Installation and Initial Setup

Initial Setup and Configuration

Warning

The Checkmarx Developer Assist VS Code extension provides Developer Assist capabilities as a standalone experience. Checkmarx One customers with a Checkmarx One Assist license should use the Checkmarx VS Code extension, where Developer Assist is included as part of the Checkmarx One platform. The Checkmarx Developer Assist and Checkmarx VS Code extensions are mutually exclusive. To use the Checkmarx Developer Assist extension, ensure that the Checkmarx extension is uninstalled before installation.

Prerequisites

You have access to a Checkmarx Developer Activation Key
For VS Code: supported for version 1.100.0 or above (supports both settings.json (v1.100–1.101) and mcp.json ( v1.102+))
For VS Code: you must have GitHub Copilot installed

Installing and Configuring the Plugin

The instructions below cover the general setup for all supported IDEs. For detailed, IDE-specific steps, open the collapsible section corresponding to your IDE.

Install the Checkmarx Developer Assist extension from the Marketplace.
In the IDE, open the extension settings for Checkmarx Developer Assist, click on Authentication, and enter your Activation Key.
Make sure that the Checkmarx Developer Assist MCP is running.
Optionally, adjust Checkmarx Developer Assist settings.

VS Code

In the VS Code IDE main navigation, click on the Extensions icon.
Search for the Checkmarx Developer Assist extension, then click Install for that extension.
The Developer Assist extension is installed and the Checkmarx icon appears in the left-side navigation panel.
Click on the Checkmarx extension icon and then click on the Open Settings button.
The Checkmarx Settings form opens.
Click on Authentication.
Enter your activation key in the Developer Assist API Key field and click Sign in to Checkmarx Developer Assist.
Click View > Command Pallete and enter MCP:List Servers.
In the MCP servers list, select Checkmarx Developer Assist.
Click on Start Server.
You can optionally adjust the Checkmarx Developer Assist Settings as follows:
1. Add Additional Params to set up custom configuraitions, such as proxy servers or to run in debug mode.
2. Enable/disable specific realtime scanners. By default, all scanners are enabled.
3. For IaC realtime scanner you can change the container platform used, Docker (default) or Podman.

Cursor

In the Cursor IDE left-hand sidebar, click on the Extensions icon.
Search for the Checkmarx Developer Assist extension, then click Install for that extension.
The Developer Assist extension is installed and the Checkmarx icon appears in the left-side navigation panel.
Click on the Checkmarx extension icon and then click on the Open Settings button.
The Checkmarx Settings form opens.
Click on Authentication.
Enter your activation key in the Developer Assist API Key field and click Sign in to Checkmarx Developer Assist.
To verify that your MCP server is running:
1. Select View > Command Pallete and enter View: Open MCP Settings.
2. In Cursor Settings under Tools & MCP > Installed MCP Servers, confirm that the Checkmarx Developer Assist toggle is enabled.
You can optionally adjust the Checkmarx Developer Assist Settings as follows:
1. Add Additional Params to set up custom configuraitions, such as proxy servers or to run in debug mode.
2. Enable/disable specific realtime scanners. By default, all scanners are enabled.
3. For IaC realtime scanner you can change the container platform used, Docker (default) or Podman.

Windsurf

In the Windsurf IDE main navigation, click on the Extensions icon.
Search for the Checkmarx Developer Assist extension, then click Install for that extension.
The Developer Assist extension is installed and the Checkmarx icon appears in the left-side navigation panel.
Click on the Checkmarx extension icon and then click on the Open Settings button.
The Checkmarx Developer Assist settings form opens.
Click on Authentication.
Enter your activation key in the Developer Assist API Key field and click Sign in to Checkmarx Developer Assist.
To verify that your MCP server is running:
1. Go to Settings > Windsurf Settings.
2. Under Cascade, click Open MCP Marketplace, and make sure that the Checkmarx Developer Assist MCP is installed and enabled.
You can optionally adjust the Checkmarx Developer Assist Settings as follows:
1. Add Additional Params to set up custom configuraitions, such as proxy servers or to run in debug mode.
2. Enable/disable specific realtime scanners. By default, all scanners are enabled.
3. For IaC realtime scanner you can change the container platform used, Docker (default) or Podman.

Kiro

In the Kiro IDE main navigation, click on the Extensions icon.
Search for the Checkmarx Developer Assist extension, then click Install for that extension.
The Developer Assist extension is installed and the Checkmarx icon appears in the left-side navigation panel.
Click on the Checkmarx extension icon and then click on the Open Settings button.
The Checkmarx Settings form opens.
Click on Authentication.
Enter your activation key in the Developer Assist API Key field and click Sign in to Checkmarx Developer Assist.
To verify that your MCP server is running:
1. Select the Kiro icon on the left-side navigation panel.
2. Under MCP servers, confirm that Checkmarx is connected
You can optionally adjust the Checkmarx Developer Assist Settings as follows:
1. Add Additional Params to set up custom configuraitions, such as proxy servers or to run in debug mode.
2. Enable/disable specific realtime scanners. By default, all scanners are enabled.
3. For IaC realtime scanner you can change the container platform used, Docker (default) or Podman.

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