Quick start

Get Hud running on your first service in four steps.

1. Create an account

Start by setting up your Hud workspace (Signup is required to generate your workspace's API keys).

• Sign up on the web
  Create your account at hud.io using your business email account.
• Name your account
  Choose a name which will appear in your team’s workspace.

2. Add the SDK to a service

Add the SDK, Hud's runtime code sensor, to one of your backend services. It instruments your code automatically, with minimal overhead. Check Where Hud runs first to make sure your service is supported.

You'll need the API key for the service's environment, such as production or staging, from the API Keys page. Then follow the guide for your language:

• Node.js · Install
• Python · Install
• Java · Install

3. Connect your coding agent

Connect your coding agent to Hud MCP, so it can check how code runs in production before it changes it. Hud hosts the server, so there's nothing to install. You sign in with your Hud account.

Cursor: add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json, then turn on hud in Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP. Cursor opens a browser tab to sign you in.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hud": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.hud.io/mcp",
      "auth": {
        "CLIENT_ID": "XyvD6NaPGbrpOL9mxglq7KUYuPXbyNB4"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code: run this in your terminal, then run /mcp in Claude Code to sign in.

claude mcp add --scope user -t http hud https://mcp.hud.io/mcp

For other clients, and for agents that run in CI or the cloud, see MCP · Connect.

4. See it work

Start your service and send it some traffic. Then ask your agent "What can Hud tell me about my-service?" (use your service's name) and open the web app to see your endpoints and functions.

Optional: see Hudders in your editor

Install the Hud IDE extension for Cursor, VS Code or JetBrains IDEs. Hudders then show how each function behaves in production, right above it in your code.