SwissArmyHammer

The MCP server for managing prompts as markdown files

SwissArmyHammer is a powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets you manage AI prompts as simple markdown files. It seamlessly integrates with Claude Code and other MCP-compatible tools, providing a flexible and organized way to work with AI prompts.

What is SwissArmyHammer?

SwissArmyHammer transforms how you work with AI prompts by:

• 📁 File-based prompt management - Store prompts as markdown files with YAML front matter
• 🔄 Live reloading - Changes to prompt files are automatically detected and reloaded
• 🎯 Template variables - Use {{variable}} syntax for dynamic prompt customization
• ⚡ MCP integration - Works seamlessly with Claude Code and other MCP clients
• 🗂️ Organized hierarchy - Support for built-in, user, and local prompt directories
• 🛠️ Developer-friendly - Rich CLI with diagnostics and shell completions

Key Features

🚀 Quick Setup

Get started by installing with Cargo:

cargo install --git https://github.com/wballard/swissarmyhammer.git swissarmyhammer-cli

This requires Rust 1.70+ to be installed. Get Rust from rustup.rs.

📝 Simple Prompt Format

Create prompts using familiar markdown with YAML front matter:

---
title: Code Review Helper
description: Helps review code for best practices and potential issues
arguments:
  - name: code
    description: The code to review
    required: true
  - name: language
    description: Programming language
    required: false
    default: "auto-detect"
---

# Code Review

Please review the following {{language}} code:

{{code}}

Focus on:
- Code quality and readability
- Potential bugs or security issues
- Performance considerations
- Best practices adherence

🎯 Template Variables

Use template variables to make prompts dynamic and reusable:

• {{variable}} - Required variables
• {{variable:default}} - Optional variables with defaults
• Support for strings, numbers, booleans, and JSON objects

🔧 Built-in Diagnostics

The doctor command helps troubleshoot setup issues:

swissarmyhammer doctor

Use Cases

SwissArmyHammer is perfect for:

• Development Teams - Share and standardize AI prompts across your team
• Individual Developers - Organize your personal prompt library
• Content Creators - Manage writing and editing prompts
• Researchers - Organize domain-specific prompts and templates
• Students - Build a learning-focused prompt collection

Architecture

SwissArmyHammer follows a simple but powerful architecture:

┌─────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│   Claude Code   │◄──►│ SwissArmyHammer  │◄──►│ Prompt Files    │
│   (MCP Client)  │    │   (MCP Server)   │    │ (.md files)     │
└─────────────────┘    └──────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
                       ┌──────────────────┐
                       │  File Watcher    │
                       │ (Auto-reload)    │
                       └──────────────────┘

Getting Started

Ready to get started? Check out our Installation Guide or jump straight to creating Your First Prompt.

For integration with Claude Code, see our Claude Code Integration guide.

Community

• GitHub: github.com/wballard/swissarmyhammer
• Issues: Report bugs and request features
• Discussions: Community Q&A and sharing
• Contributing: See our Contributing Guide

License

SwissArmyHammer is open source software licensed under the MIT License. See the License page for details.