claude-code.md

Connecting Claude Code to context-forge

Before connecting

1. Start the stack with docker compose up -d
2. Open http://localhost:3000
3. Finish setup with SETUP_BOOTSTRAP_TOKEN
4. Verify http://localhost:4000/mcp is reachable
5. Generate an MCP API key from the UI (Settings → API Keys) — the key starts with forge_

One-command setup (current project only)

claude mcp add context-forge http://localhost:4000/mcp --transport http

Global setup (all projects)

Use --scope user so the server is available in every project:

claude mcp add context-forge http://localhost:4000/mcp --transport http --scope user

With API key authentication (recommended for remote servers):

claude mcp add context-forge https://your-server.example.com/mcp \
  --transport http --scope user \
  --header "X-API-Key: forge_YOUR_API_KEY"

Important: place the server name and URL before the flags. The --header flag consumes all following arguments, so flags after it may be ignored.

Verify

claude mcp list

Then ask Claude Code which MCP tools are available.

Project instructions

Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md from the project root.

cp templates/CLAUDE.md /path/to/your/project/CLAUDE.md

Remote server

claude mcp add context-forge https://your-server.example.com/mcp \
  --transport http --scope user \
  --header "X-API-Key: forge_YOUR_API_KEY"

If you prefer a tunnel instead of exposing the endpoint publicly:

ssh -L 4000:localhost:4000 user@your-server.example.com
claude mcp add context-forge http://localhost:4000/mcp --transport http --scope user

Scope reference

Scope	Flag	Config file	Available in
local (default)	--scope local	project .mcp.json	current project only
user	--scope user	~/.claude.json	all projects

Security reminder

• The web UI/API is authenticated after setup
• For remote servers, always use an MCP API key (X-API-Key header)
• API keys can be managed from the UI under Settings → API Keys
• Alternatively, expose MCP only on a trusted network, VPN, or tunnel