Connect Claude Code (CLI)

What's Claude Code vs Claude Desktop?

Claude Code (CLI) is Anthropic's developer-facing terminal client — installed via npm or brew, configured by ~/.claude.json. The walkthrough below is for the CLI. For the desktop app (Cmd+Q-able window), see Connect Claude Desktop.

Step 1 — Create an agent token

Open the BoxOwl Android app. Go to Settings → AI Agent Connections → New. Name the token "Claude Code on <machine>", pick scopes (starter set: vault:read, profile:read, agent:query), tap Generate. Copy the plaintext token; it's shown exactly once.

Step 2 — Install the local daemon

brew install boxowl/tap/boxowl-daemon

Or grab a release binary from github.com/BoxOwl-Me/daemon/releases and drop it on your PATH.

Step 3 — Run the skills installer

The @boxowl/skills CLI writes the Claude Code MCP config + a BOX-403-002-handling system-prompt fragment for you. One command, no JSON editing:

npx @boxowl/skills add --platform=claude-code --token=bxusr_…

Output:

• Using daemon at /opt/homebrew/bin/boxowl-daemon
Plan
  • Claude Code (CLI) — create ~/.claude.json
  • Claude Code (prompt fragment) — create ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
Apply these changes? [y/N] y
Writing
  ✓ Claude Code (CLI)
  ✓ Claude Code (prompt fragment) — created ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
1 wired, 0 failed.

Drop the --token= flag if you want the daemon to run in its permissive owner-mode default; pass it explicitly when you want Claude scoped to a specific BoxOwl token.

Step 4 — Reload Claude Code

Start a fresh Claude Code session (or run /reload-plugins in your existing one). The installer's restart-hint reminded you; Claude only picks up the new MCP server on a fresh session.

Confirm with /mcp — boxowl should appear in the connected-servers list along with its tools (boxowl_search, boxowl_get_item, etc.).

Step 5 — Test a query

You: Pull my latest shipping address.
Claude: [boxowl_get_item address.primary] Here's the address on
        file: <your address>.

Write actions (saving credentials, updating contact info) gate on an "Approve this action?" prompt by default — Claude Code reads BoxOwl's BOX-403-002 confirmation envelopes through the prompt fragment skills add dropped at ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md.

Remove the connection

npx @boxowl/skills remove --platform=claude-code

Strips the MCP entry from ~/.claude.json AND removes the prompt-fragment block from ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md. Your BoxOwl agent token is still active server-side — revoke it from the BoxOwl app's AI Agent Connections screen if you want it gone completely.

Connect Claude Code to your BoxOwl vault