IDE integrations

Korva ships first-class integrations for eight editors via the Model Context Protocol. One CLI command — korva setup — auto-configures any of them. The same Vault tools are exposed everywhere; only the config file format differs.

Updated: 2026-04-30

Korva ships first-class integrations for eight editors. Run one command:

korva setup --all

…and every supported editor on your machine gets wired up automatically. To pick one specifically:

korva setup claude-code
korva setup cursor
korva setup vscode
korva setup copilot
korva setup windsurf
korva setup codex
korva setup opencode
korva setup gemini

korva setup is idempotent — safe to run multiple times. It never duplicates entries and never overwrites unrelated keys in your config.

Coverage matrix

Editor	Status	Config file(s)	Setup command
Claude Code	✅ Stable	`.mcp.json`, `CLAUDE.md`	`korva setup claude-code`
Cursor	✅ Stable	`.cursorrules`, `mcp.json`	`korva setup cursor`
VS Code (with MCP)	✅ Stable	`settings.json` (combined)	`korva setup vscode`
GitHub Copilot	✅ Stable	`.github/copilot-instructions.md`	`korva setup copilot`
Windsurf	✅ Stable	`global_rules.md`, `mcp_config.json`	`korva setup windsurf`
OpenAI Codex	✅ Stable	`.codex-plugin.json`	`korva setup codex`
OpenCode	✅ Stable	`opencode.json`	`korva setup opencode`
Gemini CLI	✅ Stable	`gemini-extension.json`, `GEMINI.md`	`korva setup gemini`

The standard MCP config

Every IDE that supports MCP natively gets the same minimal block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "korva-vault": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "korva-vault",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": { "KORVA_MCP_PROFILE": "agent" }
    }
  }
}

korva-vault ships as a single binary — no node_modules, no Python venv, no Docker. The MCP server is the same Go process that serves HTTP on :7437.

Universal session lifecycle

Every IDE follows the same workflow:

Reads BEHAVIOR.md at the repo root (four universal principles: think before coding, simplicity first, surgical changes, goal-driven execution).
Calls vault_context at session start with project, prompt and file_paths.
Applies returned auto_skills silently as authoritative guidance.
Before architecture decisions: vault_hint (10× cheaper than vault_search).
For full discovery: vault_search.
After meaningful work: vault_save with a type (decision, pattern, bugfix, learning, refactor).
For long outputs to memory: vault_compress with mode=full.
On close: vault_session_end with a summary.

Smart Skill Auto-Loader (works in every IDE)

When vault_context receives prompt + file_paths, the Vault:

Detects the active project.
Queries the team DB for skills marked auto_load=1.
Scores each skill: file pattern (45 %) + keywords (30 %) + project (15 %) + tags (10 %).
Returns the top matches inline with full body and the matching reason.

Per-IDE differentiators

Editor	What’s different
Claude Code	Separate `.mcp.json`, detailed `CLAUDE.md` with the universal workflow
Cursor	Combines rules in `.cursorrules` with MCP config in `mcp.json`
Copilot	Instructions via `github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.instructions` pointing to `BEHAVIOR.md` and `CLAUDE.md`
VS Code	Combined config: Copilot + MCP + explicit `korva.vault.endpoint`
Windsurf	`global_rules.md` + `mcp_config.json`
Codex	Single plugin (`.codex-plugin.json`) with `hooks.session_start` calling `korva-vault hooks session-start`
OpenCode	JSON Schema-validated, `instructions` as an array
Gemini	`contextFiles: ["GEMINI.md"]` for auto-loading + explicit scorer formula

Common environment variables

Variable	Values	Purpose
`KORVA_MCP_PROFILE`	`agent` / `readonly` / `admin`	Permission profile of exposed tools
`KORVA_OUTPUT_MODE`	`off` / `lite` / `full` / `ultra`	Default compression for `vault_compress`
`KORVA_SESSION_TOKEN`	auto	Auto-loaded from `~/.korva/session.token` if unset

Troubleshooting

If korva setup <ide> says “editor not found”, install the IDE first or pass the binary path explicitly. If the IDE picks up the config but tools never fire, the most common cause is the Vault not running:

korva vault start
korva doctor

See Troubleshooting for more.

Vault concepts — what’s actually exposed by these integrations
MCP tools reference