MCP

The Rookhold app can configure maintained hosts safely:

rookhold setup claude-code
rookhold setup hermes
rookhold setup opencode

The command finds the normal configuration file, shows a diff, creates a timestamped backup, prompts before writing by default, keeps the API key in the environment, and runs rookhold check afterward. Pass --yes only when an already-reviewed automation should bypass that confirmation prompt.

The standalone existing-server client can serve MCP over stdio. Your host launches it with one argument:

rookhold-cli mcp-server

The adapter exposes four tools:

Tool	What it does
rookhold_run_code	Submit one short job and wait for bounded output plus its receipt
rookhold_job_result	Resume a wait or take an immediate job snapshot
rookhold_job_events	Read a bounded cursor page of persisted evidence
rookhold_cancel_job	Cancel a queued or running job

The model cannot choose the Rookhold URL, bearer key, language allowlist, maximum code size, maximum wait, or minimum isolation. Configure those as process environment variables:

export ROOKHOLD_BASE_URL=https://rookhold.internal.example
export ROOKHOLD_API_KEY=replace-with-a-scoped-key
export ROOKHOLD_MCP_MINIMUM_ISOLATION=gvisor-application-kernel
export ROOKHOLD_MCP_ALLOWED_LANGUAGES=python,node

To configure manually, merge one of the maintained host templates and point its command at the included or separately downloaded rookhold-cli file:

• Claude Code template
• OpenCode template
• Hermes template
• OpenClaw template
• Generic MCP configuration

Adding Rookhold does not disable a host's built-in shell. Remove or deny other execution tools when a model must cross only the Rookhold boundary.

Verify the connection

1. Start the host with the four ROOKHOLD_* values in its environment.
2. Open its MCP status surface and confirm the rookhold server is connected.
3. Confirm exactly four Rookhold tools are advertised.
4. Submit a trusted canary and inspect its result, isolation, and receipt.

Claude Code users can run claude mcp list, claude mcp get rookhold, and then /mcp. OpenCode, Hermes, and other hosts expose an equivalent MCP status or reload surface.

Rookhold is not automatically mandatory

Adding the MCP server does not disable a host's built-in shell, terminal, or other execution routes. Remove or deny those tools when a model must cross only the Rookhold boundary.

See the complete integration contract for timeout, retry, Tasks, and host-specific policy details.