Get started with your AI agent

npx neonctl@latest init gives your agent two things: Neon-specific context from agent skills, and tools to act on your Neon account through the MCP server. The result is an agent that can connect your app to Neon and help you use Neon features as you build. For Cursor and VS Code, it also installs the Neon Local Connect extension for in-editor schema browsing.

For a full app walkthrough, see Build a full backend.

Before you start

You'll need:

• Node.js 18+
• A supported AI coding assistant, such as Cursor, VS Code with GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codex, Zed, Gemini CLI, Cline, OpenCode, or another client supported by add-mcp

1. Run the init command

   From your project root, run:

   npx neonctl@latest init

   The wizard asks which editor to configure, then:

   • Signs you in to Neon (or signs you up for free)
   • Creates a Neon API key
   • Installs agent skills
   • Configures the Neon MCP server
   • For Cursor and VS Code, installs the Neon Local Connect extension

   Run this from your project root so the skills are installed in the right place. For details and manual setup, see the neonctl init reference.

2. Restart your editor

   Reload your editor so it picks up the new MCP configuration and skills. For Cursor and VS Code, this also activates the Neon Local Connect extension.

3. Tell your agent

   In your editor's AI chat, send:

   Get started with Neon

   Your agent reads the installed skill and uses the MCP server to walk you through setup. It can:

   • Create a Neon project
   • Configure your app
   • Write your DATABASE_URL to .env
   • Suggest a Postgres driver and starter query

   The exact flow depends on your project. Your agent can scaffold a new connection or help with a migration.

What's next

• About branching
• Neon Auth
• Data API
• Browse your schema with Neon Local Connect
• neonctl init reference