Enkari Crucible Studio

A methodology layer for Claude Code. Connect it once, then work in Claude Code the way you already do — the Crucible routes your requests through vetted skills, runs adversarial review when the stakes are high, and keeps an evidence trail. No files to download, no commands to memorize.

New here? Do the two-minute Quick start, then keep QUICK_REFERENCE.md open beside your editor as a cheat sheet.

What it is

Crucible Studio is two things:

1. The Enkari server (mcp.enkari.com) — the engine. It holds the skills, review chains, and workflow methods and serves them to your Claude Code session on demand. This is how you actually use the Crucible day to day.
2. The VS Code extension — connects that server to Claude Code for you (automatic after you paste your key), plus an optional chat panel and dashboards.

You drive it from Claude Code's own chat. The Studio chat panel exists if you want it, but it is not required and not the main way in.

Quick start

No commands to memorize — it's all buttons.

1. Install this extension in VS Code.
2. Click the Enkari icon in the left sidebar. The Start here panel opens with buttons.
3. Click "Activate this machine" and choose the key file Enkari emailed you (no copy/paste). That is the entire setup — it registers the Enkari tools into Claude Code for you, and nothing is downloaded to disk.
4. Open Claude Code in any project and say "Activate the Enkari Crucible." Claude switches into Crucible discipline for the rest of the session — skill routing, adversarial review, evidence discipline, and the model/effort defaults. (Or click Open Studio Chat from the Start here panel — that panel is optional.)
5. Work normally. Ask for an audit, a feature, a design, a decision. Claude pulls the right method, runs a review panel when it matters, and records what it verified.

That is it. KICKOFF and the workflow methods are not files you need — the server composes them for your session when they apply, so there is nothing to copy into a project. Prefer the Command Palette? Everything above is there too (Enkari Crucible: …), but you never have to open it.

You can ignore the command list

The marketplace "Feature Contributions" tab lists every command the extension registers. Most are power-user and Studio-panel affordances — you can ignore almost all of them. In practice:

• In Claude Code chat (the main way): say "activate the Enkari Crucible," then make plain requests — "audit this auth flow," "run a pre-mortem on this plan," "review this PR like a senior team," "harden this for security." Claude maps each to the right Crucible tool.
• In VS Code, only occasionally: Paste activation key, Set up this project, Diagnose cold-load budget.

The full menu of tools, and the workflow phases they draw on, is in QUICK_REFERENCE.md.

What you get

• 454 skills the server selects from automatically — security, performance, data, design, testing, accessibility, and more — backed by 85 agents and 38 industry packs.
• Adversarial review chains instead of one unchecked pass: specialist → critic → judge, a nine-lens tournament, architect/editor, proxy-team review, methodology pairs, verify loops.
• Evidence discipline — verified facts, inference, and bounded speculation are tracked separately, and significant work can produce a tamper-evident receipt.
• 65 workflow methods spanning foundation → build → hardening → review → ship → operate (mapped in the quick reference).
• Optional Codex/GPT — turn on multi-model to add an OpenAI Codex/GPT cross-review pass. It is off by default, and Claude-only works fully — codex is never required.

The Studio chat panel (optional)

If you prefer a dedicated surface, the extension includes a chat panel with the same routing and review chains, plus dashboards for skills, cost, and context budget. It is a convenience — everything works from Claude Code's chat without it.

Provider posture

Studio is Claude-first — everything works on Claude Code alone, and that is the intended way in. You can optionally enable OpenAI Codex/GPT to add a second-opinion cross-review pass on audits and high-stakes work; it is off by default and never required. Other host CLIs are supported as guidance surfaces rather than packaged dispatch targets.

Pricing

One subscription: $499/month or $4,990/year (~17% off — two months free). 7-day evaluation keys by request; enterprise (white-label, SSO, custom industry packs) by Statement of Work. The extension is free to install and inert until activated — a paid subscription authorizes host dispatch, with no per-call metering. Full terms at enkari.com/crucible-studio.

Privacy

Studio does not upload your project code to Enkari. The server composes methodology instructions and returns them to your local Claude Code, which runs them on your own model subscription; provider data handling is governed by the host CLI you configure. Logs, memories, and your activation file stay on your machine unless you configure an export destination.

License & support

Proprietary — ENKARI LLC (see LICENSE). Questions → support@enkari.com (include your machine ID via Crucible: Show machine ID).