Quickstart — 5 minutes to your first intake

This guide walks you through installing BriefGate, connecting it to your coding agent, and sending your first client intake.

Prerequisites

Node.js 22 or later — the BriefGate MCP server runs on Node.js.
An MCP-capable agent — Claude Code, Cursor, or any client that speaks the Model Context Protocol.
A BriefGate account — sign up at https://app.briefgate.dev and copy your API key from the dashboard.

1. Install the MCP server

bash

npm install -g @briefgate/mcp

Verify the installation:

bash

briefgate-mcp --version

2. Add BriefGate to Claude Code

You have two options. Both produce the same result — choose whichever fits your workflow.

Option A — Claude Code CLI:

bash

claude mcp add briefgate -- briefgate-mcp --api-key bg_live_xxxxx

Option B — Manual config in ~/.claude/mcp.json:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "briefgate": {
      "command": "briefgate-mcp",
      "args": ["--api-key", "bg_live_xxxxx"]
    }
  }
}

Replace bg_live_xxxxx with your actual API key. Use a bg_test_xxxxx key during development — test mode uses a sandbox email provider and never sends real messages to clients.

Restart Claude Code after editing the config file.

3. Your first intake

The example below creates an intake for a restaurant website project. Paste this into your agent's context (or call the define_intake MCP tool directly):

json

{
  "project_name": "Bella Napoli — Website",
  "client": {
    "email": "owner@bellanapoli.com",
    "name": "Marco Esposito",
    "language": "en"
  },
  "items": [
    {
      "key": "logo",
      "label": "Restaurant logo",
      "help": "Upload your logo in SVG or PNG format with a transparent background. Minimum 512px on the shortest side.",
      "type": "image",
      "required": true,
      "constraints": {
        "formats": ["svg", "png"],
        "min_width": 512,
        "transparent_background": true
      }
    },
    {
      "key": "hero_copy",
      "label": "Hero section tagline",
      "help": "A short paragraph (up to 400 characters) that captures the spirit of the restaurant. This appears above the fold on the homepage.",
      "type": "longtext",
      "required": true,
      "constraints": {
        "max_chars": 400
      }
    },
    {
      "key": "opening_hours",
      "label": "Opening hours",
      "help": "Your regular opening hours. Use a simple format like '12:00-22:00' or 'Closed'.",
      "type": "structured",
      "required": true,
      "schema": {
        "type": "object",
        "required": ["mon_fri", "sat", "sun"],
        "properties": {
          "mon_fri": { "type": "string", "example": "12:00-22:00" },
          "sat":     { "type": "string", "example": "12:00-23:00" },
          "sun":     { "type": "string", "example": "13:00-21:00" }
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "key": "photos",
      "label": "Food and interior photos",
      "help": "Upload between 5 and 15 photos of your food, interior, and ambience. JPG, PNG, or HEIC.",
      "type": "file_list",
      "required": true,
      "constraints": {
        "formats": ["jpg", "png", "heic"],
        "min_count": 5,
        "max_count": 15
      }
    }
  ],
  "chase_schedule": "default"
}

The tool returns:

json

{
  "intake_id": "in_8f3kQmR2",
  "portal_url": "https://app.briefgate.dev/portal/in_8f3kQmR2",
  "status": "sent",
  "items": [
    { "key": "logo",          "status": "pending" },
    { "key": "hero_copy",     "status": "pending" },
    { "key": "opening_hours", "status": "pending" },
    { "key": "photos",        "status": "pending" }
  ]
}

BriefGate immediately sends the client an email containing the portal_url. The intake status becomes sent.

4. What happens next

The client receives an email with a link to their personal intake portal.
They upload or fill in each item directly in the browser — no account required.
As they submit items, BriefGate fires webhooks to your endpoint (configure them in the dashboard under Settings > Webhooks).
If the client does not complete the intake, the chase engine sends automatic follow-up emails (and optionally SMS) on the schedule you specified.
When all required items are submitted, the intake status transitions to completed and a final webhook fires.

5. Check status

Via MCP (in your agent):

Call: get_intake_status
Args: { "intake_id": "in_8f3kQmR2" }

Via REST:

bash

curl https://api.briefgate.dev/v1/intakes/in_8f3kQmR2/status \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer bg_live_xxxxx"

Both return the completion percentage, per-item statuses, and a timeline of chase emails sent so far.

6. Get results when complete

Via MCP:

Call: get_intake_results
Args: { "intake_id": "in_8f3kQmR2" }

Via REST:

bash

curl https://api.briefgate.dev/v1/intakes/in_8f3kQmR2/results \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer bg_live_xxxxx"

The response contains typed, ready-to-use data:

Text and longtext items return plain strings.
Image and file items return signed URLs (valid for 24 hours), dimensions, MIME type, and checksum.
Secret items return the decrypted plaintext in a value field on the first call only (first_reveal: true). Store it immediately — subsequent calls omit the value.
Structured items return a validated JSON object matching the schema you declared.

Next steps

Topic	Document
Full reference for all 7 MCP tools	mcp.md
All 11 item types and their constraints	item-types.md
REST API, webhooks, and authentication	rest-api.md