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Monk runs as a native extension in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, and any VS Code-compatible editor. The whole process takes about two minutes — the Monk chat window walks you through everything.
We are working on plugins for the most popular coding agents, so soon your agent will be able to install and connect to Monk without the IDE.

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Download

VS Code

Cursor

Windsurf

Antigravity

Click your IDE above to open the extension page directly, then hit Install. Using a different VS Code fork? Search for “Monk” in your IDE’s extension marketplace or download from monk.io/downloads.

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One-Time Setup

When you download the extension, the Monk chat window opens and guides you through the one-time setup. Follow the steps below.
1

Sign up

Click Sign up to start your 5-day free trial — no credit card required. A browser window opens where you can sign up with Google, GitHub, or email.If you pick the Email method, check your inbox and confirm your email address before signing in.After signup is complete you are returned to your IDE automatically. If the redirect does not work, click the Return to… button in the browser.Already have an account? Click Sign in instead.
2

Wait for the install

The Monk runtime installs automatically in the background. You can see the progress in the chat window.If the install does not complete, you can:
  • Retry by clicking the Retry button
  • Report a bug by clicking Report
3

Open a project

Open a folder containing a project you would like to deploy. Monk only activates when a workspace is open. If you already have a project open, this step completes automatically.
4

MCP server enabled

The Monk MCP server is enabled automatically — no action needed.
5

Connect your agent

Follow the link in the setup screen to the setup guide for your IDE. This is the only step that requires configuration on the agent side.
Once everything is green, tell your agent to deploy your project with Monk. Install Monk
You can get back to the setup screen at any time from the Monk icon in the bottom-left of your IDE’s status bar.

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Open Monk

Click the Monk icon in your IDE’s status bar, or use the keyboard shortcut:
  • Mac: Cmd+Shift+M
  • Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+M
You can also search “Monk” in the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P).

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System Requirements

Monk works on macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows 10+, and most Linux distributions. The installer handles all dependencies automatically — but here’s what happens on each platform, and what you might need if the auto-install can’t complete a step.
What Monk installs for you:
  • Xcode Command Line Tools (if missing or broken after an OS upgrade)
  • Homebrew (if not already installed) — runs in a terminal so you can enter your password when prompted
  • Monk CLI and daemon via brew install monk-io/monk/monk
  • Podman container runtime (managed automatically)
Prerequisites:
  • macOS 12 Monterey or later (Intel or Apple Silicon)
  • Administrator access — Homebrew and Xcode CLT require your password during install
Good to know:
  • If you recently upgraded macOS, the installer detects stale Command Line Tools and fixes them automatically
  • The Homebrew install runs in a visible VS Code terminal — you can see exactly what’s happening
  • If another Podman machine is already running, Monk asks you to stop it first

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Next Steps

Connect your agent

Use Monk from Claude Code, Gemini, Codex, Cursor, and other coding agents

First deployment

Deploy your first application in minutes

Having trouble?

Common installation issues and how to fix them