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The knowledge-base CLI is the fastest setup for AI coding agents in the terminal. It uses API key authentication and works as a Claude Code skill — no MCP configuration required. For web and desktop apps, see MCP Quick Start.

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Prerequisites

  • A Moxn account (moxn.dev)
  • Node.js 18+ installed
  • An API key (generate one in Settings > API Keys in the Moxn web app)

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Step 1: Install the CLI

npm install -g @moxn/kb-cli
This installs the knowledge-base command globally.

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Step 2: Set Your API Key

The CLI reads MOXN_API_KEY from the environment. The recommended approach is a .env file in your project root:
.env
MOXN_API_KEY="your-api-key"
The CLI automatically loads .env files from the current directory — no global export needed.
Which approach should I use? If your agent inherits your shell configuration when it spawns processes (e.g., sources ~/.zshrc), you can put export MOXN_API_KEY="..." in your shell profile instead. If your agent runs each command in a fresh shell without your profile, use the .env file — the CLI picks it up regardless of shell config.
Verify the connection: 
knowledge-base find --type document --limit 1
You should see a JSON response with your documents.

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Step 3: Install the Skill

The skill installer copies a SKILL.md file into your project (or home directory) so your AI coding agent automatically knows how to use the CLI. Project-local (recommended — scoped to one repo): 
knowledge-base install-skill
This creates .claude/skills/knowledge-base/SKILL.md in your current directory. Global (available in all projects): 
knowledge-base install-skill --global
This creates the skill in ~/.claude/skills/knowledge-base/SKILL.md.
The skill file includes a checksum so future install-skill runs can safely update it. If you’ve manually edited the file, use --force to overwrite.

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Try It Out

Once the skill is installed, your AI agent can use it immediately. Try asking:
“Search my knowledge base for onboarding docs”
“Create a new document at /engineering/api-reference with an overview section”
“Read the auth guide from Moxn”
The agent will call knowledge-base commands and get JSON responses — no MCP server needed.

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Updating

When a new version is published, update the CLI and re-run the skill installer: 
npm install -g @moxn/kb-cli
knowledge-base install-skill
The installer only overwrites the skill file if it hasn’t been manually modified (or if you pass --force).