Hooks & MCP Setup

Verne connects to your agents through lifecycle hooks for status tracking and the Verne MCP server for additional tools. Both are configured in Settings › Agents.

Lifecycle hooks

Hooks are how Verne knows exactly what an agent is doing. The approach varies by agent:

  • Agents with a hook API (Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot CLI, Gemini, Amp): Verne installs a small notify script into the agent’s own config. The script reports exact lifecycle events, including prompt submitted, tool about to run, tool finished, stopped, and permission requested. Verne removes the script when it quits.
  • Agents without a hook API (OpenCode, Pi): Verne writes a small in-process plugin that bridges the same lifecycle events.

No configuration is required. See Agents & status for how these events map to the status icons in the panel and tab bar.

MCP server

The Verne MCP server gives agents access to notes and browser tools. Open Settings › Agents to install it for any agent. See MCP server reference for the full list of tools.

Auto-install

Auto-install is available for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor CLI, and OpenCode. Select an agent in Settings › Agents and click Install. Each entry shows one of four statuses:

Status Meaning
Installed The MCP server is active for this agent.
Not installed The server has not been added yet.
Needs approval The agent requires a permission step before the server can run.
Error Something went wrong during install.

Click Remove to uninstall. A Copy install commands option is also available for agents not on the auto-install list, so you can set up the server manually with any CLI agent that supports MCP.

Review Agent

Settings › Agents also has a Review Agent selector. This controls which agent receives diff review comments when you trigger a code review from Source Control. See Code review for how that workflow works.

Next steps