xmlui-setup

name	xmlui-setup
description	Set up a complete XMLUI development environment. Use when the user wants to start XMLUI development, install the XMLUI CLI, configure the MCP server, or create a new XMLUI project.
disable-model-invocation	true
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Edit, Write, AskUserQuestion

XMLUI Development Environment Setup

xmlui-setup downloads the xmlui-weather app (which includes the Inspector for debugging) and starts a local webserver to run the app.

Detect the OS first, then run the appropriate commands for the platform:

• Windows: use .cmd wrappers — they invoke the matching .ps1 via powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass so execution policy is never a blocker.
• macOS / Linux: use .sh scripts.

Run every step automatically — do not ask the user for confirmation between steps.

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Step 1: Preflight

• macOS/Linux: "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/preflight.sh"
• Windows: "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/preflight.cmd"

If it fails, tell the user what to install and stop. Common issues:

• curl missing: install via system package manager
• claude/claude.cmd missing: Claude Code CLI is not installed or not on PATH
• tar missing (macOS/Linux): install via system package manager
• Expand-Archive missing (Windows): requires PowerShell 5.1+ or PowerShell 7+

Do not proceed until preflight passes.

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Step 2: Ensure the CLI is available

macOS/Linux: The MCP server's .mcp.json auto-downloads the CLI on first use. Verify it's ready:

"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/bin/xmlui" --help

If this fails, install manually:

CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}" "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/install-cli.sh"

Windows: The .mcp.json auto-installer uses bash and does not support Windows natively. Install via the PowerShell wrapper:

"${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/install-cli.cmd"

This installs xmlui.exe to %CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA%\bin\ if CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA is set, otherwise to %USERPROFILE%\bin\, and adds it to the user PATH permanently (takes effect in new terminals).

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Step 3: MCP server

macOS/Linux: The MCP server is configured automatically via the plugin's .mcp.json. No manual setup or extra restart needed.

Windows: The .mcp.json wrapper uses bash and does not support Windows natively. Configure the MCP server manually:

"${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/configure-mcp.cmd"

This runs claude mcp add xmlui -- xmlui.exe mcp (skipping if already configured). After adding, tell the user they need to restart Claude Code for the MCP server to become active.

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Step 4: Download the weather app

Use AskUserQuestion to ask the user where to create the project. Offer ~/xmlui-weather as the recommended default, and the current directory as an alternative. The user can also type a custom path.

Once you have the target path (resolve ~ to $HOME on macOS/Linux, or %USERPROFILE% on Windows), check if that directory already exists:

macOS/Linux:

test -d <target-path> && echo "exists" || echo "ok"

Windows:

Test-Path -LiteralPath "<target-path>"

If it exists, tell the user and stop — do not overwrite.

Otherwise, create the project at the chosen location:

macOS/Linux:

"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/bin/xmlui" new xmlui-weather --output <target-path>

Windows:

"${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/dev-setup.cmd" -Template xmlui-weather -ProjectName <target-path>

Remember the chosen path — you will need it in Step 5.

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Step 5: Start the dev server

macOS/Linux:

cd <target-path> && "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/bin/xmlui" run

Windows:

cd <target-path> && xmlui.exe run

The dev server opens the app in the default browser automatically.

Tell the user:

Your XMLUI environment is ready. See the README for a guided tour of the XMLUI MCP tools and the Inspector.