# MCP Integration

Connect Claude, Codex, Gemini, Cursor, and other MCP clients to Kickstart.

Kickstart exposes two MCP guides. Start with the one that matches the work your agent needs to do; each guide is written to stand alone for external agents and custom MCP clients.

## Choose Documentation

- [General MCP](/mcp/general) ([raw Markdown](/mcp/general.md)) - 84 tools for project data, tasks, journal entries, reviews, revenue, analytics, TestFlight, App Store Connect operations, website editing, Search Ads, achievements, and related project workflows.
- [Video MCP](/mcp/video) ([raw Markdown](/mcp/video.md)) - 81 tools for creating and editing `.ksvideo` packages, generating narration and subtitles, downloading stock media, rendering 3D device mockups, building storyboard videos, and exporting final movies.

Video MCP requires an active Kickstart Pro subscription. When Pro is inactive, video tools are hidden from `tools/list` and direct calls return a Pro subscription error.

## How to Set Up

Kickstart ships with a `KickstartMCP` command-line helper bundled inside the app. MCP clients invoke it directly over stdio - no server to start, no port to configure.

1. Make sure Kickstart is installed in `/Applications`.
2. Open Kickstart at least once so your data is populated.
3. Add the helper to your MCP client's configuration.

### Claude Code

```sh
claude mcp add kickstart -- /Applications/Kickstart.app/Contents/Helpers/KickstartMCP
```

### Codex

```sh
codex mcp add kickstart -- /Applications/Kickstart.app/Contents/Helpers/KickstartMCP
```

### Cursor, Gemini, and Other MCP Clients

Point the client at the helper binary:

```txt
/Applications/Kickstart.app/Contents/Helpers/KickstartMCP
```

## Protocol Basics

Kickstart uses stdio transport with JSON-RPC 2.0 and supports MCP protocol version `2024-11-05`. MCP clients normally handle the handshake automatically, but raw clients should use this flow:

```json
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":0,"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05"}}
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"notifications/initialized"}
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"list_projects","arguments":{}}}
```

`tools/list` is always the authoritative source for exact tool schemas. These pages explain workflows and tool coverage so agents can choose the right calls.

## Agent-Friendly Links

- Markdown overview: `/mcp/index.md`
- Markdown general guide: `/mcp/general.md`
- Markdown video guide: `/mcp/video.md`
- LLM discovery file: `/llms.txt`