Install

Quick install (no Rust required)

The installer detects your OS and architecture, downloads the right pre-built binary, and places ctx in your PATH.

Linux / macOS

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf \
  https://github.com/JaimeJunr/context-engine/releases/latest/download/ctx-engine-installer.sh | sh

Windows (PowerShell)

irm https://github.com/JaimeJunr/context-engine/releases/latest/download/ctx-engine-installer.ps1 | iex

With Rust

If you already have Rust 1.70+ installed:

cargo install ctx-engine

The binary still installs as ctx (the crate is published as ctx-engine because context-engine was taken on crates.io).

Configure your agent

ctx install --agent claude-code

This writes a PreToolUse hook and registers the MCP server in ~/.claude/settings.json. Reopen your Claude Code session for the hook to take effect.

Details on agent integration →

Optional: Ollama for semantic search

ctx catalog uses embeddings via an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The easiest setup is local Ollama:

ollama serve
ollama pull nomic-embed-text   # default embedder
ollama pull llama3.2            # default reranker

Without Ollama, ctx search still works in lexical (BM25) mode.

Supported platforms

OS	Architecture
Linux	x86_64, aarch64
macOS	x86_64 (Intel), aarch64 (Apple Silicon)
Windows	x86_64

Uninstall

ctx uninstall --agent claude-code   # removes only what ctx installed

The _installer: "ctx" marker on each setting ensures we only remove our own entries — your other hooks and MCP servers stay intact.