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Client compatibility

Desnarl is an MCP server that your AI coding tool launches. This page lists the tools we have actually run it with, what was checked, and what we have not checked yet. A client is listed as tested only when every check below passed on the version and date shown.

Tested​

ClientVersionTestedNotes
Claude Code2.1.2852026-09-30
Codex CLI0.159.22026-09-30Requires approving tool calls; see Notes.
Antigravity CLI (agy)1.2.142026-09-30
Grok Build (grok)1.0.442026-09-30

All four were run on macOS. We have not tested Windows or Linux.

What "tested" means​

For each client we checked that it:

  1. starts the server from its own configuration and shows it as connected;
  2. lists all eight Desnarl tools;
  3. completes a real crossrepo_consumers call and returns the result with no error;
  4. behaves as described below when the license key is missing;
  5. still works when the client is opened on a folder that is not the Desnarl checkout.

The checks used a small sample workspace, not a large real one. Each call re-reads your sibling repos (measured at 12 to 19 seconds on a real workspace), so a client with a short tool-call timeout could fail a real call that the sample never triggered.

Not yet tested​

We have not tested the following, so we do not say whether they work: Claude Desktop, VS Code, Zed, Cursor and Windsurf. They speak MCP, which is a reason to expect them to work, not evidence that they do. This page will be updated as each is checked.

A client is not a model​

A client is the program that launches the server. The model is what decides which tool to call and how to use the answer. These results say the plumbing works in each client. They do not say that any particular model picks the right tool, asks the right question, or reports the result accurately. We have seen a model report a call as done after the call had failed.

Notes​

When the license key is missing​

Desnarl does not start without a valid license key. What you see depends on the client:

  • Claude Code shows the server as failed, without a reason.
  • Grok Build reports a failed handshake in grok mcp doctor, without a reason.
  • Antigravity CLI and Codex CLI show nothing at all. The model simply says it has no such tools.

If Desnarl's tools are missing and there is no error, check the license key first: that the variable is set where the client can see it, and that it is crg_ followed by 32 lowercase letters or digits.

How we registered the server​

The JSON on the install page is the mcpServers format. Not every client uses it:

  • Claude Code reads that JSON (--mcp-config).
  • Codex CLI uses TOML: a [mcp_servers.crossrepograph] table in ~/.codex/config.toml with command, args and an env table. To run it non-interactively, each tool call must be approved in advance, because there is nobody to ask.
  • Antigravity CLI: agy mcp add --env CROSSREPOGRAPH_LICENSE_KEY=<key> crossrepograph node <path-to>/dist/mcp/index.js <your-workspace>.
  • Grok Build: grok mcp add --scope user --env CROSSREPOGRAPH_LICENSE_KEY=<key> crossrepograph node -- <path-to>/dist/mcp/index.js <your-workspace>. A server added with --scope project is not started until that folder is trusted in an interactive session. Grok also starts any other MCP servers you have configured.

Replace <key> with your own license key. Client commands and file formats change between releases; if one of these no longer works, check the client's own MCP documentation.

Gemini CLI​

Google stopped serving the Gemini CLI for personal accounts on 18 June 2026 and replaced it with Antigravity CLI. We therefore test Antigravity CLI and do not list Gemini CLI.