The Probe viewer gives you the visual interface. Connecting an AI assistant lets you ask questions about the design in plain language, using the same data. This guide covers Claude CLI (Claude Code). It takes about ten minutes and is done once.
Using another AI assistant? Probe works with any assistant that supports MCP (Model Context Protocol), for example GitHub Copilot or Cursor. This guide only covers Claude CLI. Contact E-Sharp and we will help you connect your assistant.
Before you start
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The VPN must be set up and active. See Connect to the Probe server (VPN).
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You need your own Claude account. It is separate from the VPN and is not provided by E-Sharp.
Step 1: Install Claude CLI
Windows (PowerShell):
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
macOS, Linux or WSL:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
Alternatives: winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode on Windows, or brew install --cask claude-code on macOS.
Confirm the installation:
claude --version
Step 2: Sign in to Claude
Start Claude and follow the browser prompt to sign in:
claude
Your credentials are stored after the first login. To switch accounts later, type /login inside a running session.
Personal plans (Pro or Max): before you use real design data, check the privacy settings in your Claude account and turn off permission to use your chats for model training. Business plans (Team, Enterprise, API) exclude training by contract. See Data protection & security.
Step 3: Connect Claude to Probe
With the VPN active, run these two commands once:
claude mcp add --transport http probe http://10.102.0.10:8011/mcp
claude mcp add --transport http trace http://10.102.0.10:8004/mcp
The settings are saved and reused every time you start Claude.
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probe gives Claude access to the board data, the review findings and the datasheets.
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trace handles files in the background and is required for Probe to work.
Step 4: Verify
Start Claude and type:
/mcp
Both probe and trace should be listed as connected. If either shows as failed, check that the WireGuard tunnel is active. The connection only works while the tunnel is up.
Tip: choose a strong model for review questions
Design-review questions are tool-heavy: a question like "trace this net and tell me what's connected" can take a dozen or more calls to Probe. Use the strongest model and a high effort level (/model and /effort) for review work. For quick lookups, such as a part number, a lighter setting gives the same answer with less usage. You can check your usage with /usage.