Setup with agent

Better Code Review Graph – Agent Setup Guide

Give this file to your AI agent to automatically set up better-code-review-graph.

2026-05-02 Update: Plugin install (Option 1) now uses pure stdio mode. API keys are optional env vars. The previous “Zero-Config Relay” auto-spawn pattern has been removed. If you relied on the relay form to enter API keys, please:

1. Set the env var directly in plugin config (Option 1), OR
2. Use HTTP self-host mode (advanced; out of scope of this guide).

Method overview

This plugin defaults to stdio via plugin install (uvx). Its source tree also provides stdio and http Docker build targets, and HTTP transport is available for advanced self-hosting. It does not provide an owner-hosted remote-relay/OAuth endpoint: HTTP is operator-hosted and must retain access to the repository being indexed.

For comparison, the other 7 plugins in this stack (better-notion-mcp, better-email-mcp, better-telegram-mcp, wet-mcp, mnemo-mcp, imagine-mcp, better-workspace-mcp) document the same local install, Docker-stdio, and self-hosted HTTP choices in more detail.

Mutually exclusive — pick one endpoint: Do not stack /plugin install with a user mcpServers override for a source-built Docker stdio or HTTP endpoint. Both would load simultaneously, and the override would not include this plugin’s skills, hooks, or commands. Use the default plugin install for the complete local-first experience.

Option 1: Claude Code Plugin (Recommended)

Plugin marketplace install runs the server in pure stdio mode with optional API key env vars. No daemon-bridge, no auto-spawn, no relay form. Graph storage is local SQLite, and local embeddings are resolved through Fastretrieval’s ONNX model registry – no external graph database required.

Credential prompts at install

When you run /plugin install, Claude Code prompts you for the following credentials (declared in userConfig per CC docs). Sensitive values are stored in your system keychain and persist across /plugin update:

Field	Required	Where to obtain
JINA_AI_API_KEY	Optional	https://jina.ai/api-key
GEMINI_API_KEY	Optional	https://aistudio.google.com/apikey
OPENAI_API_KEY	Optional	https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
COHERE_API_KEY	Optional	https://dashboard.cohere.com/api-keys

Steps

# Install from marketplace (includes skills: /refactor-check, /review-delta, /review-pr + hooks)
/plugin marketplace add n24q02m/claude-plugins
/plugin install better-code-review-graph@n24q02m-plugins

The plugin includes SessionStart and PostToolUse hooks that auto-build and auto-update the code graph.

Other optional env vars (GEMINI_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, COHERE_API_KEY, EMBEDDING_MODELS, SUMMARY_MODELS, LOCAL_EMBEDDING_MODEL, etc.) are not part of the userConfig prompt; add them manually to mcpServers.better-code-review-graph.env in your settings if needed.

Environment Variables

All environment variables are optional. The server works with Fastretrieval’s local ONNX embedding registry with zero configuration.

API Keys (Cloud Embedding Providers)

Variable	Required	Default	Description
JINA_AI_API_KEY	No	–	Jina AI key: embedding + reranking (highest priority)
GEMINI_API_KEY	No	–	Google Gemini key: embedding (free tier available). Also accepts GOOGLE_API_KEY
GOOGLE_VERTEX_EXPRESS_API_KEY	No	–	Vertex AI Express: Gemini via API key, no Service Account. Get it at https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/docs/start/express-mode/overview
OPENAI_API_KEY	No	–	OpenAI key: embedding
COHERE_API_KEY	No	–	Cohere key: embedding + reranking. Also accepts CO_API_KEY

Embedding Configuration

Variable	Required	Default	Description
EMBEDDING_MODELS	No	empty	Ordered CSV embedding model chain (provider/model,...); empty resolves Fastretrieval’s local ONNX model manifest
EMBEDDING_DIMS	No	0 (auto)	Embedding dimensions; custom local models may require LOCAL_EMBEDDING_DIM
LOCAL_EMBEDDING_MODEL	No	–	Optional BYO local embedding model ID; empty uses Fastretrieval’s bundled model manifest
LOCAL_EMBEDDING_MODEL_FILE	No	onnx/model.onnx	ONNX file path for a BYO local embedding
LOCAL_EMBEDDING_DIM	No	0	Required for a BYO local embedding when its model manifest does not provide dimensions
LOCAL_EMBEDDING_POOLING	No	MEAN	Pooling for a BYO local embedding (MEAN, CLS, LAST_TOKEN, or DISABLED)
LOCAL_EMBEDDING_NORMALIZE	No	true	Normalize BYO local embedding outputs
SUMMARY_MODELS	No	empty	Ordered CSV summary model chain (provider/model,...); empty leaves summaries disabled

Legacy aliases: EMBEDDING_BACKEND, EMBEDDING_MODEL, and SUMMARY_MODEL are deprecated and honored for one release. Use EMBEDDING_MODELS and SUMMARY_MODELS instead.

HTTP Mode (Self-Host)

Variable	Required	Default	Description
TRANSPORT_MODE	No	stdio	Set to http to enable HTTP transport (multi-user).
PUBLIC_URL	Yes (http)	–	Server’s public URL for relay form.
MCP_DCR_SERVER_SECRET	Yes (http)	–	HMAC secret for stateless Dynamic Client Registration.
MCP_PORT	No	8080	Server port (http mode only).

General

Variable	Required	Default	Description
LOG_LEVEL	No	INFO	Logging level

Authentication

Stdio Mode (Env Vars)

Set API keys directly via env vars (or leave unset for Fastretrieval’s local ONNX registry). No relay form, no browser flow.

Verification

After setup, verify the server is working by building the graph:

graph(action="build", repo_path="/path/to/your/repo")

Expected: returns a JSON summary with node counts, edge counts, and supported languages found.

Then try a search:

query(action="search", query="main function", repo_path="/path/to/your/repo")