Cleus in Claude Code & Codex

Set it up in 2 minutes

1. 1Get an API key

   Open cleus.ai/developers, sign in and click Create key. Copy the clsk_live_… key right away, since it's only shown once.

   The MCP server bills your USD balance, which any Cleus subscription unlocks. Add balance if you're at $0.

2. 2Connect your agent

   Replace clsk_live_YOUR_KEY with your key. Pick your client:

   Claude CodeCodexCursorClaude DesktopVS CodeOther clients

   Claude Code

   Run this once in any terminal. --scope user makes Cleus available in every project.

   TerminalCopy

   claude mcp add --transport http --scope user cleus https://api.cleus.ai/mcp \
     --header "Authorization: Bearer clsk_live_YOUR_KEY"

   Start claude and type /mcp. You should see cleus · connected with 9 tools.

   To share it with a team, commit a .mcp.json in the repo root instead and have everyone set CLEUS_API_KEY in their shell:

   .mcp.jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cleus": {
         "type": "http",
         "url": "https://api.cleus.ai/mcp",
         "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${CLEUS_API_KEY}" }
       }
     }
   }

   Codex (OpenAI)

   Put your key in an environment variable (add the export to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc so it sticks), then add the server:

   TerminalCopy

   export CLEUS_API_KEY=clsk_live_YOUR_KEY
   codex mcp add cleus --url https://api.cleus.ai/mcp --bearer-token-env-var CLEUS_API_KEY

   Or add it by hand to ~/.codex/config.toml. The longer tool timeout gives videos and chapters room to finish:

   ~/.codex/config.tomlCopy

   [mcp_servers.cleus]
   url = "https://api.cleus.ai/mcp"
   bearer_token_env_var = "CLEUS_API_KEY"
   tool_timeout_sec = 120

   Check it with codex mcp list, or type /mcp inside Codex.

   Cursor

   Open Settings → MCP → Add new global MCP server, or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

   ~/.cursor/mcp.jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cleus": {
         "url": "https://api.cleus.ai/mcp",
         "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer clsk_live_YOUR_KEY" }
       }
     }
   }

   Claude Desktop

   Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config and add this to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude. Needs Node.js 18+ (the mcp-remote bridge connects the desktop app to the remote server).

   claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cleus": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://api.cleus.ai/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${CLEUS_AUTH}"],
         "env": { "CLEUS_AUTH": "Bearer clsk_live_YOUR_KEY" }
       }
     }
   }

   VS Code (Copilot agent mode)

   Add .vscode/mcp.json to your workspace. VS Code asks for your key the first time and stores it securely:

   .vscode/mcp.jsonCopy

   {
     "servers": {
       "cleus": {
         "type": "http",
         "url": "https://api.cleus.ai/mcp",
         "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:cleus-key}" }
       }
     },
     "inputs": [
       { "type": "promptString", "id": "cleus-key", "description": "Cleus API key", "password": true }
     ]
   }

   Any other MCP client

   • Transport: Streamable HTTP
   • URL: https://api.cleus.ai/mcp
   • Header: Authorization: Bearer clsk_live_…

   Client only speaks stdio? Run it through the bridge: npx -y mcp-remote https://api.cleus.ai/mcp --header "Authorization:Bearer clsk_live_…"

3. 3Ask for it

   Mention Cleus in your prompt and your agent picks the right tool. Try:

   • “Use Cleus to write a brutally honest roast of this README.”Copy
   • “Start a Cleus story: a noir thriller in 2080s Lagos about a memory smuggler. Write chapter 1 and save it to story/ch1.md.”Copy
   • “Continue my Cleus story "The Glass Orchard". Make chapter 4 darker and end on a cliffhanger.”Copy
   • “Generate a 5-second 9:16 Cleus video of a neon koi swimming through rain and download it to assets/koi.mp4.”Copy
   • “Make 4 Cleus images for my game's title screen and save them in public/.”Copy
   • “Ask cleus-smartest-2 to review this architecture plan and argue against it.”Copy