The engine ships as precompiled bytecode together with the exact Node.js runtime it was built for — one build each for Windows x64, macOS on Apple Silicon, and Linux x64. There is nothing to install around it, and activation is offline: the engine verifies the signature on your license key locally and never contacts us.
Requirements
The engine itself needs nothing installed — it bundles its own runtime. Two of the workflow packages ship Python helper scripts for their deterministic work — mining git history, computing metrics, rendering the hotspot map — and those scripts are executed by your coding agent, through the workflow's shell steps, on the machine where the agent works:
| Package | Needs on the agent's machine |
|---|---|
| Boy Scout Coding | python3 3.8+, git, and a git repository |
| Code as Crime Scene | python3 3.8+ and git |
The other packages — Code Quality, Architecture Basic, Security Review, Team Review — need only what your agent already has.
1. Download
On your account page, pick your platform and download the engine build along with your license key. The free Starter tier includes both.
2. Configure
Unzip the build, copy the example configuration, and paste your license key into it. The engine refuses to start without one.
unzip codycody-engine-*.zip
cd codycody-engine
cp config.example.json config.json
# paste your license key into config.jsonPorts come from config.json. The defaults are 3001 for the API and web interface and 3002 for the MCP server; change them there if either is taken. There are no environment variables.
3. Run
Two servers, two commands:
./start-api.sh # web interface + API on :3001
./start-mcp.sh # MCP server on :3002
# on Windows: start-api.cmd and start-mcp.cmd| Server | Port | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| API and web interface | 3001 |
Authoring: the visual designer, instruction files, skills, agent tokens, accounts. The API itself needs a credential on every request; from Team, an agent's token is one. |
| MCP server | 3002, path /mcp |
Execution only: the ccw_* tools your agent calls. Workflows cannot be created here. |
The first visit to http://127.0.0.1:3001 asks you to create your account. That account becomes the instance administrator.
Next
Connect your coding agent — one entry in its MCP configuration and an agent token.