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Quickstart

Run /setup — Claude will install the binary and configure MCP. Then restart Claude Code to activate.

Or install manually:

# macOS
brew install pasteai/pasteai/pasteai

# Windows
scoop bucket add pasteai https://github.com/pasteai/scoop-pasteai
scoop install pasteai

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
# Download the .deb from https://github.com/pasteai/pasteai/releases/latest

# Any platform — prebuilt binary
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pasteai/pasteai/main/install.sh | sh

# With Go
go install github.com/pasteai/pasteai/cmd/pasteai@latest

Add pasteai to ~/.claude.json (global — available in all Claude Code projects):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pasteai": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/pasteai",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Use the absolute path from which pasteai or $(go env GOPATH)/bin/pasteai — Claude Code does not inherit your shell PATH. The /setup slash command and make setup resolve the path and merge this safely (preserving any existing servers).

Restart Claude Code, then ask: "Summarise what we discussed and publish it."

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CLI Reference

Command	Description
pasteai setup	Configure MCP in ~/.claude.json (interactive or via flags)
pasteai setup -mode embedded	Configure without prompts (non-interactive)
pasteai doctor	Diagnose common setup problems
pasteai serve [flags]	Start the HTTP server
pasteai mcp	Start the MCP server (used by Claude Code)
pasteai version	Print version

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Which mode?

Situation	Mode
Claude Code on your laptop	Embedded — default, nothing to configure
Claude running in a container or remote VM	Local server — run pasteai serve on the host, set PASTEAI_URL
Sharing with a team or reading across devices	Remote — deploy with -base-url, use Tailscale for private access

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Three Modes

1. Embedded (zero config)

Add the MCP config above and restart Claude Code. When Claude first calls a tool, PasteAI starts a local server automatically. Documents stored at ~/.pasteai/documents.db and as plain markdown files at ~/.pasteai/documents/{id}.md — readable without the server running.

2. Local server

Run the server persistently with Docker Compose and point the MCP client at it:

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  pasteai:
    image: ghcr.io/pasteai/pasteai:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - ${HOME}/.pasteai:/data
    restart: unless-stopped

mkdir -p ~/.pasteai
docker compose up -d

In ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pasteai": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/pasteai",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": { "PASTEAI_URL": "http://localhost:8080" }
    }
  }
}

Good when you want the server always running, independent of Claude Code. For systemd, launchd, or nohup alternatives, see docs/server-setup.md.

3. Remote

Point PASTEAI_URL at any PasteAI instance. Both PASTEAI_API_KEY and -base-url are required on the server for remote access to work correctly.

Start the server with:

pasteai serve -api-key <your-key> -base-url https://your-server.example.com

In ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pasteai": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/pasteai",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PASTEAI_URL": "https://your-server.example.com",
        "PASTEAI_API_KEY": "your-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

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Tailscale

To read documents from your phone or another machine, use Tailscale. Start pasteai serve, then browse to http://<tailscale-ip>:8080 from any device on your tailnet. Set -base-url http://<tailscale-ip>:8080 so document links resolve correctly.

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MCP Tools

publish_document — publish a markdown document, returns a shareable URL.

Parameter	Required	Description
title	yes	Document title
content	yes	Markdown content
author	no	Author name
visibility	no	public (default) or unlisted (link-only)

list_documents — returns recent public documents.

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REST API

Method	Path	Description
POST	/api/documents	Create a document
GET	/api/documents	List recent public documents
GET	/api/documents/{id}	Get a document

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/documents \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"title": "My Report", "content": "# Hello\n\nThis is my report.", "author": "Claude"}'

Response includes a url field: http://localhost:8080/d/{id}

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Themes

Switch themes using the selector in the top nav. Choice is saved in localStorage.

Light · Dark · Emerald · Arctic · Catppuccin Mocha · Catppuccin Latte · Catppuccin Frappé

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Contributing & License

CONTRIBUTING.md · MIT License