Installation

Get Prism Context Engine set up in your development environment.

Fastest Path: Use the Web Dashboard  — no installation required for basic usage.

Choose Your Setup

Prism offers two ways to use context rules:

Option A: Web Dashboard (Recommended)

The simplest way to use Prism. No local installation required.

Step 1: Create an Account

1. Visit prism.jeffdev.studio/sign-up 
2. Sign up with your email or GitHub
3. Verify your email address

Step 2: Create Your First Project

1. Click “New Project” in the dashboard
2. Enter your project name (e.g., “My SaaS App”)
3. Select your tech stack (Next.js, React, etc.)

Step 3: Export Rules

1. Create or generate rules (see Creating Rules)
2. Click “Export” → Choose your IDE format
3. Download the .cursorrules or .windsurfrules file
4. Place it in your project root

⚠️ Manual Workflow: With this method, you’ll need to re-export rules whenever they change.

Option B: MCP Server (Advanced)

For real-time synchronization between the dashboard and your IDE.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ installed
• npm or pnpm package manager
• Prism account with API key

Installation

npm:

npm install -g @prism/mcp-server

pnpm:

pnpm add -g @prism/mcp-server

yarn:

yarn global add @prism/mcp-server

Get Your API Key

Step 1: Open Dashboard Settings

Navigate to prism.jeffdev.studio/settings/api 

Step 2: Generate API Key

1. Click “Generate New Key”
2. Give it a name (e.g., “MacBook Pro”)
3. Copy the key immediately — it won’t be shown again

Step 3: Store Securely

Save your API key somewhere safe. You’ll need it for IDE configuration.

Verify Installation

prism-mcp --version
# Output: prism-mcp v1.0.3

IDE Configuration

After installing the MCP server, configure your editor:

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prism": {
      "command": "prism-mcp",
      "args": ["--api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

Full Cursor Setup Guide →

Windsurf

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prism": {
      "command": "prism-mcp",
      "args": ["--api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

Full Windsurf Setup Guide →

VS Code

1. Install the MCP Extension from marketplace
2. Open Command Palette → “MCP: Configure Servers”
3. Add Prism server configuration

Full VS Code Setup Guide →

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prism": {
      "command": "prism-mcp",
      "args": ["--api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY"]
    }
  }
}

Full Claude Desktop Setup Guide →

Environment Variables (Alternative)

Instead of passing the API key as an argument, you can use environment variables:

# Add to ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.profile
export PRISM_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

Then configure MCP without the --api-key argument:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prism": {
      "command": "prism-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Verify Connection

After configuration, verify your MCP connection:

1. Open your IDE
2. Start a new chat with AI
3. Ask: “What Prism rules are available?”

If configured correctly, the AI will list your project’s context rules.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Next Steps

• Quick Start — Create your first rule
• IDE Setup Guides — Detailed configuration
• Video Processing — Extract rules from recordings