Setup

Connect SubVault to your AI tool. Pick whichever install path fits.

Before you start

Sign up for SubVault if you haven't already.
Copy your API key from the signup page. It looks like sv_live_....

The API key is shown once at signup. Save it somewhere safe. If you lose it, you can regenerate a new one from your dashboard — but the old one stops working immediately, so anywhere you've installed it will need to be reconfigured.

Choose your install path

One-line install (Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop)

This script auto-configures every supported AI tool it finds on your machine. Safe to re-run.

curl -fsSL https://subvault.ai/setup.sh | bash -s YOUR_API_KEY

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the key from your signup page (it starts with sv_live_). The script:

Detects Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code on your machine.
Writes the SubVault MCP config to each tool's config file.
Merges with your existing config — nothing is overwritten or clobbered.

After it finishes, restart your AI tool for the new config to take effect. Then try: "Remember that my tech stack is Python and Postgres."

VS Code note: The script doesn't write VS Code config automatically — instead it prints a JSON snippet for you to paste into your project's .vscode/mcp.json. This is because VS Code MCP is per-project, not global.

Claude Desktop — OAuth via Connectors UI

If you're on a recent Claude Desktop, the OAuth path is the cleanest install. No file editing, no API key copy-paste.

Open Claude Desktop.
Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector.
Paste this URL:
```
https://mcp.subvault.ai/mcp
```
Claude Desktop opens a browser to subvault.ai. Sign in with the email and password you used at signup.
Approve the connection. Claude Desktop is now connected.

Try a quick test: "What do you know about me?" — if SubVault is empty, your AI will say so. If it has content, it'll surface relevant items.

ChatGPT — custom connector

SubVault works as a custom connector in ChatGPT (Pro and higher).

In ChatGPT, click your profile → Settings → Connectors.
Click Add custom connector and paste:
```
https://mcp.subvault.ai/mcp
```
ChatGPT will walk you through the OAuth sign-in. Use the same email and password as your subvault.ai account.

Manual JSON config

If you'd rather edit config files yourself, or you're using a tool the script doesn't cover.

The config snippet

Paste this into your tool's MCP config. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your real key.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "subvault": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.subvault.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Config file locations

Tool	File
Cursor	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`
Claude Desktop (macOS)	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Claude Desktop (Linux)	`~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
VS Code (per project)	`.vscode/mcp.json` — uses key `servers` instead of `mcpServers`

If the file already has other MCP servers, add SubVault as another entry under mcpServers rather than replacing the whole file.

For VS Code specifically the wrapper key is servers, not mcpServers:

{
  "servers": {
    "subvault": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.subvault.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

After editing, fully quit and relaunch your AI tool.

Confirm it's working

In a new chat, try one of these:

"Remember that my favorite editor is Cursor." — your AI should call SubVault's vault tool.
"What do you know about my editor preferences?" — in a fresh chat, your AI should call remember and tell you about Cursor.

If neither works, see Troubleshooting.