Getting started with Krexel

This is the shortest path from zero to a live site. By the end of this page, you'll have:

1. A Krexel account
2. Your first site deployed
3. Your AI agent connected so you can edit from the chat

Takes about 60 seconds.

Prerequisites

You need:

• A Node.js 18+ environment (most macOS/Linux machines already have this; Windows users can use WSL). Check with node --version.
• An AI assistant that supports MCP — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any other Model Context Protocol client. Skip this step if you only want to use the CLI.
• A folder with static files — index.html, style.css, etc. Any folder works.

If you don't have a folder yet, create one:

mkdir my-site && cd my-site
echo "<h1>Hello from Krexel</h1>" > index.html

Step 1 — Sign up

Go to krexel.com/signup. Enter your email. We'll send you an API key.

Save the key somewhere safe. It's the only way to authenticate with Krexel from your CLI or AI client.

Step 2 — Install the CLI

npm install -g krexel
krexel login
# paste your API key when prompted

This logs you in and stores the key in your shell environment.

Step 3 — Deploy your first site

From inside the folder you created in the prerequisites:

krexel deploy

You should see:

✓ Built 1 file (21 bytes)
→ Uploading to Krexel…
✓ Live at https://my-site.krexel.app in 12 seconds

That's it. Your site is live.

Step 4 (optional) — Connect your AI

If you want to edit your site from the chat — "change the headline to Welcome to my SaaS" — connect the MCP server.

For Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport stdio krexel -- krexel-mcp

For Cursor, open ~/.cursor/mcp.json and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "krexel": {
      "command": "krexel-mcp",
      "env": { "KREXEL_API_KEY": "krx_your_key_here" }
    }
  }
}

For Windsurf, edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json with the same shape.

Restart your AI client. It will now have Krexel as a tool it can call.

What's next?

• Connect a custom domain — replace the .krexel.app subdomain with your own
• Read about patch deploys — how your AI edits your site in 8 seconds
• Browse the docs — every reference page

Troubleshooting

command not found: krexel — your npm global bin isn't on your PATH. Run npm config get prefix and add bin to your PATH, or use npx krexel instead.

krexel login asks for a key but I never got one — check your email's spam folder, or go to krexel.com/keys to generate a new one.

Deploy succeeds but the URL shows a 404 — wait 30 seconds. The first deploy to a fresh subdomain takes a moment to propagate.

Still stuck? Email support@krexel.com.