---
name: snipara-onboarding
description: "Set up Snipara Hosted MCP for an AI agent workspace, validate tool availability, configure API keys through environment variables, generate or merge agent instruction files, and run create-snipara or snipara-companion doctor checks. Use when onboarding a user, repository, assistant, or MCP-capable client to Snipara."
---

# Snipara Onboarding

## Start Gate

Use the Hosted MCP endpoint: `https://api.snipara.com/mcp/YOUR_PROJECT_SLUG`. Keep the API key in `SNIPARA_API_KEY` or the client secret store. Never paste keys into tracked files, prompts, logs, screenshots, or durable memory.

Validate availability with a simple tool-oriented call such as `snipara_help(query="what should I use for project context?")`, `snipara_settings`, or a lightweight `snipara_context_query`. Empty MCP resources or resource templates do not prove an outage because Snipara may be exposed as a tool-only MCP server.

## Setup Steps

1. Detect the target client: Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Continue, ChatGPT/OpenAI MCP, Claude Desktop, Mistral, Gemini, Orca-style MCP clients, or a generic HTTP MCP client.
2. Prefer `npx create-snipara@latest` for initial setup. It generates Hosted MCP config, `AGENTS.md`, client-specific snippets, and the Snipara skill pack under `.snipara/templates/skills`.
3. Merge generated instructions into existing files instead of replacing project-specific guidance.
4. Run `npx -y snipara-companion@latest doctor` when Companion is installed or available through npx.
5. Restart or reload the client after MCP configuration changes, then verify tool discovery again.

## Client Notes

- Codex: merge `.snipara/templates/codex-config.toml` into the user or project Codex config if the app does not load project config automatically.
- Claude Code: keep `AGENTS.md` as the shared source and use `CLAUDE.md` as compatibility guidance.
- Cursor: use `.cursor/rules/snipara.mdc` for always-applied project guidance.
- Generic MCP clients: use the generated HTTP MCP reference and the shared `AGENTS.md` rules.
- Clients with native skills: copy each folder under `.snipara/templates/skills` into the client's skill location.

## Failure Handling

If broad discovery shows only the lean default tool surface, treat that as normal. Use `snipara_help(query=...)` for routed guidance, `snipara_help(list_all=true)` to inspect specialist opt-in surfaces, and Companion commands as a local fallback for recall, query, and task commit until the MCP session refreshes.