# For coding agents

> Connect a coding agent over MCP, and the machine-readable versions of these docs, the API and the setup.

Source: https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/for-agents/
Build revision: 53bfc045e800bf7bb44fa18623013c7aa9c9971e

Coding agents use Nodus the way you do: the same account, projects, and spending limits. Connect one over MCP, or point it at the machine-readable outputs below.

## Read in this order

1. Read the [compute decision guide](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/source/guides/choose-compute.md) to choose the feature that fits the request.
2. If this is a first run, read the [quickstart](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/source/getting-started.md).
3. Use the [guide directory](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/source/guides.md) to find the relevant guide, then fetch its Markdown.
4. Look up exact commands in the [CLI reference](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/reference/cli/), signatures in the [Python reference](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/reference/python/), or request fields in [OpenAPI](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/openapi.json).

Fetch individual pages to keep context small. For example, `/docs/guides/jobs/` has its Markdown at [`/docs/source/guides/jobs.md`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/source/guides/jobs.md). Each docs page has a **View Markdown** link. Use the full corpus only for tasks that need many parts of the product.

## Connect over MCP

Nodus runs one MCP server with generic tools over every resource (`get`, `describe`, `logs`, `estimate`, `apply`, `exec` and more). `apply` returns a dry run and requires `confirmed: true` with its accepted `etag` to create a resource. Other write tools do not use that handshake; obtain authorization for the action and use the client’s approval controls.

|Client type|Configuration|
|-|-|
|Hosted (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other HTTP clients)|Add the server URL from [`/mcp-hosted.json`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/mcp-hosted.json) and sign in with your browser|
|Local stdio clients|Run `nodus mcp`; the configuration is [`/mcp.json`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/mcp.json)|

Step-by-step setup for each client is at [/connect](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/connect/), and as Markdown at [`/connect.md`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/connect.md).

## From connection to first result

1. Complete account setup: a new organization needs a verified email and card. Invited members use their organization’s billing.
2. Use `whoami` and a read-only Job listing to verify the intended organization and project. An empty list is normal.
3. Read the [complete small training example](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/getting-started/quickstart/) and the [MCP workflow](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/guides/mcp/#from-a-local-script-to-a-compute-job).
4. Show the image, command, source, output declaration, limits, and estimate. Wait for approval before paid submission.
5. Check terminal status and logs. Retrieve the declared output before reporting success or deleting the Job.

A hosted connection cannot upload files from the user’s laptop. Use an image containing the code or the [CLI source-upload workflow](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/guides/jobs/). A local MCP connection also exposes `upload_source` and `download_output`. Read the actual connected tool schemas before choosing a tool.

## Machine-readable outputs

|Output|What it holds|
|-|-|
|[`/docs/pages.json`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/pages.json)|Lightweight page manifest: titles, summaries, status and source URLs|
|[`/docs/llms.txt`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/llms.txt)|An index of these docs for language models|
|[`Start`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/bundles/start.md), [`compute`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/bundles/compute.md), [`models`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/bundles/models.md), [`data`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/bundles/data.md), [`billing`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/bundles/billing.md)|Focused bundles with complete pages, examples and source URLs|
|[`/llms-full.txt`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/llms-full.txt)|Guides and concepts in one Markdown file; use the index for exact references|
|`/docs/source/<path>.md`|Each page’s Markdown, linked from the page with `rel="alternate"`|
|[`/docs/index.json`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/index.json)|Every page with its headings and text, versioned by build|
|[`/docs/openapi.json`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/openapi.json)|The HTTP API contract|
|`/skills/<name>/SKILL.md`|Task instructions for agents that support skills|
|[`/install`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/install), [`/install.ps1`](https://www.nodus-compute.ai/install.ps1)|The CLI installer for macOS, Linux and Windows|

A good first prompt for an agent that can read URLs:

```text
Read https://nodus-compute.ai/connect.md and help me connect Nodus to this agent. Reuse any existing Nodus
connection. Verify setup by listing my jobs. Do not start paid compute.
```

## Use the current contract

Fetch the relevant guide and its linked reference before writing commands. Keep the resource’s API version and Beta status explicit. Use the published OpenAPI schemas for field names and the CLI or SDK reference for the installed interface; do not invent flags from examples for another tool.

Each Markdown page includes its canonical source URL and build revision. Cite the source page when explaining behavior. Read billing and recovery limits before creating work, and verify the resource status, logs and outputs before reporting success. A submitted request is not evidence that the run completed.