Install

Paste this first (any agent)

Copy everything in the box below into your coding agent. It should ask you what you use before installing anything — then follow only the sections that match.

You are helping me install Changedown (markdown track changes with CriticMarkup).

First, ask me to confirm my environments:

- Editors: e.g. VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains, Neovim, other, or none (agents only).
- AI / agent surfaces: e.g. Claude Code, OpenCode, Cursor’s agent, a generic MCP client (Claude Desktop, another IDE), or none.

Rules:

- If I use Claude Code, follow the page section: run `/plugin marketplace add hackerbara/changedown` first, then `/plugin install changedown@hackerbara`. Do not add a separate MCP server for Claude Code unless I explicitly want a duplicate or custom setup — the plugin already bundles MCP.
- If I use OpenCode, install the Changedown OpenCode plugin (npm package in opencode.json). Do not add a separate MCP entry for the same project unless I already have one and know why — the plugin wires the Changedown MCP server for me.
- If I use an editor with a Changedown extension (VS Code marketplace: changedown.changedown-vscode), install that for the human editing experience. Cursor and other VS Code–compatible editors use the same marketplace entry where available.
- If I rely on a generic MCP host only (no Changedown plugin), use the standalone MCP block from the page: package @changedown/mcp, binary changedown-mcp (npx). Do not invent package names.

Ask me which repositories I want to track markdown in, then run: npx changedown init (project config) in those repositories. That is separate from editor and agent install steps.

Work through the page sections in a sensible order for my answers; skip what does not apply.

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Plugins vs standalone MCP

Install target	What you get	Add MCP separately?
Claude Code plugin	MCP tools, hooks, and skill as shipped by the plugin	No — duplicate MCP is unnecessary unless you have a special case.
@changedown/opencode-plugin (OpenCode)	Plugin hooks plus the Changedown MCP server wired in OpenCode	No for normal use — the plugin registers MCP.
VS Code / Cursor extension	Editor UI; LSP talks to @changedown/lsp-server	No — the editor does not use MCP for this; agents use MCP or plugins separately.
MCP-only host (no plugin)	—	Yes — use Standalone MCP below.

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Project setup (run in every repo)

Changedown’s project config lives next to your markdown. Run this in each repository where you want tracking:

npx changedown init

This creates .changedown/config.toml, examples, and gitignore updates. It does not install editors, plugins, or MCP — those are global or per-tool steps above.

VS Code family (VS Code, Cursor, and compatible editors)

Marketplace: Extensions panel → search Changedown → install Changedown by changedown.

Direct link: Visual Studio Marketplace — Changedown

CLI install (VS Code):

code --install-extension changedown.changedown-vscode

You get tracking mode, smart view, accept/reject, comments, review panel, and the language server driving the Markdown workflow. Cursor and other editors that use the Open VSX / VS Code marketplace can install the same listing when it is available there.

Claude Code

Install the Changedown plugin — it includes MCP, hooks, and the Changedown skill; you do not need a separate MCP install for Claude Code for the default setup.

In Claude Code, register the marketplace first, then install the plugin (order matters):

/plugin marketplace add hackerbara/changedown
/plugin install changedown@hackerbara

Restart Claude Code if it asks you to, then run npx changedown init in each repo you work in (see Project setup).

OpenCode

Install the npm plugin — it registers hooks and wires the Changedown MCP server for you. Do not duplicate a raw changedown MCP block unless you are debugging or overriding — the plugin merges MCP from @changedown/mcp.

Add the plugin to project opencode.json (repository root) or global ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

{
  "plugin": ["@changedown/opencode-plugin"]
}

OpenCode loads npm plugins per OpenCode’s plugin docs (typically Bun-cached from npm — no separate npm install of the plugin in your project). Use the project config when this repo should always load Changedown; use global config when you want Changedown in every OpenCode project.

Some OpenCode UIs only show MCP entries that appear in the static config file. If Changedown does not appear under MCP until you add it, the plugin README in the repo describes merging an explicit mcp.changedown entry — follow that if your OpenCode version needs it.

Then run npx changedown init in each repo (see Project setup).

Standalone MCP (generic host)

Use this when no Changedown plugin applies (e.g. Claude Desktop, another MCP-capable IDE, or a custom integration) or when your host only speaks MCP over stdio.

Package @changedown/mcp, binary changedown-mcp:

npx -y --package @changedown/mcp changedown-mcp

Example host config (field names vary by app):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "changedown": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "--package", "@changedown/mcp", "changedown-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

If the client supports MCP roots, the server uses them for paths. Otherwise set CHANGEDOWN_PROJECT_DIR to your project root, or rely on PWD / cwd.

Tools (seven): read_tracked_file, propose_change, review_changes, amend_change, list_changes, supersede_change, resolve_thread.

Developing Changedown from a git clone

This path is for contributors and people running unreleased bits — not for normal npm/marketplace installs.

1. Clone the repo and install dependencies per the repository README.
2. Build: node scripts/build.mjs (or the repo’s documented build).
3. Optional full dev install: node scripts/install.mjs — installs the local VSIX, global CLI from the repo, Cursor MCP pointing at built files under the clone, Claude plugin registration, hooks, and skills. Details live in scripts/install.mjs and the repo docs.

End users should prefer marketplace, npx changedown init, plugins, or standalone MCP — not this flow.

Core library and LSP

Parser and engine (build your own tools on top of the format):

npm install @changedown/core

Language server — the most direct server-shaped consumer of core for editor integrations (diagnostics, code actions, custom protocol). The VS Code extension talks to this server; other editors can spawn it the same way:

npm install @changedown/lsp-server

Binary: changedown-lsp (stdio LSP). Wire it in your editor’s LSP settings for Markdown when you are not using the Changedown extension but want server features.

For most people, install the Changedown extension instead of hand-wiring the LSP.