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Overview

The Zenable MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server enables your AI coding assistant to automatically check and improve your code against your organization’s requirements.
Your code is safe: We never retain or train on your code, regardless of tier. Read our FAQ

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Quick Installation

The easiest way to install the Zenable MCP server is using our automated installer: 
# Install MCP server for all detected IDEs
zenable install
Don’t have the Zenable CLI? Install it first:
curl -fsSL https://cli.zenable.app/install.sh | bash
Want more features? Check out Professional or Enterprise plans to unlock advanced capabilities and increase your daily limits.
This will automatically:
  • Detect your installed IDEs
  • Configure the MCP server for each IDE
  • Install hooks where supported
  • Provide IDE-specific post-installation instructions, as needed

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Supported IDEs

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Full Support ✅

The following IDEs have full MCP server support. Click each for detailed installation instructions: *Continue users may experience issues until Continue adds support for streamable HTTP.

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Enhanced Hook Support

Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro, Auggie, and Cline have additional support for hooks, enabling advanced automation workflows like automatic code checking after file edits and intelligent context management. Codex has limited hook support (session start and stop only as of 2026-03-11).

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Installation Methods

For IDE-specific installation instructions, see the individual IDE guides.
1

Run the installer

# Install globally for all projects (default)
zenable install
This makes Zenable available across all your projects.
Want project-level installation? Run zenable install --project from inside a git repository to install only for that project.

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Post-Installation

After installation:
  1. Restart your IDE to load the new configuration
  2. Verify the connection - The Zenable MCP server should appear in your IDE’s MCP tools. You may need to manually run an authentication command to initiate the login workflow.
  3. Test the integration - Open the chat prompt and add a feature to a file, and see if recommendations appear
Need perfect consistency? While most IDEs are good at following the installed instructions, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro, Auggie, and Cline provide deterministic hooks that ensure reliable code checking after every file edit. These hooks are automatically configured with the same install command from above.

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Advanced Options

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Install for Specific IDEs

# Single IDE
zenable install cursor

# Install Zenable for all supported IDEs on your system
zenable install

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Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions:
The installer looks for IDE configuration files and installed applications. If your IDE isn’t detected:
  1. Make sure the IDE is installed
  2. Try specifying it explicitly: zenable install <ide-name>
  3. Open an issue at zenable.io/feedback or email support@zenable.io
  1. Restart your IDE completely
  2. Check the configuration file location is correct
  3. Validate JSON syntax in the configuration file
  4. Check IDE logs for errors
The MCP server reviews files that are modified during the agent session (between prompt submit and agent stop). Some scenarios result in files not being reviewed:
  • File created then deleted: If the agent creates a temporary file and removes it before stopping, there’s nothing to review
  • File reverted to original state: If a file was modified before your prompt but the agent reverts it back to its original content, the file is no longer changed so there’s nothing new to review
  • File unchanged during session: If a file was already dirty when you submitted your prompt but the agent didn’t touch it, it won’t be reviewed
  • File created outside the workspace: Files created or modified outside the IDE’s configured workspace are not reviewed unless the IDE passes us those file paths
These are expected behaviors - the MCP server focuses on what the agent actually changed during the current session.
For complete coverage: Use GitHub or GitLab PR/MR review bots alongside MCP hooks. The server-side bots review all changes in your pull/merge request, catching anything the MCP hooks might miss.
For more detailed troubleshooting, see our troubleshooting guide.

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Next Steps