Last updated June 16, 2026
Quick Start
You have a repo. In about 15 minutes you'll have a living architecture board you can share — and a real insight on it. No diagramming, no model setup, no busywork.
The whole path here runs from Claude Code and the portal. Steps 1 through 5 need no model connection at all. That's not a teaser version — it's the real thing. You only connect a model later, and only if you want to chat with your board.
What you'll have in 15 minutes
A board in the portal that mirrors your codebase — services, APIs, databases, queues, and the edges between them — plus a path-rich insight highlighting risk or coupling, and a shareable URL for your team.
Everything up to "Publish & share" works with no model provider connected. The plugin does its reasoning inside your own Claude Code session, not on our servers. Connecting a model is an optional last step for Chat — covered at the end.
Prerequisites
- Claude Code installed and running
- A ContextDx workspace with at least one board (your Root Board is created for you)
- Your Binding Token and API Secret from the portal
- The git branch this board is bound to (usually
main)
The branch matters: a board binding is tied to one branch, and the plugin checks it on every push. If your binding expects main, analysis from a feature branch won't overwrite it — that's by design, so you can keep separate boards for separate branches. Match branch in your config to the branch the binding expects.
1. Install Board Builder
Add the marketplace once, then install the plugin:
/plugin marketplace add syntaxia-baas/cdx-plugins
/plugin install cdx-code@cdx-plugins
Restart Claude Code after installing so the commands load.
cdx-code is the install name. Everywhere else — in docs and in the portal — the plugin is called Board Builder.
2. Connect to your board
/configure
/configure reads .contextdx/config.json at the root of your repo, validates it, tests the connection, and auto-discovers your Root Board (writing the boardSlug for you). It also offers to add .contextdx/ to your .gitignore — let it. Your secret doesn't belong in version control.
The config file holds your credentials:
JSON{ "bindingToken": "YWJjMTIz...", "apiSecret": "ck_cp_live_xxx", "branch": "main", "boardSlug": "my-project-overview" }
The API Secret starts with ck_cp_live_. If you see an older reference to a bb_ prefix anywhere, ignore it — it's stale. The full field reference lives in the Claude Code Plugin guide.
3. Map your architecture
/analyze
Claude scans your project — detecting services, APIs, databases, and queues, then mapping how they connect. The result is a structured graph: an L0 overview, usually 10–30 nodes, grouped into domains so it reads cleanly.
This runs locally in your Claude Code session. Nothing is pushed yet — /analyze just builds the analysis on disk under .contextdx/.
4. Push it to ContextDx — first wow
/sync
Open your board in the portal. Your architecture is there — nodes for each component with their types and descriptions, edges showing imports, API calls, data access, and event flows. No manual diagramming. It just appeared.
You got here without connecting a model. The plugin analyzed your code and built the board entirely inside Claude Code. That first-run wall a lot of tools have? There isn't one.
5. Generate insights — second wow
/insights
Insight skills are defined by your workspace admin — security checks, quality reviews, dependency audits. The server defines what each skill looks for; Claude Code does the reasoning, reading your board and source files locally, then pushing findings back. Each finding ties to a specific component and highlights the affected area on your diagram.
Point it at what you care about, or browse what's available:
/insights find auth and data-access risks # match a prompt to skills
/insights --list # list available skills
/insights --all # run every skill
/insights runs entirely in Claude Code — no model provider required. This is the primary insights path. It's different from the portal's in-app "With Insights" mode, which runs through Chat and does need a connected model. The insights tab in the portal only displays results; the plugin generates them here.
6. Publish & share
Your board lives in the portal at a stable URL. Publish it to create a read-only snapshot your team can self-serve — pick a visibility mode based on who should see it:
| Mode | Who can see it | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Anyone with the URL, no login | Open-source or showcase architectures |
| Unlisted | Anyone with the exact URL, not indexed | Sharing while you iterate |
| Protected | Share token, password, or both | Sensitive internal architecture |
Re-running /analyze and /sync after code changes updates the board; re-publish to push the new snapshot. Full walkthrough and access controls in Publishing Boards.
Start with Unlisted while you're iterating. Switch to Public when you're confident, or Protected when the architecture is sensitive.
(Optional) Turn on Chat
Want to ask your board questions in natural language — "where does auth live?", "what depends on the payments service?" — and get answers, or a board, back? That's Chat, and it needs a one-time connection to a model provider.
Connect a model provider (e.g. OpenRouter) once at the org level, and Chat plus the in-app "With Insights" mode light up for everyone in your org.
This step is optional for Quick Start — you've already mapped, synced, insighted, and published without it. It's required for Chat and in-app insight generation. Setup is a one-time OAuth flow in Settings → Integrations. See the Integrations Reference for the connect steps.
You're done — checklist
- Board Builder installed (
/plugin install cdx-code@cdx-plugins) - Connected to your board with
/configure - Architecture mapped with
/analyze - Board synced and visible in the portal (
/sync) - First insight generated with
/insights - Board published and shared
- (Optional) Model provider connected for Chat
What's next
You mapped one repo. Now add layers, more repos, and your docs.
Advanced
Layered drill-down (L0→L1→L2), multiple repos as separate bindings, and boards built from your docs alongside code.
Claude Code Plugin
The full Board Builder command reference — every flag for /analyze, /sync, /insights, and more.
Integrations Reference
Connect a model provider (e.g. OpenRouter) to turn on Chat.