Setup Guide

Setup Guide

This guide is self-contained. Every step is copy-pasteable. No external references required.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 or later
• Node.js 22 (nodejs.org)
• Claude Desktop or Cursor (or any MCP-compatible AI client)
• Git

Installation

Clone the repository and run the install script:

git clone https://github.com/Coding-Autopilot-System/Promptimprover.git
cd Promptimprover
.\build_and_install.ps1

The install script (build_and_install.ps1) compiles the TypeScript source and installs the prompt-refiner command globally via npm install -g.

Add to MCP Client

Add the following entry to your MCP client configuration file:

Claude Desktop (%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prompt-refiner": {
      "command": "prompt-refiner"
    }
  }
}

Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json in your project root or global settings):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prompt-refiner": {
      "command": "prompt-refiner"
    }
  }
}

Restart your MCP client after saving the configuration.

What a Successful Setup Looks Like

After restarting your MCP client, a successful setup produces these observable results:

1. MCP server starts without error — no "command not found" or crash on client startup
2. Tool list includes refine_prompt — your MCP client shows prompt-refiner in the available tools list with the refine_prompt tool
3. First prompt refinement returns an augmented prompt — when you trigger a prompt through your AI client, Promptimprover intercepts it and returns a version enriched with project context, coding standards snippets, and any patterns learned from your codebase

If the server does not start, verify that prompt-refiner is on your PATH by running prompt-refiner --version in a terminal.