Complete Installation Guide

Install & Authenticate

Requires Node.js 18+ and any MCP-compatible IDE (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Codex CLI, or Claude Desktop).

npm install -g polydev-ai
polydev-ai login

This installs the CLI globally and opens your browser to authenticate. Your token is saved to ~/.polydev.env automatically. Alternative: get a token manually from polydev.ai/dashboard.

Add to Your IDE

/plugin marketplace add backspacevenkat/polydev-claude-code-plugin
/plugin install polydev

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polydev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Skills & Slash Commands

Polydev provides these slash commands when installed via the Claude Code plugin:

/polydev How should I structure my React state management?
/polydev Debug this TypeScript error: Property 'map' does not exist
/polydev Compare REST vs GraphQL for my mobile app backend
/polydev What's the best caching strategy for API responses?

/polydev-login

/polydev-auth

MCP Tools Available

The Polydev MCP server provides these tools for programmatic access:

What Works Where

Polydev's core MCP tool works in every IDE. Some features are exclusive to the Claude Code plugin:

IDE Config Paths

After running polydev-ai login, no env block is needed — the server reads your saved token automatically.

# Plugin install (recommended)
/plugin marketplace add backspacevenkat/polydev-claude-code-plugin
/plugin install polydev

# Or add to ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polydev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polydev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polydev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polydev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"],
      "timeout": 400
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polydev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"]
    }
  }
}

[mcp_servers.polydev]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"]
tool_timeout_sec = 400
startup_timeout_sec = 120

[mcp_servers.polydev.env]
POLYDEV_USER_TOKEN = "pd_your_token_here"

Timeout Configuration

Multi-model queries can take up to a few minutes. Set your IDE's MCP timeout to 400 seconds.

Auto-Invocation Setup

Make your IDE automatically consult Polydev when you're stuck, comparing options, or reviewing code. Each IDE has its own configuration file for AI rules:

Add this snippet to your IDE's rules file:

# Auto-Invoke Polydev for Multi-Model Perspectives

When the user encounters any of these situations, automatically
use the polydev MCP tool (get_perspectives) to consult multiple
AI models before responding:

1. User says "I'm stuck on this auth bug"
2. User asks "Should I use X or Y?"
3. User requests security or code review
4. After 2-3 failed debugging attempts
5. Architecture or design decisions
6. Performance optimization questions

Example: If user says "I'm stuck on this auth bug", call
polydev get_perspectives with the problem context before answering.

Models Consulted

Every query consults multiple models in parallel (takes 10-30 seconds):

Troubleshooting

node --version

/plugin marketplace add backspacevenkat/polydev-claude-code-plugin

Pricing

1 credit = 1 AI request — starter credits included to try popular models