setup

embark-claude-index Setup

First-time setup for the Unreal Engine code index plugin.

CRITICAL SHELL INFO: Claude Code runs in Git Bash (MINGW) on Windows. All commands below use bash syntax. Do NOT use PowerShell ($env:, Get-ChildItem) or cmd.exe (dir /s) syntax.

When to Use

Trigger this skill when:

• User just installed the plugin and needs to set it up
• User says "setup", "configure", or "initialize" the index
• User wants to reconfigure project paths or re-run setup
• The MCP tools return "service not running" errors and no config exists

Prerequisites

The only hard prerequisite to launch the dashboard is Node.js 20.18+. Everything else (WSL, Docker, environment variables) is installed from within the dashboard GUI.

You MUST check and auto-install missing prerequisites — do NOT just tell the user to install them.

Check Node.js

node --version 2>/dev/null || echo "NOT_INSTALLED"

If Node.js is missing or the version is below 20.18, install it automatically:

powershell.exe -Command "Start-Process powershell -ArgumentList '-Command','winget install -e --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements' -Verb RunAs" -Wait

After installation, verify it succeeded by checking again in a fresh shell:

"/c/Program Files/nodejs/node.exe" --version

If the install succeeded but node is not on PATH yet, tell the user to restart their terminal so the PATH update takes effect, then re-run this skill.

Check npm

npm --version 2>/dev/null || echo "NOT_INSTALLED"

npm ships with Node.js. If npm is missing but Node.js was just installed, the user needs to restart their terminal for PATH changes. If npm is still missing after restart, install it:

"/c/Program Files/nodejs/node.exe" "/c/Program Files/nodejs/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js" --version

Setup Steps

Step 1: Clone or update the repo

if [ -d "$USERPROFILE/.claude/repos/embark-claude-index/.git" ]; then
  cd "$USERPROFILE/.claude/repos/embark-claude-index" && git pull --ff-only && echo "Repo updated"
else
  git clone https://github.com/EmbarkStudios/UnrealClaudeFileHelper.git "$USERPROFILE/.claude/repos/embark-claude-index" && echo "Repo cloned"
fi

Step 2: Install dependencies

cd "$USERPROFILE/.claude/repos/embark-claude-index" && npm install --ignore-scripts --omit=dev

If npm is not found, use the full path:

cd "$USERPROFILE/.claude/repos/embark-claude-index" && "/c/Program Files/nodejs/npm" install --ignore-scripts --omit=dev

Step 3: Launch the setup GUI

cd "$USERPROFILE/.claude/repos/embark-claude-index" && node src/setup-gui.js

This opens a web-based dashboard at http://localhost:3846.

Step 4: Tell the user to complete setup in the dashboard

The dashboard handles everything else:

• Prerequisites panel: Shows status of WSL, Docker, Node.js, and UNREAL_INDEX_DIR with one-click install buttons for each
• Workspace management: Add workspaces, configure project paths, build Docker images, start containers and watchers
• MCP config: Provides the config snippet to add to Claude Code settings
• Auto-start: Optionally enable dashboard auto-start at logon

Tell the user to follow the prerequisites checklist in the dashboard, then add a workspace. After setup, restart their terminal and Claude Code to pick up the environment variable and MCP tools.