---
title: Tenets Quick Start - Free MCP Server, Python Library, CLI
description: Install Tenets MCP server in 30 seconds. Free open source Python library and CLI for LLM code context. 100% local, works with Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf.
---
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# Quickstart
Tenets gives your AI two superpowers: **intelligent code context** (finds the right files automatically) and **automatic tenets injection** (your guiding principles in every prompt).
## MCP-first (recommended)
```bash
pip install tenets[mcp]
tenets-mcp
```
Add to your IDE:
- **Cursor** (`~/.cursor/mcp.json`)
```json
{ "mcpServers": { "tenets": { "command": "tenets-mcp" } } }
```
- **Claude Desktop** (`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`)
```json
{ "mcpServers": { "tenets": { "command": "tenets-mcp" } } }
```
- **Windsurf / VS Code MCP**
```json
{ "tenets": { "command": "tenets-mcp" } }
```
Ask your AI: *"Use tenets to find the auth code and pin src/auth."*
---
## The Two Core Features
### 1. Intelligent Code Context
Your AI asks tenets to find relevant code. Tenets uses NLP (BM25, import centrality, git signals) to rank and aggregate the best files within your token budget.
### 2. Automatic Tenets Injection
Define guiding principles once—they're automatically injected into every prompt. This prevents context drift in long conversations and ensures consistent coding standards.
---
## Real-world flow: System instruction + Tenets + Sessions
```bash
# Create a working session
tenets session create auth-refresh
# Add guiding principles (tenets)
tenets tenet add "Prefer small, safe diffs" --priority high --category style
tenets tenet add "Always validate user input" --priority critical --category security
# Apply tenets for this session
tenets instill --session auth-refresh
# Set a global system instruction
tenets system-instruction set "You are a senior engineer. Add tests and document trade-offs." --enable
# Build context with transformations for token efficiency
tenets distill "add OAuth2 refresh tokens" --session auth-refresh --remove-comments --condense
# Pin files as you learn what matters
tenets instill --session auth-refresh --add-file src/auth/service.py --add-folder src/auth/routes
tenets instill --session auth-refresh --list-pinned
```
See also: CLI > System Instruction Commands, Tenet Commands, and Instill.
# Quick Start
Get productive with Tenets in under 60 seconds.
## 1. Install
```bash
pip install tenets
```
## 2. Generate Context (CLI)
```bash
tenets distill "add optimistic locking to order updates"
```
Copy straight to your clipboard:
```bash
tenets distill "refactor payment flow" --copy
```
Or enable auto-copy in `tenets.toml`:
```toml
[output]
copy_on_distill = true
```
## 3. Refine
Pin or force-include critical files:
```bash
# Build context for investigation
tenets distill "investigate cache stampede"
# Pin files are managed through instill command for sessions
tenets instill --add-file cache/*.py --add-file config/settings.py
```
Exclude noise:
```bash
tenets distill "debug webhook" --exclude "**/migrations/**,**/tests/**"
```
## 4. Python API
```python
from tenets import Tenets
tenets = Tenets()
result = tenets.distill(
prompt="implement bulk import",
max_tokens=80_000,
)
print(result.token_count, "tokens")
# Copy is done via CLI flag --copy or config setting
```
## 5. Sessions (Iterate)
```python
tenets = Tenets()
# Sessions are managed through distill parameters
first = tenets.distill("trace 500 errors in checkout", session_name="checkout-fixes")
second = tenets.distill("add instrumentation around payment retries", session_name="checkout-fixes")
```
## 6. Visualization & Insight
```bash
# Complexity & hotspots
tenets examine . --show-details --hotspots
# Dependency graph (Interactive HTML)
tenets viz deps --format html --output deps.html
```
## 7. Next
* See full CLI options: [CLI Reference](CLI.md)
* Tune ranking & tokens: [Configuration](CONFIG.md)
* Dive deeper: [Architecture](ARCHITECTURE.md)
