Installation

The fastest way to try ContextCake on macOS is the signed, notarized app. ContextCake also runs directly from versioned source. The recommended source route is a verified source archive; shallow Git and GitHub CLI checkouts are available when you already use source-control tooling. The engine is dependency-free: there is no npm install step, no install scripts execute, and the resolver quickstart fetches nothing after the source is on your machine.

If you are still evaluating whether the model fits your team, start with the demo or the docs overview and come back here when you want the local setup path.

macOS app (recommended)

Download the .dmg from the latest release, open it, and drag ContextCake to Applications. Open it from Applications; macOS may ask you to confirm the first launch. The app is Apple silicon (arm64) only — on an Intel Mac, use the source route below.

The app’s activation path is:

1. Choose Get started, then add a Markdown folder. Repository docs, Obsidian vaults, wiki exports, and other folders containing .md, .mdx, or .txt files work without conversion.
2. Finish source setup. ContextCake resolves the first available concept and confirms that your cascade is live.
3. Choose Connect an agent and select Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Claude Desktop, or another MCP client. The app prepares the local MCP setup and its verification step.
4. Paste the supplied first-use prompt into your client and check that the answer names its source and keeps any disagreement visible.

Source setup comes before agent connection: an agent needs at least one source to query. The app can also install the optional contextcake command when a client needs it.

Each release page contains the matching ZIP and checksums.

Prerequisites for the source route

• Node.js ≥ 22
• One download route: a browser, curl, GitHub CLI, or Git

Choose a route

Every route below targets the same app-v0.5.0 coordinated release tag. Use the archive when you want the smallest inspectable download, or a shallow Git checkout when you already work with source-control tools.

Terminal download (recommended)

On macOS, Linux, or WSL:

curl --fail --location https://github.com/ContextCake/context-cake/archive/refs/tags/app-v0.5.0.tar.gz \\
  --output context-cake-app-v0.5.0.tar.gz

You can also download the same archive in your browser.

GitHub CLI

If you already use gh, create a shallow checkout at the same tag:

gh repo clone ContextCake/context-cake contextcake -- \\
  --branch app-v0.5.0 --depth 1
cd contextcake

Git

git clone --branch app-v0.5.0 --depth 1 \\
  https://github.com/ContextCake/context-cake.git contextcake
cd contextcake

Git and GitHub CLI users can skip directly to Verify the resolver.

Verify and unpack the archive

If you downloaded the archive with curl or your browser, verify it before unpacking:

printf '%s  %s\n' 'c0f99cdbf3fb1b483d9324a471afff54a63457da79e17ba652231f0e1f99a984' 'context-cake-app-v0.5.0.tar.gz' | shasum -a 256 --check &&
mkdir contextcake &&
tar -xzf context-cake-app-v0.5.0.tar.gz -C contextcake --strip-components=1 &&
cd contextcake

These commands target the app-v0.5.0 release instead of following the latest source checkout, and stop before extraction if the downloaded bytes do not match the published SHA-256.

Verify the resolver

Resolve a concept from the bundled three-layer demo, where the layers deliberately disagree:

node resolver.mjs --manifest playground/manifest.json --concept decisions/primary-db

The JSON output shows the effective merge: contributors lists each layer with its last-updated date, every section carries the sourceLayer that won it, and sections where layers disagree carry a conflicts array with the dissenting layers’ content and dates, surfaced rather than hidden.

To run the full test suite (requires bash):

npm test

What you just installed

Piece	Run with
Cascade resolver (CLI)	node resolver.mjs --manifest <manifest> --concept <id>
MCP server for agents	node mcp-server.mjs --manifest <manifest>
Interactive playground	npm run playground → http://127.0.0.1:8790
Capture write path	node ingest.mjs / node write.mjs

Source checkout

Use a git checkout when you want to inspect history, contribute changes, or pin your own fork:

git clone https://github.com/ContextCake/context-cake.git
cd context-cake
node resolver.mjs --manifest apps/playground/manifest.json --concept decisions/primary-db

The current source tree uses apps/playground/manifest.json; the versioned archive above predates the monorepo layout and uses playground/manifest.json.

Why a source archive?

Package registries have repeatedly shipped compromised AI/agent tooling through hijacked maintainer accounts and postinstall payloads. A knowledge engine your agents read from should have a supply chain you can audit: a source archive is small, inspectable, and runnable as plain Node.js.

The signed macOS app is the recommended guided route. When the current release includes the verified Claude Desktop .mcpb bundle, the Install page shows its checksum-pinned download and manifest setup. A Homebrew cask will appear only after the first-party tap has been published and tested.

The npm/npx channel is intentionally held behind npm trusted publishing (OIDC), provenance, two-factor authentication, a script-free package, and an audited file allowlist. It will be documented only after that gate passes. Windows users can use the terminal route in WSL today.

Next

• Your first cascade: build your own layers
• Connect an agent (MCP): wire it into your AI client
• The trust boundary: read this before pointing a manifest at sources you didn’t write