Documentation
Everything you need to install Nimrod and put it to work. Support: admin@orchis.ai.
1 · Installing
Nimrod runs on your computer. Searches go through nimrod.orchis.ai and use credits; web pages are fetched and read by Nimrod on your computer, never by our servers, and are free.
macOS and Linux
curl -fsSL https://nimrod.orchis.ai/install.sh | sh
Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://nimrod.orchis.ai/install.ps1 | iex
The installer downloads the build for your
computer, checks it against the release's published checksums, and runs
nimrod setup, which:
- opens your browser to sign in with your email (a six-digit code; new accounts get 50 free credits) — there's no key to copy;
- finds the AI apps on your computer and adds Nimrod to each one: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Codex, Gemini CLI, and LM Studio;
- in Claude Code, also installs six research skills, a deep-research agent, and two search-coach hooks.
Setup never touches another tool's entries in
those apps' settings. The first time it changes a settings file it keeps a copy beside
it (<name>.before-nimrod). Restart Claude Desktop,
Cursor, Windsurf, or LM Studio afterwards so they load Nimrod.
Claude Desktop, without a terminal
- Download nimrod.mcpb and open it; Claude Desktop asks to install it.
- Leave the API key field empty. Your first search opens the sign-in in your browser.
Builds aren't code-signed yet. Windows may show SmartScreen for a downloaded file (More info → Run anyway). On a Mac, use the install command: Gatekeeper may block the bundle's program.
Other MCP apps
Anything that runs local (stdio) MCP servers works. Point it at the installed program, with no arguments:
{
"mcpServers": {
"nimrod": { "command": "~/.nimrod/bin/nimrod", "args": [] }
}
}
On Windows the program is
%USERPROFILE%\.nimrod\bin\nimrod.exe. Use the full path;
most apps don't expand ~.
claude.ai on the web and mobile
These can't run programs on your computer, so
they get a search-only connector: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector,
paste https://nimrod.orchis.ai/mcp, and sign in with your
email. It offers google_search and a search-only
research_topic. Web page extraction runs locally only, so
it isn't available on web or mobile.
Commands
| nimrod setup | Sign in and add Nimrod to your apps. --clients cursor,vscode picks apps; --yes skips questions. |
| nimrod status | Your account and credits, which apps use Nimrod, and whether an update is out. |
| nimrod login | Sign in again (opens your browser). nimrod logout signs out on this computer. |
| nimrod update | Install the latest version, checked against its published checksum. |
| nimrod scrape on|off | Turn the optional scrape_webpage tool on or off. It costs 1 to 5 credits per page, more than a search. Off by default. |
| nimrod uninstall | Remove Nimrod from every app, plus its skills, hooks, and local data. |
2 · Tool reference
| tool | what it does | key parameters | cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| google_search | Google results with site, date and snippet, plus Google's direct answer, knowledge panel and "People also ask" when it shows them | query, num_results,
site, exact_terms,
date_restrict (h1, d1, d7, m6, y1),
sort, language,
country, result_type |
1 credit |
| extract_webpage_content | A page or PDF → its main content as markdown, text or HTML, with title, dates and word count. Up to 20,000 characters per call; long pages say where to read on. Read on your computer. | url, format,
max_length, start |
free |
| extract_multiple_webpages | Up to 10 URLs read in parallel on your computer; each page's content comes back | urls, max_length |
free |
| research_topic | Search → dedupe → read the top pages (3, 5 or 8 by depth; unreadable ones replaced by the next) → structured synthesis prompt. On the claude.ai connector it uses search snippets instead of reading pages. | topic, depth,
focus_areas, num_sources |
1 credit per search (1 + one per focus area) |
| scrape_webpage optional, off by default |
Renders a page remotely in a full browser, for pages the reader can't read on your
computer (built with JavaScript, or blocked). Reading further into a page you've
scraped is free. Turn on with nimrod scrape on, or the
"Scrape pages" switch in Claude Desktop's extension settings. |
url, start,
max_length |
1–5 credits per page (more than a search) |
All four tools are read-only: they retrieve and transform public web content and never modify anything. Pages larger than 5 MB (PDFs: 25 MB) and images aren't read. Stack Overflow questions and crates.io crates are read through their public APIs. Sites that block automated readers (some news sites, Reddit) say so instead of returning their bot check.
3 · Example prompts
“Search for the latest rmcp release notes and summarize what changed in the newest version.”
Exercises google_search
with a follow-up page read.
“Read https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification and give me the key requirements for a compliant server.”
Exercises
extract_webpage_content.
“Research the current state of MCP server monetization — go to intermediate depth, focus on pricing models and payment providers, and cite your sources.”
Exercises
research_topic with focus areas.
4 · Credits & billing
One credit is one Google search; reading pages is always free. New accounts start with a one-time 50-credit trial (30-day validity). Two monthly plans include credits that reset each calendar month: Nessy ($3.50/month, 350 credits) and Konnect ($10/month, 2,500 credits). Credit packs (2,500 for $15, 5,000 for $25, 10,000 for $45) are one-time purchases valid for 6 months, drawn after any monthly allowance. Checkout and refunds are handled by Polar as merchant of record. Track usage and buy more in the portal.
5 · Sign-in and API keys
Nimrod signs in through your browser and keeps its sign-in in
~/.nimrod/credentials.json; it renews itself, and every app on
your computer shares it. API keys still work for scripts and CI: set
NIMROD_API_KEY, or api_key = "nmk_…"
in ~/.nimrod/config.toml, and the key takes priority over the
sign-in. Each account holds one active key, issued in the portal
and shown once — we store only a hash. Rotate key retires the old one within a
minute.
6 · Troubleshooting
Start with nimrod status:
it shows your account, credits, and which apps have Nimrod.
“QUOTA_EXCEEDED” in a tool result
You've used your available credits. On the monthly plan, credits return at the calendar-month reset; trial credits are one-time and don't reset. Either way you can top up instantly in the portal — pack credits apply within seconds of checkout.
“Sign in to Nimrod to search”
A sign-in page opened in your browser. Finish it, then ask again. If no page
opened, the message includes the link, or run nimrod login
in a terminal.
“Not fetching …: … is on your own network or this computer”
Nimrod only reads public pages by default, so a page can't steer your AI app
toward your router, NAS, or local dev servers. To allow them, set
NIMROD_ALLOW_PRIVATE_URLS=1, or add
allow_private_urls = true to
~/.nimrod/config.toml.
An app doesn't show Nimrod's tools
Restart the app after nimrod setup. If its settings file
has comments, setup leaves it alone and prints the lines to add by hand.
My sign-in code never arrives
Codes come from admin@orchis.ai — check spam. Codes expire after 10 minutes and are limited to three per hour per address.