Quickstart: Delimit in your AI coding assistant (MCP)
For Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and Cursor users. In about five minutes you get the merge gate for AI-written code as MCP tools inside your assistant, plus memory and a task ledger that survive across sessions and across assistants.
Install
npx delimit-cli setup
setup detects the AI assistants on your machine and installs the Delimit MCP server into each. Nervous? Preview first:
npx delimit-cli setup --dry-run # show config changes without writing anything npx delimit-cli setup --yes # non-interactive, accept defaults
Then verify:
npx delimit-cli doctor # 14 checks; every failure prints the exact fix npx delimit-cli status # dashboard: policy, specs, hooks, MCP, memory, ledger
Restart your assistant so it picks up the new MCP server.
First result in one command
No account, no keys. From any repo:
npx delimit-cli check
Deterministic checks — breaking API changes and leaked secrets — on your staged or modified files. Exits non-zero on failure, so it drops straight into a pre-commit hook (npx delimit-cli hooks install).
What your assistant can now do
Once setup has run, your assistant has the Delimit tools directly. Ask it in plain language; these are the tools it will reach for:
Merge gate (free, read-only):
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| delimit_lint | Lint a spec change against policy — one pass/fail verdict |
| delimit_diff | Structural diff: endpoints, schemas, params added/removed/changed |
| delimit_semver | Deterministic MAJOR/MINOR/PATCH/NONE classification |
| delimit_scan | Auto-detect specs, frameworks, security issues, tests |
| delimit_seal_verify | Verify a signed attestation receipt offline |
Context that survives sessions and models:
npx delimit-cli remember "v1 /users field is frozen until Q3 — billing depends on it" npx delimit-cli recall billing
Memories and the ledger (delimit_ledger_add, delimit_ledger_context, delimit_ledger_done) are shared across every assistant. Switch from Claude Code to Codex or Cursor mid-project without losing the thread.
Multi-model deliberation — for judgment calls the gate can't settle:
npx delimit-cli deliberate "Is dropping the deprecated v1 /users field a safe MINOR?"
3 deliberations free, then bring your own keys (npx delimit-cli models).
Adopt with minimum privilege
You don't have to trust the whole tool surface on day one. If your MCP client supports per-tool allowlists, start with the read-only set: delimit_lint, delimit_diff, delimit_semver, delimit_policy, delimit_explain, delimit_scan, delimit_seal_verify. Nothing in that set executes, deploys, or posts anywhere. Enable side-effect tools (evidence, deploy, security audit) once the gate has earned its keep.
If something breaks
npx delimit-cli doctor --fix # auto-repair safe issues npx delimit-cli doctor --fix --dry-run npx delimit-cli setup --dry-run # re-check assistant config