Claude Code Stack Setup

This guide walks through setting up a Claude Code environment from scratch that matches the stack documented in the plugin inventory and MCP server configuration. Follow these steps on a new machine to get a fully operational AI-assisted development workflow.

#// Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+ and pnpm installed
• Claude Code CLI installed (npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
• Git configured with SSH keys
• A Vercel account (for Vercel MCP OAuth)
• Pencil.app installed (for design workflow — optional)

#// Step 1: Official Marketplace Plugins

Install the official plugins from the claude-plugins-official marketplace. These are maintained by Anthropic and the community.

#> Core Workflow (install first)

claude plugin install superpowers
claude plugin install feature-dev
claude plugin install code-review

#> Code Quality

claude plugin install pr-review-toolkit
claude plugin install code-simplifier
claude plugin install security-guidance

#> Development Environment

claude plugin install typescript-lsp
claude plugin install playwright

#> Platform and UI

claude plugin install vercel
claude plugin install frontend-design
claude plugin install learning-output-style

#> Setup and Management

claude plugin install claude-code-setup
claude plugin install claude-md-management

#// Step 2: Third-Party Plugins

#> context-mode

Context window management. Install from the context-mode marketplace:

claude plugin install context-mode --marketplace context-mode

After installation, verify the MCP server is running:

claude mcp list

You should see plugin:context-mode:context-mode with status Connected.

#// Step 3: Local Plugins

Local plugins live in ~/.claude/plugins/local/ and are not published to any marketplace.

#> blink (session persistence)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/plugins/local/blink
# Copy blink plugin files to this directory

#> worktree-dx (git worktree management)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/plugins/local/worktree-dx
# Copy worktree-dx plugin files to this directory

These require the plugin source files. If migrating from an existing machine, copy the directories directly from ~/.claude/plugins/local/.

#// Step 4: Additional MCP Server

The official Playwright, Vercel, and context-mode MCP servers are auto-configured by their plugins. One additional MCP server needs manual setup:

#> ExecuteAutomation Playwright

claude mcp add playwright "npx -y @executeautomation/playwright-mcp-server"

This provides codegen sessions, response assertions, and PDF export capabilities that complement the official Playwright MCP.

#// Step 5: Permission Configuration

Configure granular permissions in ~/.claude/settings.json. The goal is to allow common read/navigation operations automatically while gating destructive actions behind confirmation.

#> Allow List (friction-free operations)

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Bash(ls:*)", "Bash(cat:*)", "Bash(head:*)", "Bash(tail:*)",
      "Bash(grep:*)", "Bash(rg:*)", "Bash(find:*)",
      "Bash(pwd:*)", "Bash(which:*)", "Bash(file:*)", "Bash(stat:*)",
      "Bash(echo:*)", "Bash(printf:*)", "Bash(wc:*)",
      "Bash(sort:*)", "Bash(uniq:*)", "Bash(cut:*)", "Bash(tr:*)",
      "Bash(sed:*)", "Bash(awk:*)", "Bash(jq:*)",
      "Bash(node:*)", "Bash(tsx:*)",
      "Bash(touch:*)", "Bash(mkdir:*)", "Bash(cp:*)", "Bash(mv:*)", "Bash(rm:*)",
      "Bash(realpath:*)", "Bash(dirname:*)", "Bash(basename:*)",
      "Bash(test:*)", "Bash([:*)", "Bash(true:*)", "Bash(false:*)",
      "Bash(lsof:*)", "Bash(pkill:*)", "Bash(sleep:*)",
      "Bash(date:*)",
      "Bash(docker ps:*)", "Bash(docker exec:*)", "Bash(docker inspect:*)",
      "Bash(pnpm test:*)", "Bash(pnpm build:*)", "Bash(pnpm lint:*)",
      "Bash(git status:*)", "Bash(git diff:*)", "Bash(git log:*)",
      "Bash(git branch:*)", "Bash(git checkout:*)",
      "Bash(git add:*)", "Bash(git commit:*)",
      "Bash(git fetch:*)", "Bash(git pull:*)", "Bash(git stash:*)",
      "Bash(git show:*)", "Bash(git rev-parse:*)", "Bash(git remote:*)",
      "Bash(gh:*)",
      "mcp__pencil"
    ]
  }
}

#> Deny List (protect secrets)

{
  "permissions": {
    "deny": [
      "Read(.env)", "Read(.env.*)",
      "Read(**/.env)", "Read(**/.env.*)",
      "Read(**/secrets/**)", "Read(**/*credentials*)",
      "Read(**/*.pem)", "Read(**/*.key)", "Read(**/*secret*)",
      "Bash(curl:*)", "Bash(wget:*)"
    ]
  }
}

The deny list prevents reading secret files and blocks network requests via curl/wget (use MCP tools or dedicated fetch tools instead).

#// Step 6: Environment Configuration

Enable experimental features:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS": "1"
  }
}

#// Step 7: Verify Installation

Run a health check to confirm everything is connected:

claude mcp list

Expected output should show five MCP servers:

If the Vercel MCP shows "Needs authentication", run claude and it will prompt for OAuth authorization on first use.

#// Step 8: CLAUDE.md Configuration

The plugins provide tools and skills, but the CLAUDE.md files define how they are used. Key rules to include in your global ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md:

• Mandate TDD via the tdd skill for all new features and bugfixes
• Mandate systematic-debugging via the systematic-debugging skill for all debugging
• Mandate design-system via the design-system skill for UI component work
• Require subagent-driven development for any feature work involving 2+ tasks
• Set context efficiency rules to work with context-mode (delegate heavy output to agents or sandbox)

See the Global CLAUDE.md config and Project CLAUDE.md config entries for complete templates.

#// Post-Setup

After installation, the workflow is:

1. Start a session — plugins load automatically based on session hooks
2. Skills inject on demand — touching a Next.js file triggers Vercel/Next.js guidance, running tests triggers TDD guidance
3. MCP servers respond to tool calls — browser automation, platform queries, and design operations are available in every conversation
4. Context-mode manages capacity — heavy output stays in sandbox, only summaries enter context
5. Blink saves progress — snapshot sessions before breaks, restore when resuming