Quickstart

Start Using CodeAlive in Three Simple Steps

Transform your AI coding experience with deep contextual understanding of your codebase.

Add at least one repository before connecting an assistant. Current remote MCP clients can use browser OAuth without an API key; API keys remain available for direct API, Docker, and compatibility setups. Chat and search become useful after your repository is indexed.

Create Your CodeAlive Account

Add your first repository

Once logged in:

Navigate to the Data Sources section
Connect your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repositories
Select at least one repository to add to CodeAlive
CodeAlive will begin building your codebase knowledge graph

Once at least one repository has been added, you can create an API key right away. Initial indexing typically takes 5-15 minutes depending on repository size.

Create your API key

Navigate to MCP & API in the dashboard
Click ”+ Create API Key”
Copy your key immediately (it won’t be displayed again)

Save your API key securely. You will need it to connect your AI assistants, and it cannot be retrieved later.

Connect Your AI Assistant

Choose your preferred integration method:

Installer (Recommended)
MCP (Manual)
API Integration
Docker

One-Command Setup

The installer auto-detects your AI agents and configures CodeAlive:

npx @codealive/installer

Supports Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Cline, Codex, and more. See the Installation Guide for details.

Model Context Protocol Setup

For an OAuth-capable remote MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codealive": {
      "url": "https://mcp.codealive.ai/api"
    }
  }
}

Your client opens CodeAlive in a browser for sign-in and consent. If it does not prompt automatically, use its MCP login command. The agent-specific guides include exact steps and an API-key fallback.

See MCP Integration for agent-specific instructions.

Direct API Integration

Use CodeAlive’s REST API directly:

curl -X POST https://app.codealive.ai/api/tools/chat \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "question": "Explain the authentication flow. Prior context: none.",
    "data_sources": ["your-repo-name"],
    "output_format": "agentic"
  }'

Local Docker Setup

Run CodeAlive MCP server locally:

docker run -p 8000:8000 \
  -e CODEALIVE_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY \
  ghcr.io/codealive-ai/codealive-mcp:main

Start Using CodeAlive

Wait until your repository finishes indexing before expecting useful chat or search results.

Semantic Code Search

Try these example queries:

“Find all authentication-related code”
“Show me error handling patterns in the payment service”
“Locate database connection configurations”

Contextual Chat

Engage in deep technical discussions:

“How does the user registration flow work?”
“What are the potential security vulnerabilities in the API endpoints?”
“Suggest improvements for the caching strategy”

Code Review

Get AI-powered code reviews:

“Review this pull request for best practices”
“Check for potential performance issues”
“Identify code duplication across the codebase”

Integration Guides

Installation Guide

One-command installer for all agents

Claude Code

Set up CodeAlive with Claude Code

Cursor

Integrate CodeAlive into Cursor

VS Code + Copilot

Use CodeAlive with GitHub Copilot in VS Code

All Agents

20+ agent integrations including Windsurf, Codex, Gemini CLI, and more

API Reference

Explore the full API documentation

Key Benefits

83% Faster AI Responses

CodeAlive’s context engine dramatically improves AI response times by providing pre-indexed, semantically organized code knowledge.

Multi-Repository Support

Analyze relationships across multiple repositories simultaneously, perfect for microservices architectures.

All Languages Supported

Support for all programming languages and frameworks in your tech stack.

Troubleshooting

Repository not indexing

Ensure you have proper access permissions to the repository
Check that the repository is not empty
For private repos, verify your GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket integration is properly configured

API key not working

Verify you’re using the correct API key from your dashboard
Make sure you have added at least one repository before trying to create a key
Check that your account is active
Ensure proper formatting in your configuration (Bearer token in Authorization header)

Slow response times

Initial repository indexing may take time for large codebases
Check your network connection
Contact support@codealive.ai if issues persist

Next Steps

Documentation

Learn about CodeAlive’s architecture

Best Practices

Optimize your CodeAlive setup

Support

Get help from our team

Getting Started

Features

Model Context Protocol

Agent Skills & Plugins

Instructing Agents

Start Using CodeAlive in Three Simple Steps

One-Command Setup

Model Context Protocol Setup

Direct API Integration

Local Docker Setup

Integration Guides

Installation Guide

Claude Code

Cursor

VS Code + Copilot

All Agents

API Reference

Key Benefits

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Documentation

Best Practices

Support

​Start Using CodeAlive in Three Simple Steps

​One-Command Setup

​Model Context Protocol Setup

​Direct API Integration

​Local Docker Setup

​Integration Guides

Installation Guide

Claude Code

Cursor

VS Code + Copilot

All Agents

API Reference

​Key Benefits

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Documentation

Best Practices

Support

Start Using CodeAlive in Three Simple Steps

One-Command Setup

Model Context Protocol Setup

Direct API Integration

Local Docker Setup

Integration Guides

Key Benefits

Troubleshooting

Next Steps