CLI for packaged Claude Code environments

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install

brew install mcs-cli/tap/mcs

2. Add tech packs

Browse available packs at techpacks.mcs-cli.dev, then add them:

mcs pack add owner/pack-name

3. Sync a project

cd ~/Developer/my-project
mcs sync

4. Verify everything

mcs doctor

That's it. Your MCP servers, plugins, hooks, skills, commands, agents, settings, and templates are all in place.

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The Problem

You've spent hours getting Claude Code just right — MCP servers, plugins, hooks, skills, custom commands, fine-tuned settings. Then:

• 🖥️ New machine? Start over from scratch.
• 👥 Onboarding a teammate? "Just follow this 47-step wiki page."
• 📂 Different projects? Copy-paste configs, hope nothing drifts.
• 🔄 Something broke? Good luck figuring out what changed.

The Solution

mcs is a configuration engine for Claude Code — like Ansible for your AI development environment. Package everything into shareable tech packs (Git repos with a techpack.yaml manifest), then sync them across any project, any machine, in seconds.

Without mcs	With mcs
Install MCP servers one by one	mcs pack add + mcs sync
Hand-edit settings.json per project	Managed settings composition
Copy hooks between projects manually	Auto-installed per-project from packs
Configuration drifts silently	mcs doctor --fix detects and repairs
Rebuild from memory on new machines	Fully reproducible in minutes
No way to share your setup	Push a pack, anyone can mcs pack add it

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🔍 Explore Tech Packs

Packs are modular — mix and match what you need instead of one monolith. Browse the full catalog, search by category, and find install commands:

techpacks.mcs-cli.dev

💡 Can't find what you need? Build your own — see Creating Tech Packs.

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⚙️ How It Works

 Tech Packs          mcs sync          Your Project
 (Git repos)  -----> (engine)  -----> (configured)
                        |
                   .---------.
                   |         |
                   v         v
              Per-Project  Global
              artifacts    artifacts

1. Select which packs to apply (interactive multi-select or --all)
2. Resolve prompts (auto-detect project files, ask for config values)
3. Install artifacts to the right locations (skills, hooks, commands, agents, settings, MCP servers)
4. Track everything for convergence — re-running mcs sync adds what's missing, removes what's deselected, and updates what changed

Use mcs sync --global for global-scope components (Homebrew packages, plugins, global MCP servers). See Architecture for artifact locations and the full sync flow.

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📦 What's in a Tech Pack?

A tech pack is a Git repo with a techpack.yaml manifest. It can bundle MCP servers, plugins, hooks, skills, commands, agents, settings, templates, and doctor checks — anything mcs can install, verify, and uninstall.

Use mcs pack validate to check your pack for structural errors and best practices before sharing.

📖 Full guide: Creating Tech Packs · Schema reference: techpack-schema.md

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🎯 Use Cases

• 🧑‍💻 Solo Developer — New Mac? One mcs pack add + mcs sync and your entire Claude Code environment is back. No wiki, no notes, no memory required.
• 👥 Teams — Create a team pack with your org's MCP servers, approved plugins, and coding standards. Every developer gets the same setup with mcs sync --all.
• 🌐 Open Source — Use mcs export to create a tech pack from your repo's config. Contributors run mcs sync and get the right MCP servers, skills, and conventions automatically.
• 🧪 Experimentation — Try a different set of MCP servers, swap packs, roll back. mcs converges cleanly — deselected packs are fully removed, no leftovers.

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🛡️ Safety & Trust

mcs is designed to be non-destructive and transparent. Timestamped backups before modifying user content, --dry-run to preview changes, section markers to preserve your edits in CLAUDE.local.md, and SHA-256 trust verification for pack scripts. Lockfiles (mcs.lock.yaml) pin pack versions for reproducible environments.

📖 Full details: Architecture > Safety & Trust

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🔍 Verifying Your Setup with Poirot

After mcs sync, want to confirm everything landed correctly? Poirot is a native macOS companion that gives you a visual overview of your Claude Code configuration — MCP servers, settings, sessions, and more — all in one place.

The perfect complement to mcs: configure your environment with mcs, then use Poirot to see exactly what's installed and running.

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📚 Documentation

Document	Description
📖 CLI Reference	Complete command reference (sync, pack, doctor, export, cleanup, check-updates, config)
📖 Creating Tech Packs	Step-by-step guide to building your first pack
📋 Tech Pack Schema	Complete techpack.yaml field reference
🏗️ Architecture	Internal design, sync flow, safety guarantees, and extension points
🔧 Troubleshooting	Common issues and fixes

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🛠️ Development

swift build                                            # Build
swift test                                             # Run tests
swift build -c release --arch arm64 --arch x86_64      # Universal binary

See Architecture for project structure and design decisions.

🤝 Contributing

Tech pack ideas and engine improvements are welcome!

1. Fork the repo
2. Create a feature branch
3. Run swift test
4. Open a PR

For building new packs, start with Creating Tech Packs.

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