answer.cloud Plugins for Claude Code and Codex

How to install the answer.cloud plugin for Claude Code and Codex, which bundles the answer-cloud-site skill and the answercloud MCP server so your agent can scaffold, author, and deploy answer.cloud sites from the terminal.

Published July 21, 2026

The answer.cloud plugin packages the site-building skill and the answer.cloud MCP server into a single install for Claude Code and Codex. Instead of wiring up the MCP endpoint by hand (see the MCP overview page), you add one marketplace, install the plugin, set one environment variable, and your coding agent can scaffold, author, and deploy answer.cloud sites from the terminal. This page covers what the plugin includes, how to install it in each agent, what you can do with it, and how to fall back to manual setup.

What the plugin includes

Each plugin bundles two things so they arrive and update together:

The answer-cloud-site skill — the playbook your agent follows to build AEO-friendly static sites with Astro, run the CMS template wizard, deploy through the correct workflow, and verify the live result and injected chat/search widget.
The answercloud MCP server — a preconfigured connection to https://answer.cloud/mcp exposing the site, deploy, and CMS tools, already pointed at the right endpoint and reading your key from an environment variable.

There are two plugins built from the same source — one for Claude Code, one for Codex — published from the answer.cloud plugins repository.

Before you start: get an API key

Sign in to your answer.cloud dashboard.
Open Settings → API & MCP and create a hosting API key. Keys start with aeo_host_ and are shown in full only once — copy it immediately.
Export the key so your agent can authenticate:
```
export AEOPRESS_API_KEY=aeo_host_YOUR_KEY
```

Add that line to your shell profile (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc) so new sessions pick it up automatically. The key is organization-scoped, so the same key works across every site in your organization.

Install in Claude Code

Add the marketplace, then install the plugin:

/plugin marketplace add jfals82/answer.cloud-Plugins
/plugin install answercloud@answercloud

Ask Claude Code to build or deploy an answer.cloud site and it invokes the skill automatically, or trigger it explicitly with /answercloud:answer-cloud-site. The bundled answercloud MCP tools connect using your AEOPRESS_API_KEY.

Install in Codex

codex plugin marketplace add jfals82/answer.cloud-Plugins
codex plugin add answercloud@answercloud

The answer-cloud-site skill then appears under /skills (invoke it with $answer-cloud-site), and the answercloud MCP server authenticates with your AEOPRESS_API_KEY.

What you can do with it

Once installed, you can ask your agent to:

Build and deploy a standalone site — scaffold an Astro project, write question-shaped, answer-engine-friendly pages, and ship it to {slug}.answer.cloud.
Set up editable CMS collections — run the CMS template wizard to define collections (articles, resources, docs) with live-preview templates your team can safely edit.
Create an AI companion site — publish a CMS-only site on the ai. subdomain of your existing domain (for example ai.example.com) that mirrors your organization's collections.
Manage content — draft, preview, publish, and archive CMS entries through the MCP tools without leaving your editor.

Deploying is always an explicit step: your agent scaffolds, styles, and previews locally by default, and only deploys when you ask it to.

Manual setup (without the plugin)

If you would rather register the MCP server by hand:

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http answercloud https://answer.cloud/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer aeo_host_YOUR_KEY"

Codex — add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.answercloud]
url = "https://answer.cloud/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "AEOPRESS_API_KEY"

Manual setup gives you the MCP tools but not the answer-cloud-site skill; the plugin ships both.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the plugin and the MCP server?

The MCP server is the API your agent calls; the plugin is a convenience bundle. Installing the plugin gives you the same MCP server plus the answer-cloud-site skill that teaches your agent how to use it well, wired up so you only set one environment variable.

Do I need a separate key for Claude Code and Codex?

No. A hosting API key is organization-scoped, so the same aeo_host_ key works in both agents and across every site in your organization.

The skill does not trigger automatically — what do I do?

Invoke it explicitly: /answercloud:answer-cloud-site in Claude Code, or $answer-cloud-site in Codex.

I get an authentication error. How do I fix it?

Confirm AEOPRESS_API_KEY is exported in the same shell that launched your agent, that the key still exists in Settings → API & MCP, and that it starts with aeo_host_. Keys are tied to the environment that issued them, so a key made in production only authenticates against the production endpoint.