Getting Started

1

Install CodeFire

Download and install the app for your platform.

macOS (Apple Silicon)

1. Download CodeFire-macOS.zip from GitHub Releases.
2. Unzip and drag CodeFire.app to your Applications folder.
3. Open CodeFire. On first launch, macOS may ask you to confirm since the app isn't signed. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click "Open Anyway".

The app creates its data directory at ~/Library/Application Support/CodeFire/ and automatically deploys the MCP server binary.

2

Open Settings

Configure your API keys and preferences.

Click the gear icon in the bottom left of the sidebar, or use the menu bar CodeFire > Settings.

Settings has six tabs: General, Terminal, CodeFire Engine, Gmail, Browser, and Briefing.

3

Add your OpenRouter API key

Required for AI chat, semantic code search, and image generation.

1. Go to openrouter.ai/keys and create a new API key. Copy it.
2.
In CodeFire Settings, go to the CodeFire Engine tab. In CodeFire Settings, go to the Engine tab.
3. Paste your API key into the OpenRouter API Key field. It starts with sk-or-v1-...

What this unlocks: The OpenRouter key powers three features: the built-in AI Chat (ask questions about your codebase), Semantic Code Search (search by meaning, not just text), and AI Image Generation. All models are served through OpenRouter with a single key.

Optional settings on this tab:

Embedding model — Choose between text-embedding-3-small (faster, cheaper) or text-embedding-3-large (more accurate)
MCP server auto-start — Enabled by default. Automatically detects when an AI CLI connects via MCP.
Instruction injection — Enabled by default. Adds a managed section to your project's CLAUDE.md telling Claude Code about available CodeFire tools.

4

Connect your AI coding CLI

Install the CodeFire MCP server so your CLI has access to persistent memory and tools.

One-click install

Click the button for your CLI tool. CodeFire will automatically write the MCP config to the right file.

Claude Code Install MCP Gemini CLI Install MCP Codex CLI Install MCP OpenCode Install MCP

After installing, restart your CLI session for the connection to activate.

Manual setup

If the one-click install doesn't work, you can configure the MCP server manually.

The MCP binary is at ~/Library/Application Support/CodeFire/bin/CodeFireMCP — deployed automatically when you open CodeFire.

Claude Code Terminal command

              
                $ claude mcp add codefire ~/Library/Application\ Support/CodeFire/bin/CodeFireMCP

Gemini CLI ~/.gemini/settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codefire": {
      "command": "~/Library/Application Support/CodeFire/bin/CodeFireMCP",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Codex CLI ~/.codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.codefire]
command = "~/Library/Application Support/CodeFire/bin/CodeFireMCP"
args = []

OpenCode opencode.json (project root)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codefire": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["~/Library/Application Support/CodeFire/bin/CodeFireMCP"]
    }
  }
}

5

Add a project

CodeFire auto-discovers projects or you can add them manually.

Automatic discovery

When you use Claude Code in a project directory, CodeFire automatically detects it by scanning ~/.claude/projects/. Your project will appear in the sidebar within a few seconds.

Manual add

Click + Open Folder at the bottom of the sidebar and select any project directory.

6

Gmail integration (optional)

Sync emails into CodeFire and convert them to tasks.

Gmail integration requires a Google OAuth Client ID and Client Secret. You'll need to create these in the Google Cloud Console.

1. Go to Google Cloud Console > APIs & Services > Credentials.
2. Create a new OAuth 2.0 Client ID (application type: Desktop app).
3. Enable the Gmail API for your project in the API Library.
4. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret.
5. In CodeFire Settings, go to the Gmail tab and paste both values.
6. Click Add Gmail Account and authorize access in the browser window that opens.
7. Toggle Enable Gmail sync on. Adjust the sync interval as needed (default: every 5 minutes).

Whitelist rules (Swift version): You can set up whitelist rules to automatically assign incoming emails to specific project groups with priority levels. Go to the Gmail settings tab to configure patterns.