Configure each AI coding client to connect to Slowave

Per-client setup details for Claude Code, Cline, Cursor, Windsurf, OpenCode, Codex, and Claude Desktop — config files, detection, and manual steps.

Running slowave setup configures every AI client detected on your machine in a single pass. If you need to configure just one client, or want to understand exactly which files are modified and what manual steps are required, this page covers each supported client individually. Two clients — Cursor and Claude Desktop — require one manual paste after setup because their instruction surfaces cannot be modified programmatically.

Claude Code

Claude Code

Claude Code is fully automated. slowave setup patches the MCP registry, injects enforcement hooks, and writes the lifecycle instruction block — no manual steps needed.

slowave setup --client claude-code

Detection

Detected when ~/.claude/ exists on your machine.

Files modified

What	File
MCP server entry	~/.claude.json (user-scope MCP registry)
Lifecycle instructions	~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
Enforcement hooks	~/.claude/settings.json (UserPromptSubmit + Stop)

MCP config block

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slowave": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8766/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code uses the MCP Streamable HTTP transport and requires the "type": "http" field. This entry is written to ~/.claude.json.

Enforcement hooks

Claude Code has a native hooks system. Slowave installs UserPromptSubmit and Stop hooks into ~/.claude/settings.json so the client calls slowave_activate at the start of every turn and slowave_commit before finishing — no manual invocation needed.

After setup, restart Claude Code to apply changes.

Verify from the terminal: slowave doctor shows client detection and daemon health. slowave stats shows session and event counts.

Cline

Cline

Cline is fully automated. slowave setup patches the MCP settings file and injects the lifecycle block into the global rules directory — no manual steps needed.

slowave setup --client cline

Detection

Detected when ~/.cline/ exists (CLI/TUI), or the VS Code extension’s globalStorage parent directory exists.

Files modified

What	File
MCP server (CLI/TUI, macOS/Linux)	~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
MCP server (CLI/TUI, Windows)	%USERPROFILE%\.cline\data\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json
MCP server (VS Code, macOS)	~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
MCP server (VS Code, Linux)	~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
MCP server (VS Code, Windows)	%APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json
Lifecycle instructions (macOS/Linux)	~/.cline/rules/slowave.md
Lifecycle instructions (Windows)	%USERPROFILE%\.clinerules

MCP config block

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slowave": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8766/sse"
    }
  }
}

Cline resolves MCP settings from ~/.cline/data/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json (or $CLINE_MCP_SETTINGS_PATH). The legacy ~/.cline/mcp.json path is not read by current Cline. Writing config there will cause slowave doctor to report the client as configured while the tools never appear.

After setup, reload Cline (or restart VS Code / Cursor) to apply changes.

Cursor

Cursor

Cursor requires one manual step after setup. slowave setup patches the MCP config file automatically, but lifecycle instructions must be pasted manually because Cursor’s Rules for AI field cannot be modified programmatically.

slowave setup --client cursor

Detection

Detected when ~/.cursor/ exists on your machine.

Files modified automatically

What	File
MCP server	~/.cursor/mcp.json

MCP config block

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slowave": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8766/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Manual step required

Open Cursor → Settings → Rules for AI (or add a .cursorrules file at the root of your project) and paste the lifecycle instruction block that slowave setup prints to your terminal.

Cursor’s MCP integration exposes tools but does not automatically instruct the AI when to call them. The Rules for AI field fires on every request and ensures Slowave’s session lifecycle is honoured from the first message.

After setup and the manual paste, restart Cursor to apply changes.

Windsurf

Windsurf

Windsurf is fully automated. slowave setup patches the MCP config and injects the lifecycle block into Windsurf’s global rules — no manual steps needed.

slowave setup --client windsurf

Detection

Detected when ~/.codeium/windsurf/ exists on your machine.

Files modified

What	File
MCP server	~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Lifecycle instructions	~/.codeium/windsurf/memories/global_rules.md

MCP config block

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slowave": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8766/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The lifecycle block is injected into global_rules.md, which is Windsurf’s always-on global rules surface — it is injected into every Cascade conversation automatically.

After setup, restart or reload Windsurf to apply changes.

OpenCode

OpenCode

OpenCode is fully automated. slowave setup patches the global config, registers Slowave as a remote MCP server, and writes a Slowave-owned lifecycle instruction file — no manual steps needed.

slowave setup --client opencode

Detection

Detected when ~/.config/opencode/ exists on your machine.

Files modified

What	File
MCP server + instructions config	~/.config/opencode/opencode.json
Lifecycle instructions	~/.config/opencode/slowave-instructions.md

MCP config block

OpenCode uses the mcp key (not mcpServers) and "type": "remote":

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "slowave": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8766/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  },
  "instructions": [
    "/absolute/path/to/slowave-instructions.md"
  ]
}

Slowave writes its lifecycle instructions to a dedicated file (slowave-instructions.md) and registers it in OpenCode’s instructions array. This keeps setup and uninstall clean — the file is Slowave-owned and is not mixed into any user-managed file.

After setup, restart OpenCode to apply changes.

Codex

Codex

Codex is fully automated. slowave setup patches ~/.codex/config.toml (a single TOML file shared by the CLI, Codex Desktop, and the IDE extension), injects enforcement hooks, and writes the lifecycle block to AGENTS.md.

slowave setup --client codex

Detection

Detected when ~/.codex/ exists (or $CODEX_HOME if set).

One integration, three surfaces

slowave setup --client codex configures the CLI, the Codex Desktop app (in ChatGPT), and the Codex IDE extension all at once. All three share ~/.codex/config.toml.

Files modified

What	File
MCP server + enforcement hooks	~/.codex/config.toml
Lifecycle instructions	~/.codex/AGENTS.md

MCP and hooks config block

Codex uses TOML. Both the MCP entry and the enforcement hooks live in the same file:

[mcp_servers.slowave]
url = "http://127.0.0.1:8766/mcp"

slowave setup patches both the [mcp_servers.slowave] table and the [[hooks.UserPromptSubmit]] / [[hooks.Stop]] entries in a single read/write pass, so a re-run never leaves a partial state.

If you have ~/.codex/AGENTS.override.md, Codex reads only that file at global scope and ignores AGENTS.md entirely. slowave doctor warns if this applies to you. If it does, copy the lifecycle block from AGENTS.md into your override file manually.

$CODEX_HOME is respected if set; it defaults to ~/.codex.

After setup, restart Codex (CLI, Desktop, or IDE extension) to apply changes.

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop requires one manual step after setup. slowave setup patches the MCP config automatically, but lifecycle instructions must be pasted manually because the Custom Instructions field is stored server-side and cannot be modified programmatically.

slowave setup --client claude-desktop

Detection

Detected when the platform-specific application support directory exists:

Platform	Detected when
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ exists
Linux	~/.config/Claude/ exists
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\ exists

Files modified automatically

Platform	File
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Linux	~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

MCP config block

Claude Desktop uses stdio transport (not HTTP). The config entry uses a command field pointing to the slowave-mcp binary:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slowave": {
      "command": "/path/to/slowave-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Run which slowave-mcp (macOS/Linux) to find the binary path (e.g. ~/.local/bin/slowave-mcp). Claude Desktop does not support the "type": "http" or "url" formats used by other clients.

Manual step required

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → General → Instructions for Claude and paste the lifecycle instruction block that slowave setup prints to your terminal.

Custom Instructions fire before turn 1. Claude Desktop Skills fire from turn 2 onward. The Custom Instructions field is stored server-side — slowave setup cannot patch it automatically. This is why the manual paste is required.

After setup and the manual paste, restart Claude Desktop to apply changes.

Summary: automatic vs. manual

Fully automated

Claude Code, Cline, Windsurf, OpenCode, and Codex are configured end-to-end by slowave setup. Restart the client after setup.

One manual paste required

Cursor and Claude Desktop require you to paste the lifecycle block after setup — into Rules for AI and Settings → General → Instructions for Claude respectively.