---
title: "Claude Code + Pixeltable"
description: "Agentic coding in your terminal. Understands your codebase, runs commands, and edits files."
vendor: "Anthropic"
agent_url: "https://claude.com/product/claude-code"
url: "https://www.pixeltable.com/agents/claude-code"
---

# Claude Code + Pixeltable

Agentic coding in your terminal. Understands your codebase, runs commands, and edits files.

Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal. It reads your codebase, edits files, and runs commands, so it can install Pixeltable, wire up the Skill and MCP servers, and iterate on app.py until the service answers.

## Quick start

1. **Install Claude Code**: Requires Node 18+. Sign in with a Claude account after install.

```bash
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude
```

2. **Install Pixeltable**: Python 3.11+ required. `pxt init` marks the project root; schema and service commands refuse an app without one.

```bash
pip install -U 'pixeltable[serve]'
pxt init
```

3. **Add the Pixeltable Skill**: The Skill teaches the agent table/schema patterns, provider integrations, and anti-patterns. Skip this step if the full Pixeltable plugin is already installed. Source: https://github.com/pixeltable/pixeltable-skill

```bash
npx skills add pixeltable/pixeltable-skill
npx skills list
```

4. **Ship a first app**: Declare the tables, start the HTTP routes, then try them in the dashboard. For Cloud, the agent runs `pxt new` for a free database with no account and gives you its claim link, or runs `pxt login` for your account while you confirm its code. Then `pxt db update pxt://<org>:main --add-config-entry`, `pxt schema update`, and `pxt service update`, in that order. The flag writes the hosted entry. An API key is optional for CLI automation.

```bash
pxt service example --out app.py
pxt schema update app.py my_app
pxt service update app.py my_app
pxt dashboard
```

## MCP configuration

| Server | Transport | What it can do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| pixeltable-web | HTTP | Read-only docs search and integration listing at https://www.pixeltable.com/mcp. No table mutations. |
| pixeltable-cloud | HTTP + AuthKit | Read and operate the signed-in Cloud organization: databases, services, catalog, schemas, bounded table rows, failed cells, and logs. Starts a database or a service at once; stops or restarts either, or sets a secret, after a preview (`confirm: true`). `?read_only=true` leaves only the read tools. Endpoint: https://www.pixeltable.com/mcp/cloud. |
| pixeltable-developer | stdio | Inspect schemas, query tables, run a REPL against a local or Cloud catalog. |

### Connect Pixeltable Cloud (read and operate, AuthKit sign-in)

Optional, for Pixeltable Cloud users. The Pixeltable plugin does not configure it. Add it below, then run `/mcp`, connect `pixeltable-cloud`, and follow the AuthKit browser sign-in. The signed-in organization is the one the tools can read and operate. Stopping, restarting, and setting a secret return a preview until `confirm: true`. Add `?read_only=true` for read tools only.

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http pixeltable-cloud --scope user https://www.pixeltable.com/mcp/cloud
claude mcp list
```

### Connect the WebMCP (docs search, no auth)

One command registers the remote server at user scope:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http pixeltable-web --scope user https://www.pixeltable.com/mcp
```

### Connect the developer MCP (tables + REPL)

Install the server once per machine (step below), then:

```bash
claude mcp add pixeltable-developer mcp-server-pixeltable-developer
```

### Install the developer MCP server

Stdio server that inspects schemas, queries tables, and runs a REPL against a local or Cloud catalog. Repository: https://github.com/pixeltable/mcp-server-pixeltable-developer

```bash
uv tool install mcp-server-pixeltable-developer
# if uv is missing:
# curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
```

## Example prompts

- "Install Pixeltable and set up a table that embeds every image I insert."
- "Build a RAG pipeline over the PDFs in ./docs and expose a FastAPI route that answers questions."
- "Transcribe every video in ./media with Whisper, index the transcript, and serve semantic search over HTTP."
- "Add a computed column that captions each uploaded image with a vision model."
- "Scaffold app.py with pxt service example, declare the schema, and start the service."
- "Take app.py and deploy it to my Pixeltable Cloud database pxt://myorg:main."
- "Build a background-remover API: image in, background removed, POST endpoint."

## Common workflows

### Set up a Pixeltable app

1. Hand the agent https://www.pixeltable.com/get-started.md and let it run the playbook
2. It installs the pxt CLI and the Pixeltable Skill
3. It scaffolds app.py, declares the schema, starts the service
4. It verifies the endpoint with a curl request

### Build a multimodal pipeline

1. Describe the pipeline: ingest media, run models, index results
2. The agent declares the table and computed columns in app.py
3. It adds an embedding index and an HTTP route that serves results
4. Insert a row; computed columns run and indexes stay current

### Deploy to Pixeltable Cloud

1. Ask the agent to deploy app.py to Cloud
2. With no account, the agent runs pxt new and sends you a claim link; with one, it runs pxt login and you confirm the code
3. It uses the organization’s main database or the database you specify
4. It runs pxt db update, pxt schema update, pxt service update in order
5. It finds the hosted endpoint with pxt service list; direct HTTP calls use an API key

### Inspect a catalog over MCP

1. Connect the pixeltable-developer MCP server
2. The agent lists tables and views in the catalog
3. It runs read queries and reports schema and row counts
4. Keep human confirmation on: the developer server can change local catalog state

## Tips for success

- Hand the agent https://www.pixeltable.com/get-started.md; it is the canonical setup playbook.
- Point the agent at https://www.pixeltable.com/llms.txt after setup for the one-file app.py Quick Start.
- Keep human confirmation enabled for MCP mutations; the developer server can change catalog state.
- Let the agent run `pxt schema diff` before `pxt service update` to preview schema drift.
- For a Cloud deploy with no account, the agent runs `pxt new` and gives you a claim link: claim it within 48 hours to keep it. With an account, it runs `pxt login` in its terminal and you confirm the code. Use an API key for automation or backend HTTP calls.
- Run `claude mcp list` to confirm both servers registered before starting a task.
- A CLAUDE.md with a link to get-started.md survives across sessions in the repo.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can Claude Code set up Pixeltable on its own?

Yes. Give Claude Code https://www.pixeltable.com/get-started.md: it installs the pxt CLI, adds the Pixeltable Skill, and connects MCP.

### Which Pixeltable MCP server should I connect?

pixeltable-web (https://www.pixeltable.com/mcp) searches public docs. pixeltable-cloud (https://www.pixeltable.com/mcp/cloud): Read and operate the signed-in Cloud organization: databases, services, catalog, schemas, bounded table rows, failed cells, and logs. Starts a database or a service at once; stops or restarts either, or sets a secret, after a preview (`confirm: true`). `?read_only=true` leaves only the read tools. pixeltable-developer is a local stdio server with table and REPL tools. Connect the one the job needs.

### Can Claude Code deploy to Pixeltable Cloud?

Yes, through the pxt CLI. With no account, `pxt new` gives Claude Code a free database and you a claim link: claim it within 48 hours to keep it. With your account, Claude Code runs `pxt login`, you confirm the code, and it runs `pxt org create` if needed. Either way it deploys to `pxt://<org>:main` with `pxt db update`, `pxt schema update`, and `pxt service update`. An API key is optional for CLI automation and needed for direct hosted HTTP calls from your backend.

### Does the Pixeltable Skill work with Claude Code?

Yes. `npx skills add pixeltable/pixeltable-skill` installs it for the current agent and teaches table/schema patterns, provider integrations, and anti-patterns.

## Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The Pixeltable Skill is not visible after install

**Solution:** Reload or restart the agent. Confirm the install path with `npx skills list` and that the skill targets the current agent.

**Issue:** The agent does not list the MCP server

**Solution:** Validate the config file JSON. pixeltable-web is a remote HTTP server at https://www.pixeltable.com/mcp; pixeltable-cloud is an AuthKit-protected remote server at https://www.pixeltable.com/mcp/cloud; pixeltable-developer is a stdio command, `mcp-server-pixeltable-developer`. Verify the local server is installed with `mcp-server-pixeltable-developer --help`.

**Issue:** `pxt service check` fails: modifies catalog while imported

**Solution:** app.py must declare TableModel tables and FastAPIRouter routes, not run pxt.create_table() at import. Scaffold with `pxt service example`.

**Issue:** Cloud deploy fails with 404: UDF not found

**Solution:** Order is required: `pxt db update pxt://myorg:main`, then `pxt schema update app.py pxt://myorg:main`, then `pxt service update app.py pxt://myorg:main`. Replace `myorg` with your organization slug.

## Related agents

- [Cursor + Pixeltable](https://www.pixeltable.com/agents/cursor) - The AI-first IDE. Agent mode edits across files, runs commands, and iterates on errors.
- [Codex + Pixeltable](https://www.pixeltable.com/agents/codex) - OpenAI's coding agent for the terminal and cloud. Reads and writes files, executes commands.
- [GitHub Copilot + Pixeltable](https://www.pixeltable.com/agents/github-copilot) - AI pair programmer with agent mode. The workspace agent understands your entire project.

## Resources

- [Agent setup playbook](https://www.pixeltable.com/get-started.md)
- [Site overview for agents (llms.txt)](https://www.pixeltable.com/llms.txt)
- [Pixeltable Skill](https://github.com/pixeltable/pixeltable-skill)
- [Developer MCP server](https://github.com/pixeltable/mcp-server-pixeltable-developer)
- [Pixeltable docs](https://docs.pixeltable.com)
- [Claude Code](https://claude.com/product/claude-code)