Local Development Setup

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• CONTRIBUTING.md
• packages/chrome-extension/CONTRIBUTING.md
• packages/vscode-extension/CONTRIBUTING.md
• packages/mcp/CONTRIBUTING.md
• packages/core/CONTRIBUTING.md
• README.md

The Claude Context project is a monorepo consisting of multiple packages including a core engine, a VSCode extension, an MCP server, and a Chrome extension. Setting up a local development environment requires configuring the base repository and then proceeding with package-specific configurations. The project relies on Node.js and pnpm for dependency management and orchestration across the workspace.

Sources: CONTRIBUTING.md:16-24, README.md:315-325

Core Prerequisites and Initial Setup

Before developing any component, the system must meet specific version requirements for the runtime and package manager.

System Requirements

Requirement	Version
Node.js	>= 20.0.0 and < 24.0.0
pnpm	>= 10.0.0
OS (Windows)	Git for Windows with core.autocrlf false

Sources: CONTRIBUTING.md:10-14, README.md:327-338

Bootstrap Process

The initial setup involves cloning the repository, installing dependencies at the workspace root, and performing an initial build of all packages to resolve internal workspace dependencies.

# Clone and enter repository
git clone https://github.com/zilliztech/claude-context.git
cd claude-context

# Install dependencies and build
pnpm install
pnpm build

The following diagram illustrates the initial setup flow for a new contributor:

Package-Specific Development

The project uses a monorepo structure where each package can be developed independently or in "watch" mode simultaneously.

Workspace Structure

• Core Engine (packages/core): The central indexing and search logic.
• VSCode Extension (packages/vscode-extension): IDE integration for semantic search.
• MCP Server (packages/mcp): Implementation of the Model Context Protocol.
• Chrome Extension (packages/chrome-extension): GitHub integration for browser-based search.

Sources: CONTRIBUTING.md:46-52, README.md:295-300

Development Workflow Commands

Action	Root Command	Package-Specific Target
Build All	pnpm build	N/A
Dev Mode	pnpm dev	N/A
Build Core	pnpm build:core	@zilliz/claude-context-core
Build VSCode	pnpm build:vscode	semanticcodesearch
Build MCP	pnpm build:mcp	@zilliz/claude-context-mcp

Sources: package.json:8-15, CONTRIBUTING.md:55-66

Environment Configuration

Developing the core and MCP components requires valid API keys and access to a vector database.

Required Environment Variables

Contributors must set up an .env file or export the following variables:

• OPENAI_API_KEY: Required for embedding models (unless using VoyageAI/Gemini/Ollama).
• MILVUS_ADDRESS: The endpoint for the Milvus/Zilliz database.
• MILVUS_TOKEN: Authentication token for the vector database.

Sources: packages/mcp/CONTRIBUTING.md:23-24, packages/core/README.md:32-60

Component Development Guides

VSCode Extension

Development is performed using the "Extension Development Host."

1. Open the project in VSCode.
2. Navigate to packages/vscode-extension.
3. Press F5 to launch a new VSCode window with the extension active.
4. Use pnpm package to create a .vsix for local installation testing.

Sources: packages/vscode-extension/CONTRIBUTING.md:24-30, packages/vscode-extension/CONTRIBUTING.md:65-75

MCP Server

The MCP server can be debugged by running it with node and pointing to the built distribution file.

# Run with environment variables
pnpm start:with-env

For testing with clients like Claude Desktop or Cursor, the configuration must point to the absolute path of packages/mcp/dist/index.js.

Sources: packages/mcp/CONTRIBUTING.md:14-21, packages/mcp/CONTRIBUTING.md:80-92

Chrome Extension

The extension requires a build process to handle Node.js polyfills for the browser environment via Webpack.

1. Run pnpm build:chrome or pnpm dev:chrome.
2. Open Chrome at chrome://extensions/.
3. Enable "Developer mode" and use "Load unpacked" on the dist folder.

Sources: packages/chrome-extension/CONTRIBUTING.md:14-35, packages/chrome-extension/CONTRIBUTING.md:66-72

Summary

Local development for Claude Context is managed through pnpm workspaces. The primary workflow involves a global build followed by package-specific development modes. Successful setup depends on a compatible Node.js environment and the configuration of external AI and database services.

Sources: CONTRIBUTING.md:1-66, README.md:315-365