Register Bernstein in Cline¶

Cline (a VS Code extension) auto-discovers MCP servers from a cline_mcp_settings.json file inside the extension's VS Code global storage. bernstein desktop-register --host cline merges a bernstein entry into that file so every Cline session can call Bernstein's tools without manual editing.

The write is idempotent and backup-first: the existing config is copied to a timestamped .bak sibling before any mutating write, and re-running the command when the entry is already correct performs no write.

Config path per OS¶

Run bernstein desktop-register --list to print the resolved path on your machine.

Install¶

bernstein desktop-register --host cline

This writes (merging into any existing mcpServers map):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bernstein": {
      "command": "/path/to/python",
      "args": ["-m", "bernstein.mcp"]
    }
  }
}

command is the Python interpreter that runs Bernstein (resolved at registration time). Unrelated servers and top-level keys are preserved verbatim.

Reload the VS Code window so Cline picks up the new MCP server.

Telemetry DSN¶

To route Bernstein's side-channel telemetry (lineage, cost, run lifecycle, tracker events) from Cline into your own GlitchTip project, add an env block to the bernstein entry with BERNSTEIN_TELEMETRY_DSN set to a Sentry-compatible DSN:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bernstein": {
      "command": "/path/to/python",
      "args": ["-m", "bernstein.mcp"],
      "env": {
        "BERNSTEIN_TELEMETRY_DSN": "https://<public_key>@<host>/<project_id>"
      }
    }
  }
}

The same env-var name and wire format are honoured by every host (see docs/observability/side-channel.md), so operators running several hosts in parallel can point them all at one project. Verify with bernstein telemetry probe after reloading VS Code.

Verify¶

bernstein desktop-register --list

The cline row should show Registered: yes. In Cline, the Bernstein tools appear in the MCP tool list once VS Code has reloaded.

For machine-readable output:

bernstein desktop-register --list --json

Uninstall¶

Open the config path shown by --list and delete the bernstein key under mcpServers. A backup of the pre-registration state is available as the *.bak sibling created during install. Reload VS Code afterwards.

Notes¶

• Registration never deletes or rewrites entries it did not create.
• A config file that is not valid JSON is left untouched and the command reports an error rather than overwriting it.
• VS Code Insiders and other variants store the extension data under a different parent directory; in that case point the operator at the canonical settings file (Cline exposes it via its UI).