# Set up your coding agent

The fastest way to get Bird into your agent is to hand it the prompt below. Paste it once and the agent installs the [`bird` CLI](/docs/ai/cli-for-agents), signs you in, and installs Bird's [skills](/docs/ai/agent-skills), then proves it works by sending a test email. Nothing for you to run by hand. Prefer to do it yourself? The [per-client steps](#or-set-it-up-manually-per-client) are below.

## Copy this prompt into your agent

```text
Bird is an infrastructure platform that makes it easy to send email to your users. Set Bird up for me, end to end.
1. Install the Bird CLI: run `curl -fsSL https://cli.platform.bird.com/install.sh | sh`.
2. Sign me in: run `bird auth login` and open the browser link for me.
3. Install Bird's skills so you know the workflows: add the bird-ai marketplace (github.com/messagebird/bird-ai) and install the "bird" plugin using this client's plugin commands.
4. Confirm who I am: run `bird whoami` — it prints the email of the account you're acting as.
5. Send me a test email so I see it land in my own inbox: use my address from `bird whoami` as the recipient, send from onboarding@messagebird.dev, then confirm delivery with `bird email get`. Subject: "Your Bird account is ready". Body: "You're set up and ready to send. This email is the proof. Cheers, The Bird team".
Then let's discuss next steps, given what Bird can do.
```

The home page has per-agent buttons (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) that each set you up with a tailored version of this prompt; the skills install differs per client (see below).

## Or set it up manually, per client

Every client starts the same way; only the skills step differs.

```bash
curl -fsSL https://cli.platform.bird.com/install.sh | sh   # install the CLI
bird auth login                                            # sign in (browser, no API key)
```

### Claude Code

```bash
claude plugin marketplace add messagebird/bird-ai
claude plugin install bird@bird-ai
```

### Codex

```bash
codex plugin marketplace add messagebird/bird-ai
codex plugin add bird@bird-ai
```

### Cursor

The home-page Cursor button opens Cursor with the setup prompt prefilled (a [prompt deeplink](https://cursor.com/docs/integrations/deeplinks)); review it and send. The prompt installs Bird's skills by copying the `bird-cli` skill into `.agents/skills/`, which Cursor 2.4+ reads as a native [Agent Skill](https://agentskills.io). To do it by hand, clone github.com/messagebird/bird-ai and copy `plugins/bird/skills/bird-cli` into `.agents/skills/bird-cli`.

### Any other agent (Zed, opencode, Amp, Goose, pi, Cline, …)

Copy the skill into the agent's skills directory:

```bash
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/messagebird/bird-ai /tmp/bird-ai
mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r /tmp/bird-ai/plugins/bird/skills/bird-cli .agents/skills/bird-cli
```

Most agents read `.agents/skills/`; Cline uses `.clinerules/skills/`. This is optional: the `bird` CLI works without it.

## Authenticate

`bird auth login` runs a browser OAuth flow scoped to one workspace, so there is no API key and no secret in any config. `bird auth status` reports the active workspace, region, and granted scopes.

## What the skills give your agent

| Skill                  | What it does                                                 |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Send and inspect email | Send a message, then confirm whether it delivered or bounced |
| Sending domains        | Find a verified sender, or run the create-and-verify loop    |
| Webhook endpoints      | Register, test, inspect, and delete outbound endpoints       |

## Connect the MCP server instead

If your client calls tools instead of running a shell (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, mobile), point it at Bird's hosted MCP server at `https://mcp.platform.bird.com`. The full reference, including the local-stdio option, is in the [MCP server guide](/docs/ai/mcp-server).

## Next steps

- [CLI for agents](/docs/ai/cli-for-agents): the `bird` CLI's agent contract.
- [Agent skills](/docs/ai/agent-skills): what each skill teaches, and the per-client support matrix.
- [MCP server](/docs/ai/mcp-server): the hosted endpoint and tool surface.