, security, and connection information |
http | Run the optional local HTTP gateway |
verify-key | Validate credentials |
hook | Run one hook handler — editors call this, you rarely do |
git-hooks | Install or remove managed Git hooks for local VCS capture |
update-hooks | Regenerate editor hooks |
update-rules | Regenerate instruction files |
update-configs | Regenerate connection files |
migrate-remote | Convert legacy local editor connections to hosted MCP |
uninstall | Remove hooks, connection entries, and rules |
install | Install the binary to a chosen system path; used by installer workflows |
configure | Update transcript defaults and related editor settings |
ingest | Index a local folder |
index | Interactive indexing with progress |
watch | Run the managed source-sync bridge in the foreground |
update | Update the binary |
detect-editors | Report detected editor targets as JSON |
exclude | Manage file-exclusion patterns |
generate-configs | Generate editor configurations as JSON without writing them |
help | Print command help |
configure, http, watch, and install are supported maintenance or
deployment entry points but are intentionally hidden from the short top-level
help. Use their explicit --help before scripting them.
Flags worth knowing
contextstream-mcp configure --list-options
contextstream-mcp configure --transcripts on|off [--hook-transcripts on|off] [--scope global|project|all]
contextstream-mcp update-rules --scope global|project|all [--editors <ids>] [--only-configured] [--dry-run]
contextstream-mcp update-configs --scope global|project|all [--editors <ids>] [--only-configured] [--dry-run]
contextstream-mcp update-hooks --scope global|project|all [--editors <ids>] [--only-configured] [--dry-run]
contextstream-mcp uninstall [--scope global|project|all] [--editors <ids>] [--git-hooks] [--dry-run]
contextstream-mcp ingest [--path <dir>] [--force] [--include-media] [--background]
contextstream-mcp index [--path <dir>] [--include-media]
contextstream-mcp migrate-remote --scope global|project|all [--editors <ids>] [--only-configured] [--dry-run]
contextstream-mcp detect-editors --format json
contextstream-mcp generate-configs --transport remote --preauth
contextstream-mcp http --host 127.0.0.1 [--port 8787]
contextstream-mcp verify-key [--json]
contextstream-mcp update [--check] [--force]Scripting a fleet
setup is interactive. For unattended machines, set credentials in the
environment and run the specific commands:
export CONTEXTSTREAM_API_KEY="…"
contextstream-mcp update-configs --scope global --editors cursor,copilot
contextstream-mcp update-rules --scope global --editors cursor,copilot
contextstream-mcp doctor --json--dry-run on any regeneration command shows the diff without writing.
The stable setup IDs are claude, cursor, windsurf, copilot, cline,
kilo, roo, codex, aider, antigravity, and opencode.
Transcripts
contextstream-mcp configure --transcripts off
contextstream-mcp configure --hook-transcripts off
contextstream-mcp configure --transcripts on
contextstream-mcp configure --transcripts on --hook-transcripts offSetup-generated managed configs enable normal and supported-hook capture; unmanaged configs are not implicitly opted in. These switches update the MCP editor configuration and do not delete a client's independent local history. See Privacy and what gets indexed.
Indexing
index is the interactive form. ingest scans the current directory or
--path, resolves or creates the project, and uploads eligible files with
progress; --background returns while it continues. --include-media
deliberately adds supported images, video, audio, and documents that normal
source ingest excludes.
If it doesn't work
A command changed a file I hand-edited. doctor and the update-*
commands only touch the regions they manage. Anything outside the generated
block is preserved.
ingest says it can't read the folder. Ingest needs the installed helper
on the machine that has the files. The hosted MCP endpoint cannot read that
disk directly; the helper or ContextStream Desktop supplies the local ingest
path.
http won't bind. The port is taken. --port picks another. Always pass
--host 127.0.0.1 unless you have deliberately added authentication, TLS, and
a network boundary; the raw default bind is all interfaces.