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Quick start

Connect your AI assistant to Pastepile in under 60 seconds. Copy-paste setup for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Codex CLI, Continue.dev, Cline, Roo Code, and any MCP client.

3 min read · Updated Jul 30, 2026

The only requirement is Node.js 18 or newer. There is no install step: every client below launches the server with npx -y @pastepile/mcp, which fetches the zero-dependency package on first run.

Pick your client

One command

claude mcp add pastepile -- npx -y @pastepile/mcp

With an API key for private memory:

claude mcp add pastepile --env PASTEPILE_API_KEY=pk_live_... -- npx -y @pastepile/mcp

To share the server with your whole team, commit .mcp.json at the project root instead:

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pastepile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pastepile/mcp"],
      "env": { "PASTEPILE_API_KEY": "pk_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Open Settings, Developer, Edit Config and add the server to claude_desktop_config.json:

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pastepile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pastepile/mcp"],
      "env": { "PASTEPILE_API_KEY": "pk_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The tools appear under the search-and-tools icon.

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json (one project):

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pastepile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pastepile/mcp"],
      "env": { "PASTEPILE_API_KEY": "pk_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pastepile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pastepile/mcp"],
      "env": { "PASTEPILE_API_KEY": "pk_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

For Copilot agent mode, add .vscode/mcp.json. Note VS Code uses servers, not mcpServers:

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "pastepile": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pastepile/mcp"],
      "env": { "PASTEPILE_API_KEY": "pk_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

config.toml

[mcp_servers.pastepile]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@pastepile/mcp"]
env = { "PASTEPILE_API_KEY" = "pk_live_..." }

Add an mcpServers entry to your Continue configuration with the same command, args, and env shape:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pastepile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pastepile/mcp"],
      "env": { "PASTEPILE_API_KEY": "pk_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Open the extension's MCP Servers panel, choose Configure MCP Servers, and add the standard entry to the generated settings file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pastepile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pastepile/mcp"],
      "env": { "PASTEPILE_API_KEY": "pk_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Point the client at the command npx -y @pastepile/mcp. The server speaks newline-delimited JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio (protocol 2025-06-18) and implements initialize, tools/list, tools/call, and ping.

Clients that only accept remote MCP servers can use the hosted remote endpoint instead: same tools, Streamable HTTP transport, nothing to install.

Verify the connection

Ask your assistant, in plain language:

Save the text "hello from my assistant" to Pastepile and give me the URL.

The assistant calls pastepile_save and returns a URL like https://pastepile.com/p/aB3xY9z. Open it in a browser: that paste is your assistant's first durable memory.

Next steps

Add an API keyUnlock private memory: search and list cover only your pastes.Meet the toolsSave, get, search, and list, each with examples and errors.See real workflowsSession memory, runbooks, and agent handoffs in practice.

Common setup errors

Symptom	Cause and fix
Server does not start	Run `node --version`; the server needs Node 18+. It prints a clear message to stderr when `fetch` is missing.
Tools never appear	Most clients require a full restart after editing MCP configuration. Restart the app, not just the chat.
`scope "mine" requires an API key`	Set `PASTEPILE_API_KEY` in the server's `env` block and restart the client. See Authentication.
Saves expire after a month	Free-key policy for the default expiry; the result says so in `expiry_note`. See Limits.

Pick your client

Verify the connection

Next steps

Common setup errors

Related documentation