DocumentationInstall

Install AutoKap

AutoKap is an MCP server: pick your IDE, paste a one-liner, your AI assistant gets the AutoKap tools. The bundled CLI binary stays available for CI / Cloud Run pipelines.

New to the MCP? See every tool it exposes and how it pairs with the CLI →

Pick your IDE — one command

Each tab includes a one-liner that installs the MCP server AND embeds your API key in a single step. After pasting, restart your IDE. From any chat you'll be able to call autokap_list_projects, autokap_start_capture, and the rest.

Run this in your terminal

npx -y @autokap/mcp@latest install --ide claude-code --key ak_cli_xxx

Config file: ~/.claude.json

Or paste this JSON into the config file

JSON

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "autokap": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@autokap/mcp@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTOKAP_API_KEY": "ak_cli_xxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

Notes

Writes ~/.claude.json with the autokap MCP entry. After login, this command will contain your key automatically.

MCP vs CLI — when do you need which?

MCP server (recommended) — runs inside your IDE. Your AI assistant calls AutoKap tools directly from chat. This is what 99% of users want.

CLI binary (bundled, internal) — used by Recapture Cloud, by GitHub Actions, and as the underlying engine spawned by the MCP server for local captures. You normally never invoke it by hand; the only direct usage is CI pipelines (npx autokap run …, see below).

Run in CI/CD

The official CI/CD path is Recapture Cloud. Enable auto-recapture on the presets you want refreshed, generate a webhook secret from the project Recapture page, then call the signed webhook after deployment. CI does not run the AutoKap CLI binary and does not need an AutoKap API key.

Shell

BODY='{}'
SIG=$(printf '%s' "$BODY" | openssl dgst -sha256 -hmac "$AUTOKAP_WEBHOOK_SECRET" -binary | xxd -p -c 256)
curl -X POST "https://autokap.app/api/webhooks/cloud-recapture/<project-id>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-AutoKap-Signature: sha256=$SIG" \
  -d "$BODY"

Before wiring the workflow, create project environments in the project settings page. Recapture Cloud always captures the public prod URL. In each preset editor, turn on Auto-recapture on deploy only for assets that should refresh automatically.

Recapture Cloud reserves credits at launch and refunds them automatically if the worker crashes before completion.

GitHub Actions webhook example

YAML

name: AutoKap recapture

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  recapture:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      AUTOKAP_WEBHOOK_SECRET: ${{ secrets.AUTOKAP_WEBHOOK_SECRET }}
      AUTOKAP_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.AUTOKAP_PROJECT_ID }}
    steps:
      - run: |
          BODY='{}'
          SIG=$(printf '%s' "$BODY" | openssl dgst -sha256 -hmac "$AUTOKAP_WEBHOOK_SECRET" -binary | xxd -p -c 256)
          curl -X POST "https://autokap.app/api/webhooks/cloud-recapture/$AUTOKAP_PROJECT_ID" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            -H "X-AutoKap-Signature: sha256=$SIG" \
            -d "$BODY"

The local CLI binary is still useful for debugging a single preset from your machine, but it is not the CI/CD recapture path.

Shell

AUTOKAP_API_KEY=ak_cli_... npx -y autokap@latest run <preset-id> --env staging

Presets that need authentication should use a project credentials account or session profile saved from the dashboard. For local clip debugging, install ffmpeg and fallback fonts if your app renders CJK, emoji, or special symbols.

CLI binary reference

The full CLI command set, kept short on purpose. CI pipelines and Cloud Run hit these directly; everything else goes through MCP.

Command	Description
autokap login <key>	Authenticate with your API key (used by Cloud Run + CI; from the IDE, call autokap_authenticate via MCP instead)
autokap run <preset-id> --env local	Run a preset capture using local Playwright (also spawned by autokap_start_capture from the MCP server)
autokap auto-recapture --project <project-id> --env local	Run every preset enabled for Recapture Cloud in a project (the canonical surface for Cloud Run + CI; MCP exposes autokap_start_auto_recapture for end users)
autokap doctor	Run environment diagnostics (Node version, config, API key validity, Chromium cache, ffmpeg)
autokap --version	Show the installed version