# Other Agents Setup

If you use another agent (like Windsurf, Cline, or Claude Desktop), follow these
steps to install the agent skills and the MCP server.

## Recommended: Global Setup

The agent skills and MCP server should be installed globally for consistent
access across projects.

### 1. Install and Verify Firebase Skills

Check if the skills are already installed before proceeding:

1. **Check Local skills**: Run `npx skills list --agent <agent-name>`. If the
   output includes `firebase-basics`, the skills are already installed locally.
   Replace `<agent-name>` with the actual agent name, which can be found
   [here](https://github.com/vercel-labs/skills/blob/main/README.md).
1. **Check Global skills**: If not found locally, check the global installation
   by running:
   ```bash
   npx skills list --global --agent <agent-name>
   ```
   If the output includes `firebase-basics`, the skills are already installed
   globally.
1. **Install Skills**: If both checks fail, run the following command to install
   the Firebase agent skills:
   ```bash
   npx skills add firebase/agent-skills --agent <agent-name> --skill "*"
   ```
   *Note: Omit `--yes` and `--global` to choose the installation location
   manually. If prompted interactively in the terminal, ensure you send the
   appropriate user choices via standard input to complete the installation.*
1. **Verify Installation**: Re-run the checks in steps 1 or 2 to confirm that
   `firebase-basics` is now available.

### 2. Configure and Verify Firebase MCP Server

The MCP server allows the agent to interact directly with Firebase projects.

1. **Locate MCP Configuration**: Find the configuration file for your agent
   (e.g., `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`, `cline_mcp_settings.json`, or
   `claude_desktop_config.json`).

   *Note: If the document or its containing directory does not exist, create
   them and initialize the file with `{ "mcpServers": {} }` before proceeding.*

1. **Check Existing Configuration**: Open the configuration file and check the
   `mcpServers` section for a `firebase` entry.

   - It is already configured if the `command` is `"firebase"` OR if the
     `command` is `"npx"` with `"firebase-tools"` and `"mcp"` in the `args`.
   - **Important**: If a valid `firebase` entry is found, the MCP server is
     already configured. **Skip step 3** and proceed directly to step 4.

   **Example valid configurations**:

   ```json
   "firebase": {
     "command": "npx",
     "args": ["-y", "firebase-tools@latest", "mcp"]
   }
   ```

   OR

   ```json
   "firebase": {
     "command": "firebase",
     "args": ["mcp"]
   }
   ```

1. **Add or Update Configuration**: If the `firebase` block is missing or
   incorrect, add it to the `mcpServers` object:

   ```json
   "firebase": {
     "command": "npx",
     "args": [
       "-y",
       "firebase-tools@latest",
       "mcp"
     ]
   }
   ```

   *CRITICAL: Merge this configuration into the existing file. You MUST preserve
   any other existing servers inside the `mcpServers` object.*

1. **Verify Configuration**: Save the file and confirm the `firebase` block is
   present and properly formatted JSON.

### 3. Restart and Verify Connection

1. **Restart Agent**: Instruct the user to restart the agent application. **Stop
   and wait** for their confirmation before proceeding.
1. **Confirm Connection**: Check the MCP server list in the agent's UI to
   confirm that the Firebase MCP server is connected.