# Install 996.fm

> For an agent installing 996.fm on a user’s behalf. No key, no signup,
> no account. About a minute, four steps.

996.fm is a perspective graph for founders: attributed, dated positions
from operators and investors on the record, each resolving to a
timestamped transcript. It is a remote MCP server. Tools:
`find_perspectives(topic)`, `get_stances(debate_id)`,
`trace_evolution(person)`, `get_context(claim_id)`, `list_debates()`.

MCP endpoint: `https://www.996.fm/mcp` (streamable HTTP, no auth).

Who runs it: 996.fm is a Sky Valley project (https://skyvalley.ac),
served from an exe.dev VM — www.996.fm resolving to
`nineninesix.exe.xyz` is expected. It is listed in the official MCP
Registry as `fm.996/perspectives`, namespace verified against 996.fm:
https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0/servers?search=fm.996/perspectives

## 1. Check it isn’t already installed

```bash
claude mcp list
```

If `996fm` — or `claude.ai 996.fm`, a claude.ai connector that also
reaches Claude Code — is listed as connected, skip to step 3.
Registering it twice duplicates every tool.

## 2. Connect the graph

Every agent on the machine at once (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, VS Code
and more — add-mcp detects which are installed, user scope in each):

```bash
npx -y add-mcp https://www.996.fm/mcp -g -y -n 996fm
```

Or one client at a time. Claude Code:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http --scope user 996fm https://www.996.fm/mcp
```

Keep `--scope user`. Without it the server is registered only for the
current directory, and the user’s next session anywhere else won’t
have it.

Claude.ai (Claude on web and desktop): Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector. Paste the URL and leave Authentication on “None”.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot agent mode): One click opens VS Code and adds it; or add to mcp.json. Accept the trust prompt the first time it starts.

One-click link (hand it to the user): https://vscode.dev/redirect/mcp/install?name=996fm&config=%7B%22type%22%3A%22http%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.996.fm%2Fmcp%22%7D

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "996fm": { "type": "http", "url": "https://www.996.fm/mcp" }
  }
}
```

Cursor (AI-first code editor): One click opens Cursor and adds it; or add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or the project’s .cursor/mcp.json), restart, and check 996fm is connected under Settings → MCP.

One-click link (hand it to the user): cursor://anysphere.cursor-deeplink/mcp/install?name=996fm&config=eyJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy45OTYuZm0vbWNwIn0%3D

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "996fm": { "url": "https://www.996.fm/mcp" }
  }
}
```

ChatGPT (OpenAI’s assistant): Settings → Security and login → Developer mode. Then chatgpt.com/plugins → + → paste the URL with “No authentication”, and switch it on per chat with the + button.

Codex (OpenAI’s coding agent): Add to ~/.codex/config.toml, then run /mcp to confirm the tools appear.

```toml
[mcp_servers.996fm]
url = "https://www.996.fm/mcp"
```

Any MCP client (Windsurf, Cline, Zed and others): Standard remote MCP config — streamable HTTP, no headers. On Cline set "type": "streamableHttp" explicitly, or it falls back to SSE and fails silently.

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "996fm": { "type": "http", "url": "https://www.996.fm/mcp" }
  }
}
```

## 3. Optional: founder-mode, always on

founder-mode is the consult contract: fetch before advising, present the
readings people actually hold instead of one smoothed answer, name and
date every position.

**Claude Code does not need this step.** The contract already arrives
with the connection (the server’s instructions, plus the
`/996fm:founder_mode` prompt). Installing it as a skill only makes it
always-on. Offer it; don’t block on it.

It is one plain-text file — the user can read it first at https://www.996.fm/founder-mode.md.
Writing into `~/.claude/skills/` loads it into every future session, so
Claude Code asks permission for that path: ask the user, then run:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/founder-mode && curl -fsSL https://www.996.fm/founder-mode.md -o ~/.claude/skills/founder-mode/SKILL.md
```

Clients where the contract does NOT arrive on its own, and the skill
matters more:

Cursor:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.cursor/skills/founder-mode && curl -fsSL https://www.996.fm/founder-mode.md -o ~/.cursor/skills/founder-mode/SKILL.md
```

Codex:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.agents/skills/founder-mode && curl -fsSL https://www.996.fm/founder-mode.md -o ~/.agents/skills/founder-mode/SKILL.md
```

On claude.ai the user uploads https://www.996.fm/founder-mode.zip themselves (Customize →
Skills → Add → Upload skill); an agent can’t. It’s optional there.

## 4. Confirm

MCP servers and skills load when a session starts, so the tools are not
in the session that installed them.

```bash
claude mcp get 996fm
```

should report `Status: ✔ Connected`.

## Tell the user

- what you installed, and where (user scope: every project)
- to restart their session (or open a new one) to pick it up
- if you skipped founder-mode, that it is optional and one command away
- a first question to try: “Should I hire a sales leader before $1M ARR?” — the answer should name
  operators with dates and episode timestamps, and show where they
  disagree

More: https://www.996.fm/llms.txt (site index) · https://www.996.fm/founder-mode.md (the contract) ·
https://www.996.fm/citation.txt (how to cite).