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Developer tools

The tools, in plain words.

Building on CoTrackPro, you'll see names like npm, Git, or MCP and wonder what they are. Here's each one a non-coder bumps into — what it is and why it helps — in one sentence. Hover or tap the dotted terms anywhere on the site for a quick explanation.

Educational and informational only — not legal or clinical advice. Links go to each tool's own site; CoTrackPro doesn't control them.

This list lives alongside the MCP & AI page — MCP is how an AI assistant reaches the CoTrackPro catalog; the rest are the everyday tools around it.

Run code#

Node.js ↗#

The program that runs the CoTrackPro CLI on your computer.

Install it once; the CLI and the SDK need it.

npm ↗#

Comes with Node.js and installs tools by name.

It's how you get the CLI: `npm install -g @cotrackpro/cli`.

Terminal (command line) ↗#

A text window where you type commands instead of clicking.

Where every `cotrackpro …` command runs. macOS: Terminal; Windows: PowerShell.

Write code#

VS Code ↗#

A free, popular editor for code and text files.

A comfortable place to view and edit the files the builders produce.

Cursor ↗#

A code editor with an AI assistant built in.

Edit with help from AI, and connect CoTrackPro as an MCP tool.

Work with AI#

Claude ↗#

An AI assistant you can paste prompts into.

Paste the prompts the builders generate; connect the catalog via MCP.

Claude Desktop / Claude Code #

Apps that run Claude on your computer and can connect MCP servers.

Where you add the CoTrackPro MCP server (see the MCP page).

MCP (Model Context Protocol)#

A shared standard that lets AI assistants use tools and data.

How an assistant reaches the CoTrackPro catalog directly.

Collaborate#

Git ↗#

Tracks changes to files over time so a team can work safely together.

The backbone of contributing; every change is a tracked commit.

GitHub ↗#

Where code lives online, with Issues, Pull Requests, and Discussions.

The community home — apply to join, propose changes, ask questions.

Formats you'll see#

JSON ↗#

A simple text format for structured data.

The form (parameter set) you build is saved as JSON.

Markdown ↗#

Plain text with light formatting (headings, lists, links).

The guides and documents the tools produce are Markdown.

Mermaid ↗#

A text way to describe a diagram that renders into a picture.

What the Diagram tool produces — a flowchart from your words.

Run it online#

Google Cloud Shell ↗#

A free terminal that runs in your web browser — nothing to install.

Try the CLI and preview the portal without setting up your computer.

Browse it from the CLI#

cotrackpro tools                 # the same list, in your terminal
cotrackpro tools --output json   # machine-readable

You don't need all of these to start. For the no-code browser tools you need none of them — just a web browser.