Guard CLI
One-command setup for IDE security scanning. The clevername CLI includes guard commands to configure your IDE with Clevername's agent governance in seconds.
What is Guard CLI?
The clevername CLI includes built-in guardcommands that set up Clevername's security scanning in your IDE. Instead of manually editing MCP configuration files and pasting tokens, run a single command and the CLI handles detection, installation, and configuration automatically.
What it does
- Installs
clevername— the npm package that includes the Guard CLI and bridges your IDE to Clevername's MCP gateway - Detects your OS and architecture — works on macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Linux, and Windows (via WSL)
- Configures your IDE — writes the correct MCP server entry to your IDE's configuration file
- Enables security scanning — all agent interactions are routed through CleverGuard for injection detection, PII scanning, and policy enforcement
Supported IDEs
- Claude Code — Anthropic's CLI for Claude
- Cursor — AI-native code editor
- VS Code — with Copilot MCP support
- Windsurf — Codeium's AI IDE
When to use it
Use Guard CLI when you want the fastest path from zero to governed IDE. It is the recommended approach for teams onboarding multiple developers — share one command instead of a multi-step configuration guide. If you need more control over the setup, use the manual IDE Gateway configuration instead.
Run the installer
Open your terminal and run:
curl -fsSL https://clevername.net/install-guard.sh | bash
The script installs the clevername CLI globally via npm. If global install fails (no sudo), it falls back to a local install at ~/.clevername/.
You can also install directly:
npm install -g clevername
Configure your IDE
Run the setup command for your IDE. The CLI prompts for your cnk_* token without echoing it to the terminal (get it from Dashboard → Security → Guard):
clevername guard setup claude-code # Claude Code clevername guard setup cursor # Cursor clevername guard setup windsurf # Windsurf clevername guard setup vscode # VS Code
Avoid pasting tokens into shell commands or shared terminal history. Use the hidden prompt, then let the CLI write your IDE config with private file permissions.
Verify the setup
Check that everything is connected:
clevername guard status
This shows MCP gateway connectivity, token status, and which IDEs are configured. Open your IDE and check that the Clevername MCP server appears in your tool list. All agent interactions will now route through CleverGuard for security scanning.
clevername guard setup <ide> to reconfigure.