Install Jank for Claude.

Install in Claude Desktop's Code tab RECOMMENDED

The path for using Jank inside Claude Desktop's Code tab (where Claude Code is embedded in the desktop app). The Code tab uses Claude Code's CLI plugin system — not the DXT chat-tab Extensions UI — so the install is a quick zip-extract into ~/.claude/plugins/.

1. Make sure Node.js 22+ is installed.
2. Extract the zip into your Claude Code plugins directory:

   mkdir -p ~/.claude/plugins
   unzip -o jank-plugin.zip -d ~/.claude/plugins

   This creates ~/.claude/plugins/jank-plugin/ with the bundled MCP server + slash-command shims. Same path the Claude Code CLI uses, so it works for both the Code tab and the bare CLI.

3. Fully quit Claude Desktop (⌘Q on macOS — closing the window isn't enough).
4. Re-open Claude Desktop, open the Code tab in your project.
5. Try /jank in the chat. The first line of output should read 🪲 Jank plugin v1.12.10 — that confirms the plugin loaded.

cat ~/.claude/plugins/jank-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json | grep version
# expected: "version": "1.12.10"

Troubleshooting

ls ~/.claude/plugins/jank-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
# should exist; version should match v1.12.10

Install in Claude Code (CLI)

If you use the bare claude CLI in a terminal (no Claude Desktop), the install is identical to the Code-tab path — same files, same destination. The Code tab shares this plugin path with the CLI.

1. Make sure Node.js 22+ is installed.
2. Extract the zip:

   mkdir -p ~/.claude/plugins
   unzip -o jank-plugin.zip -d ~/.claude/plugins

3. Start a new claude session — /jank should be in the slash-command menu. /mcp should list jank-ai with 36 tools.

cat ~/.claude/plugins/jank-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json | grep version
# expected: "version": "1.12.10"

Install in Claude Desktop's Chat tab (DXT)

If you use Jank from Claude Desktop's regular Chat tab (the default conversation surface — not the Code tab), use the .dxt extension instead. The chat tab has a drag-drop Extensions UI; the Code tab doesn't use it.

1. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Extensions.
2. Drag jank-mcp.dxt into the Extensions window.
3. Confirm the install. Claude restarts its MCP servers.
4. Start a new chat (in the Chat tab) and try "run jank against http://localhost:3000".

Troubleshooting

Manual install — any MCP-aware client

Bypasses the plugin packaging entirely — just registers the bundled MCP server with whatever client you're using. You lose the /jank slash commands (they live in the plugin's commands/ dir), but every mcp__jank-ai__* tool is available.

1. Download the zip above and extract it anywhere.
2. Add this entry to your client's MCP config:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "jank-ai": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/absolute/path/to/jank-plugin/server/index.js"]
       }
     }
   }

3. Fully quit + relaunch the client. The mcp__jank-ai__* tools appear in the tool picker.

Common MCP-config locations

• Claude Desktop (macOS): ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Claude Desktop (Windows): %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
• Continue.dev: ~/.continue/config.json (under mcpServers)
• OpenAI Codex CLI: ~/.config/codex/mcp.json