Getting Started
***************

<div class=perex>

Ready to try [vibe coding |@home] with Nette? This guide walks you through the complete setup:

- Choosing and installing an AI tool
- Setting up MCP Inspector so AI can see your application
- Making your first AI-assisted changes

The whole process takes about 10 minutes. Let's get started!

</div>


Choosing Your AI Tool
=====================

Nette AI tools work with any MCP-compatible AI assistant. We recommend **Claude Code** for the best experience - it has a dedicated Nette plugin with deep framework knowledge and automatic code validation.

Other options include **Cursor**, **VS Code**, and other MCP-compatible tools. See [Other AI Tools |#other-ai-tools] at the end of this guide.


What You'll Need
================

Before we begin, make sure you have:

- **A Nette project** - existing or new (`composer create-project nette/web-project`)
- **PHP 8.3+** - required for MCP Inspector
- **An AI tool** - we'll install Claude Code below (Claude Pro costs $20/month)


Installation on macOS and Linux
===============================

```shell
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
```

On macOS, you can alternatively use Homebrew:

```shell
brew install --cask claude-code
```

After installation, skip to [Starting Claude Code |#starting-claude-code].


Installation on Windows via WSL
===============================

Claude Code requires a Unix environment. On Windows, use WSL:

```shell
wsl --install
```

This installs Ubuntu. **Restart your computer** after installation.

After restart, launch Ubuntu:

```shell
ubuntu
```

The first launch will ask for a username and password - you'll need them for `sudo` later.

Installing Claude Code in WSL in the Ubuntu terminal:

```shell
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
```

Your Windows drives are mounted under `/mnt/`:
- `C:\Users\Jan\Projects` → `/mnt/c/Users/Jan/Projects`
- `D:\Work` → `/mnt/d/Work`

From Windows, access Linux files via `\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\username` in Explorer.


Starting Claude Code
====================

Great, you have Claude Code installed! Let's start it up.

Navigate to your project directory:

```shell
# Windows (WSL)
cd /mnt/c/Users/Jan/Projects/my-app

# macOS/Linux
cd ~/projects/my-app
```

Start Claude Code:

```shell
claude
```

The first time you run it, Claude Code will ask you to authenticate. It will open a browser window where you can log in to your Anthropic account. After successful authentication, you'll see the `claude>` prompt and you're ready to go.

You can also use Claude Code "on the web":https://claude.ai/code or via the "desktop app":https://claude.com/download, but local installation provides the best experience with direct file access.


Adding the Nette Plugin
=======================

Now let's give Claude deep knowledge of Nette. First, add the Nette marketplace and enable auto-updating:

```shell
/plugin marketplace add nette/agent-plugins
```

Then install the plugin:

```shell
/plugin install nette@nette
```

That's it! The plugin is now active. It includes 11 specialized skills that automatically activate based on what you're working on. When you ask about forms, it knows about Nette Forms. When you ask about templates, it knows about Latte.


Setting Up MCP Inspector
========================

The final piece is MCP Inspector, which lets Claude see your actual application - your services, database schema, routes, and error logs.

.[caution]
MCP Inspector is still in **early development and has no stable release yet**. Install the development version (`:@dev` below) and expect tool names and configuration to keep changing.

Two commands do the whole job:

```shell
composer require --dev nette/mcp-inspector:@dev
vendor/bin/mcp-inspector init
```

`init` generates `mcp-bootstrap.php` (the script through which the inspector builds your application's DI container), the inspector's configuration in `config/mcp-inspector.neon`, and registers the server for Claude Code in `.mcp.json`. It recognizes the usual shapes of `App\Bootstrap`; if yours is unusual, the generated file contains a `TODO` comment telling you what to complete. See [the MCP Inspector page |mcp-inspector#the-mcp-bootstrap-php-file] for the details.

**Important:** After installing MCP Inspector, restart Claude Code (type `/exit` and run `claude` again) to activate the connection.


Testing Your Setup
==================

Let's verify everything works. Try these prompts:


Test the Plugin Knowledge
-------------------------

Type:

```
What's the recommended directory structure for a Nette application?
```

Claude should respond with detailed information about presenters, models, templates, and configuration - knowledge that comes from the `nette-architecture` skill.


Test MCP Inspector
------------------

Type:

```
What services do I have registered in my DI container?
```

If MCP Inspector is working, Claude will call `di_get_services()` and show you the actual services from your application. If you see a list of your real services, congratulations - everything is set up correctly!


Test Database Introspection
---------------------------

If your application uses a database, try:

```
What tables do I have? Show me the columns in the user table.
```


Your First Real Task
====================

Now that everything is set up, let's do something useful. Try this prompt:

```
I need a simple ArticlePresenter with list and detail actions.
Generate the presenter, templates, and tell me what routes I need.
```

Watch as Claude generates a complete, working presenter following Nette conventions. It will:
- Create the presenter class with proper type hints
- Generate Latte templates for both actions
- Suggest the appropriate route configuration

If you have MCP Inspector set up and an `article` table in your database, try:

```
Look at my article table and generate an ArticleRow entity with proper type hints.
```


Other AI Tools
==============

While we recommend Claude Code for the best Nette experience, MCP Inspector works with any MCP-compatible tool.


Cursor
------

Cursor is a popular AI-first code editor. To use MCP Inspector with Cursor:

1. Install MCP Inspector as described in [Setting Up MCP Inspector |#setting-up-mcp-inspector]; when your project already has a `.cursor` directory, `init` writes `.cursor/mcp.json` for you
2. Otherwise create `.cursor/mcp.json` in your project:

```json
{
	"mcpServers": {
		"nette-inspector": {
			"command": "php",
			"args": ["vendor/bin/mcp-inspector"]
		}
	}
}
```

3. Restart Cursor

Note: Cursor doesn't have the Nette-specific skills that the [Nette plugins |agent-plugins] provide, but MCP Inspector will still give it access to your application's services, database, routes, and logs.


VS Code
-------

VS Code with GitHub Copilot supports MCP servers natively. When your project already has a `.vscode` directory, `init` writes `.vscode/mcp.json` for you; otherwise create it with a `servers` entry as described in [Other AI Tools |mcp-inspector#other-ai-tools].


Other MCP Tools
---------------

Any tool supporting the Model Context Protocol can use MCP Inspector. See the [MCP Inspector page |mcp-inspector#other-ai-tools] for setup instructions.


What's Next
===========

You're now ready for AI-assisted Nette development! Here's where to go from here:

- [MCP Inspector |mcp-inspector] - Learn about every introspection tool
- [Agent Plugins |agent-plugins] - Explore all the skills (Claude Code and Codex users)
- [Vibe Coding in Practice |vibe-coding] - Get the most out of your AI assistant

{{description: Set up vibe coding with Nette in about ten minutes: install Claude Code, add the Nette plugin, and connect MCP Inspector to your application.}}