FAQ

Does it need an API key?

No. Every registry works key-free. An optional GITHUB_TOKEN only raises GitHub rate limits for the github/ghcr registries.

Will apply_upgrades change my files without warning?

No. It defaults to dry_run: true (it computes and reports the diff but writes nothing). You pass dry_run: false to write, and even then each file is backed up to .dependency-backups/ first and rolls back on error.

Why a launcher script instead of "command": "node"?

Claude Code spawns MCP servers with a minimal PATH; node/npm often live in nvm/volta/fnm/bun/homebrew dirs that are off that PATH, which makes a bare command silently "Failed to connect". scripts/mcp-server.sh resolves Node robustly, builds on first run, and execs the server.

First launch is slow.

On first run the launcher installs dependencies and compiles TypeScript. That happens once; later launches skip straight to the compiled server (it rebuilds only when a source file is newer than the build).

A registry call timed out.

Registry availability is external. The server has per-request timeouts, retries with backoff, and a per-registry circuit breaker so one slow registry doesn't stall everything. Tune REGISTRY_TIMEOUT_MS if needed.

Which version am I running?

Versions are CalVer YEAR.MONTH.BUILD, auto-stamped from the repo's commit count by the 88plug marketplace. claude plugin list shows the current value.

Can I run it outside Claude Code?

Yes — it is a standard MCP server. Use node build/index.js stdio for stdio clients or node build/index.js http for the Streamable HTTP transport. See Installation.