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, signs you in, and installs Bird's 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 are below.
Copy this prompt into your agent
Code example
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 I'm signed in: `bird auth status` should report `valid: true` (it always exits 0, so check the field, not the exit code).
5. Send a test email from onboarding@messagebird.dev to delivered@messagebird.dev and confirm it delivered.
Then let's discuss next steps, given what Bird can do.The home page has buttons that copy a version tailored to Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor, since the skills install differs slightly per client (see below).
Or set it up manually, per client
Every client starts the same way; only the skills step differs.
Code example
curl -fsSL https://cli.platform.bird.com/install.sh | sh # install the CLI
bird auth login # sign in (browser, no API key)Claude Code
Code example
claude plugin marketplace add messagebird/bird-ai
claude plugin install bird@bird-aiCodex
Code example
codex plugin marketplace add messagebird/bird-ai
codex plugin add bird@bird-aiCursor
Cursor installs plugins from its UI, so the prompt has the agent write Bird's skills into .cursor/rules/ for you. To do it by hand, add the messagebird/bird-ai marketplace under Settings → Plugins.
Any other shell-capable agent
The two steps above are all you need. The agent drives Bird through the bird CLI; the skills are an enhancement, not a requirement.
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.
Go deeper
- CLI for agents: the bird CLI's agent contract.
- Agent skills: what each skill teaches, and the per-client support matrix.
- MCP server: the hosted endpoint and tool surface.