Quick Start
Get up and running with SwissArmyHammer in just a few minutes.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- SwissArmyHammer installed (see Installation)
- Claude Code (or another MCP-compatible client)
Step 1: Verify Installation
First, check that SwissArmyHammer is properly installed:
swissarmyhammer --version
Run the doctor command to check your setup:
swissarmyhammer doctor
This will check your system and provide recommendations if anything needs attention.
Step 2: Configure Claude Code
Add SwissArmyHammer to your Claude Code MCP configuration:
Find Your Config File
The Claude Code configuration file is located at:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
- Linux:
~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Add the Configuration
Create or edit the configuration file with the following content:
{
"mcpServers": {
"swissarmyhammer": {
"command": "swissarmyhammer",
"args": ["serve"]
}
}
}
If you already have other MCP servers configured, just add the swissarmyhammer
entry to your existing mcpServers
object.
Step 3: Create Your Prompt Directory
Create a directory for your prompts:
mkdir -p ~/.swissarmyhammer/prompts
This is where you’ll store your custom prompts. SwissArmyHammer will automatically watch this directory for changes.
Step 4: Create Your First Prompt
Create a simple prompt file:
cat > ~/.swissarmyhammer/prompts/helper.md << 'EOF'
---
title: General Helper
description: A helpful assistant for various tasks
arguments:
- name: task
description: What you need help with
required: true
- name: style
description: How to approach the task
required: false
default: "friendly and concise"
---
# Task Helper
Please help me with: {{task}}
Approach this in a {{style}} manner. Provide clear, actionable advice.
EOF
Step 5: Test the Setup
-
Restart Claude Code to pick up the new MCP server configuration.
-
Open Claude Code and start a new conversation.
-
Try using your prompt: In Claude Code, you should now see SwissArmyHammer prompts available in the prompt picker.
-
Use the built-in prompts: SwissArmyHammer comes with several built-in prompts you can try right away:
help
- Get help with using SwissArmyHammerdebug-error
- Debug error messagescode-review
- Review code for issuesdocs-readme
- Generate README files
Step 6: Verify Everything Works
Test that SwissArmyHammer is working correctly:
# Check if Claude Code can connect (this will show server info)
swissarmyhammer serve --help
# Run diagnostics again to see the updated status
swissarmyhammer doctor
The doctor command should now show that Claude Code configuration is found and prompts are loading correctly.
What’s Next?
Now that you have SwissArmyHammer set up, you can:
- Explore built-in prompts - See what’s available out of the box
- Create more prompts - Build your own prompt library
- Learn advanced features - Template variables, prompt organization, etc.
Recommended Next Steps
- Create Your First Custom Prompt
- Learn about Template Variables
- Explore Built-in Prompts
- Advanced Prompt Techniques
Troubleshooting
If something isn’t working:
- Run the doctor:
swissarmyhammer doctor
- Check Claude Code logs: Look for any error messages
- Verify file permissions: Make sure SwissArmyHammer can read your prompt files
- Restart Claude Code: Sometimes a restart is needed after configuration changes
For more detailed troubleshooting, see the Troubleshooting guide.
Getting Help
If you need help:
- Check the Troubleshooting guide
- Look at Examples for inspiration
- Ask questions in GitHub Discussions
- Report bugs in GitHub Issues