Requirements
The plugin needs no other plugin and no MCP server for basic use. Use a current release of Claude Code or the Codex CLI; the plugin does not pin a minimum host version. Prefer macOS, Linux, or WSL.
Core Tools
Section titled “Core Tools”| Tool | Used for | Install |
|---|---|---|
bash |
Hook runtime | Pre-installed on macOS and Linux. On native Windows, use Git Bash; PowerShell alone cannot run the hooks. |
git |
Version control | Pre-installed on most systems |
jq |
Safety-hook JSON parsing | brew install jq (macOS) / apt install jq (Linux) |
python3 |
Safety-hook command parsing | Install Python 3.10+ |
node |
Local skill-usage recording | Install Node.js 18+ |
The enabled safety hooks fail closed when jq or Python is unavailable. Without Node.js, the usage-recording hook records a diagnostic and otherwise stays silent. The update-check hook uses curl and Python file locking, and stays silent when they are unavailable. If hooks cannot run in your environment, disable them with /trackbed:hooks:toggle.
Optional Tools by Capability
Section titled “Optional Tools by Capability”| Capability | Needs |
|---|---|
| GitHub Pull Request, review, CI, and changelog workflows | Authenticated GitHub CLI: brew install gh or cli.github.com, then gh auth login |
| Linear workflows | Authenticated Linear MCP server |
| Browser QA and live product review | Claude in Chrome, Chrome DevTools, or Playwright MCP |
| Document conversion | uv/uvx; MarkItDown dependencies download on demand |
Recoverable cleanup in autonomous workflows, and the trash alternative that block-rm-rf recommends |
brew install trash (macOS) / apt install trash-cli (Linux) |
| Codex checkout installs | Node.js 18+, npm, and the Codex CLI (npm install -g @openai/codex) |
| Project verification and formatting | The target project's own build, test, type-check, and formatter tools, such as nx, dotnet, prettier, eslint, or tsc |
Nx workspace tools in /trackbed:verify:run |
Nx MCP |
| Up-to-date library documentation | Context7 MCP |
| Magic Patterns designs and Granola meeting notes | Magic Patterns MCP, Granola MCP |
| Security scans of local skill directories | SkillSpector |
| AI-generated illustrations in visual diagrams | surf-cli |
The Claude Code marketplace install does not need Node.js, and Codex marketplace installs need no checkout. docs/mcp-servers.md covers MCP server setup. After installing on either host, run /trackbed:setup for a read-only environment check. Contributors need the broader toolchain described in Development.