Connecting Claude Code (terminal)

Outcome

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to install Claude Code, connect ZopNight MCP, and combine MCP with Claude Code’s skills feature for reusable team workflows.


Tier	Engineer
JTBD	”Get cost data callable from the terminal for the engineers who live there.”
Personas	Platform Engineer · SRE · DevOps Engineer
Prerequisites	M6.2.L1 · M6.2.L2
Time	9 minutes
Bloom verb	Install (Apply), Connect (Apply), Combine (Create)

1. Concept

Claude Code runs in a terminal. It reads and writes files on your machine, runs shell commands when you allow it, and talks to MCP servers.

If you already live in a terminal, this is the one to use. SREs, platform engineers and anybody who writes scripts will find it fits what they already do.

WHEN CLAUDE CODE WINS:
  You live in the terminal
  You want agent + git + cost in one session
  You run automation scripts that need cost data
  You write internal tools that benefit from cost context
  You want skills (reusable commands) as a team

Different from Claude Desktop (chat-only) and Cursor (IDE-embedded). Same MCP server; different invocation surface.

Installation

INSTALL (one-time):
  Option A: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
  Option B: curl -fsSL https://claude.com/install.sh | sh

  Option B is recommended for stability (binary install)

VERIFY:
  $ claude --version
  → claude-code 1.x.x

AUTH (one-time, opens browser):
  $ claude /login
  → sign in to Anthropic account in browser
  → returns to terminal authenticated

Adding ZopNight MCP

claude mcp add zopnight https://<your-zopnight-mcp-endpoint>/mcp -t http -H "Authorization: Bearer <your-PAT>"

The -t http flag is required: without it, Claude Code treats the URL as a command to run rather than a server to call.

Verifying connection

$ claude

> /mcp
  Connected servers:
    zopnight (connected)

> "List my top 5 idle resources"
  Claude calls: list_resources(filter=idle, sort=days, limit=5)
  Returns formatted output (5 resources with details)

If /mcp doesn’t show zopnight, check:

echo $ZN_PAT returns the PAT
~/.claude/mcp.json exists and is valid JSON
Network connectivity to ZopNight backend

Project-scoped MCP

When a specific repo needs cost data (e.g., a prod-monitoring repo that wants real-time cost info during incidents):

EDIT in repo root:
  .claude/mcp.json

  {
    "mcpServers": {
      "zopnight-prod": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://<your-zopnight-mcp-endpoint>/mcp"],
        "env": {
          "ZN_PAT": "${env:ZN_PAT_PROD}",
          "ZN_ORG": "org_prod"
        }
      }
    }
  }

GITIGNORE the .env (env vars come from environment, not committed)
COMMIT .claude/mcp.json (uses env-var references, not literal PATs)

When Claude Code starts inside this repo, the project-scoped config supplements (or overrides) the global one.

Skills + MCP: the team multiplier

Claude Code supports custom skills: markdown files that define reusable commands. Combined with MCP, skills become parameterized cost workflows.

EDIT: ~/.claude/skills/cost-summary.md

---
description: Generate this week's cost summary
---

Use the zopnight MCP server to:
1. Call get_costs filtered to last 7 days (by team)
2. Call get_cost_trends for week-over-week comparison
3. Call get_recommendation_summary for open recs
4. Call list_audit_logs for material changes

Synthesize into a markdown summary with these sections:
  Total spend (and WoW delta)
  Top changes (resource-level)
  Open recommendations (top 3 by impact)
  Material changes (audit log highlights)
  Action items (specific to this week)

Output to stdout. Don't write files unless asked.

USE the skill:
$ claude
> /cost-summary
  → Claude runs the skill, calls MCP tools, returns summary

SHARE with team:
  Commit the skill file to a team repo
  Each engineer copies to ~/.claude/skills/ or
  uses project-scoped .claude/skills/

Skills make MCP workflows reusable and shareable. M6.4 covers building team-shared skills in depth.

Multi-account workflow

Claude Code is well-suited for consultants / MSPs working with multiple ZopNight orgs:

SETUP: ~/.claude/mcp.json:
  zopnight-customer-a:
    Env: ZN_PAT=$ZN_PAT_A, ZN_ORG=org_a
  zopnight-customer-b:
    Env: ZN_PAT=$ZN_PAT_B, ZN_ORG=org_b

USE:
  > "Compare customer-a and customer-b spend last month"
  Claude calls both servers, merges results, presents comparison

  > "Show idle resources in customer-a only"
  Claude calls only zopnight-customer-a server

The agent reasons about which org to query.

Permissions and safety

WHEN CLAUDE CODE RUNS in your terminal:
  Can read/write local files (with permission prompt)
  Can run shell commands (with permission prompt)
  Calls MCP tools automatically (read tools; no prompt)

RECOMMENDED setup:
  Don't auto-allow shell commands by default
  Review each shell command before approving
  Audit MCP calls via ZopNight audit log (M6.3.L3)

The MCP tool calls are reads on a default-tier org, but shell commands
and file writes deserve case-by-case approval.

Common issues

PROBLEM: "MCP server fails to start"
  Check: npx -y mcp-remote https://<your-zopnight-mcp-endpoint>/mcp --version
  Fix:   re-install npm package; check Node version (18+)

PROBLEM: "PAT unauthorized"
  Check: echo $ZN_PAT
  If empty: PAT not exported in shell; add to .zshrc/.bashrc
  If wrong: regenerate PAT in ZopNight settings

PROBLEM: "Tool timeout"
  Cause: org has many resources; default page size is too small
  Fix:   args: ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://<your-zopnight-mcp-endpoint>/mcp", "--timeout=60000"]
  Or:    scope queries with filters (by team, date range)

PROBLEM: "Skill not found"
  Check: ~/.claude/skills/<name>.md exists
  Reload: claude /skills (lists currently-loaded skills)
  Verify: filename + frontmatter matches the slash command

Skills for ad-hoc workflows

The skill pattern works for any recurring cost workflow. Examples worth building:

~/.claude/skills/
  cost-summary.md          Weekly team cost summary
  anomaly-triage.md        15-min triage helper (M4.5.L1)
  postmortem-skeleton.md   Postmortem template + data (M4.5.L4)
  forecast-prep.md         Bottom-up forecast helper (M4.6.L2)
  reco-review.md           Recommendation triage

Build one skill per recurring workflow; share via team repo. M6.4 covers the workflow + sharing patterns.

2. Demo

A typical engineer’s terminal session:

$ claude

> /mcp
  Connected servers:
    zopnight (connected)

> "What's my biggest unrealized recommendation?"
  Claude calls: get_recommendation_summary
  Returns: "i-0xyz123 right-sizing recommendation worth $400/mo,
            no action since 30 days. Owner via tag: bob@platform."

> "Draft a Slack message to the owner explaining the recommendation
   and asking when we can apply it."
  Claude drafts message tailored to engineer audience:
    "@bob: i-0xyz123 has a right-sizing rec open for 30 days
     ($400/mo savings). Anything blocking us from applying? Let me
     know if you want me to walk through it."

> "Save the draft to ~/cost-summary.md"
  Claude writes file (prompts for permission first)

> "Now generate this week's cost summary using the cost-summary skill"
  Claude invokes /cost-summary skill
  Skill chains 4 MCP calls
  Returns formatted summary to stdout

Engineer reviews, sends Slack, commits the cost-summary.md to a
weekly archive directory.

ELAPSED: 3 minutes of terminal time.

The terminal is the surface; ZopNight is the data; the agent is the assistant.

3. Hands-on (5 min)

Set up Claude Code with ZopNight MCP:

□ STEP 1: Install Claude Code
  Method: npm / curl install / already installed
  Verified version: __________

□ STEP 2: Authenticate
  $ claude /login
  Verified: __________

□ STEP 3: Configure MCP
  Created ~/.claude/mcp.json
  Set env vars in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
  Restarted shell

□ STEP 4: Test
  $ claude
  > /mcp
  Sees zopnight? Yes / No

□ STEP 5: First skill
  Create ~/.claude/skills/cost-summary.md (use the template above)
  $ claude
  > /cost-summary
  Runs? Yes / No

CHALLENGE for the week:
  Build a second skill for a recurring workflow you have
  Skill name: __________
  What it does: __________

4. Knowledge check

Q1

Claude Code vs Claude Desktop:

A. The same product, different name
B. Different. Both can use MCP
C. Different products, and only Claude Code can use MCP
D. Identical functionality

Show answer

Correct: B. Claude Code is a CLI agent with file/shell access; Claude Desktop is chat-only. Pick Claude Code if you live in the terminal; Claude Desktop if you live in chat. Different surfaces with overlapping MCP capability.

Q2

MCP config in Claude Code lives at:

A. Hardcoded into the client binary itself, with no file
B. In a system-wide path under /etc/claude/, shared by every user on the machine
C. ~/.claude/mcp.json (global) or .claude/mcp.json in a project (project-scoped)
D. Only via CLI flags supplied at launch time

Show answer

Correct: C. Project-scoped supplements/overrides global. Both reference env vars for PAT values. Config files at standard paths; project + global tiers.

Q3

Skills + MCP: the relationship:

A. Skills wrap MCP calls into reusable named commands
B. Skills replace MCP entirely, once written
C. Skills and MCP are entirely unrelated mechanisms
D. Skills are a paid add-on that MCP requires

Show answer

Correct: A. A skill is a markdown file with instructions (“call these MCP tools; synthesize this output”); invoking /skill-name runs it. Skills make MCP workflows shareable across the team. Skills wrap MCP tool calls for reuse. The combination is the team multiplier.

5. Apply

Claude Code for terminal workflows. Build skills for recurring tasks (M6.4 covers patterns). Share skills via a team repo so workflows scale across engineers.

Glossary terms touched

Claude Code · Skills (Claude Code) · Project-scoped MCP

Outcome

1. Concept

Installation

Adding ZopNight MCP

Verifying connection

Project-scoped MCP

Skills + MCP: the team multiplier

Multi-account workflow

Permissions and safety

Common issues

Skills for ad-hoc workflows

2. Demo

3. Hands-on (5 min)

4. Knowledge check

Q1

Q2

Q3

5. Apply

Related lessons

Glossary terms touched

Start with the bill.