# Quick Start Guide
Get the DevDocs MCP server running in 5 minutes!
## Prerequisites Check
Make sure you have:
- ✅ Node.js 18+ installed (`node --version`)
- ✅ Claude Desktop installed
## Installation Steps
### 1. Install Dependencies
```bash
cd /path/to/apidocs
npm install
```
This will automatically build the project (via the `prepare` script).
### 2. Find Your Absolute Path
```bash
pwd
```
Copy the output - you'll need it for configuration.
### 3. Configure Claude Desktop
**macOS**: Edit `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
**Windows**: Edit `%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Add this configuration (replace `/YOUR/PATH/HERE` with your actual path from step 2):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"devdocs": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/YOUR/PATH/HERE/apidocs/build/index.js"]
}
}
}
```
### 4. Restart Claude Desktop
Completely quit and restart Claude Desktop.
### 5. Test It!
In a new Claude conversation, try:
```
"List all Python documentation available"
```
or
```
"Search for 'async await' in JavaScript docs"
```
If Claude can access documentation, you're all set! 🎉
## Verification
To verify the installation works before configuring Claude Desktop:
```bash
npm test
```
You should see:
```
Testing DevDocs API access...
1. Fetching docs list...
✓ Found 779 documentation sets
2. Fetching JavaScript index...
✓ Found 1287 entries in JavaScript docs
3. Fetching Array.map documentation...
✓ Fetched 17874 bytes of content
All tests passed! ✓
```
## Troubleshooting
### Claude doesn't recognize the tools
1. **Check the path**: Make sure you used the absolute path (starts with `/` on macOS/Linux or `C:\` on Windows)
2. **Verify the build**: Run `ls build/index.js` - this file must exist
3. **Check the config file**: Make sure the JSON is valid (no trailing commas, proper quotes)
4. **Restart completely**: Fully quit Claude Desktop (not just close the window)
### Still not working?
1. Check Claude Desktop's logs:
- **macOS**: `~/Library/Logs/Claude/`
- **Windows**: `%APPDATA%/Claude/logs/`
2. Look for errors related to "devdocs" in the log files
3. Verify Node.js version: `node --version` (should be 18 or higher)
### Common Issues
**"Cannot find module"**: Run `npm install` again
**"Permission denied"**: Make sure the build directory is readable
**Tools don't appear**: Check that you restarted Claude Desktop completely
## Next Steps
- Read [README.md](README.md) for detailed documentation
- Check out [EXAMPLES.md](EXAMPLES.md) for usage examples
- Start exploring the 600+ documentation sets available!
## Quick Reference
### Most Useful Commands to Try
```
"Show me React documentation"
"Search for 'authentication' in Django docs"
"How do I use async/await in JavaScript?"
"Compare routing in Express and Flask"
"What array methods are available in JavaScript?"
```
### Popular Documentation Slugs
- `javascript` - JavaScript
- `python~3.12` - Python 3.12
- `react` - React
- `typescript` - TypeScript
- `django~5.1` - Django
- `postgresql~17` - PostgreSQL
- `dom` - Web APIs
- `express` - Express.js
## Need More Help?
- Full documentation: [README.md](README.md)
- Usage examples: [EXAMPLES.md](EXAMPLES.md)
- Report issues on GitHub
---
**Pro Tip**: Once configured, you can ask Claude to search documentation as part of any conversation. For example: "I'm building a REST API with Flask - show me the routing documentation and help me set up endpoints."
