Install Tutor on your computer

Choose a personal local profile

Local mode runs Tutor MCP on your own computer. A compatible AI client starts it with --local and connects through standard input and output. Your learning history is stored in a private SQLite profile.

You need the Tutor MCP server binary and an AI client. The Windows Tutor ACP app is one option; Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Hermes and other local MCP clients have their own connection settings. No separate HTTP service, PostgreSQL database, Docker installation or Tutor account is required for this profile.

Your AI provider connection remains separate. A local Tutor database does not make an online model work offline.

1. Install the server on Linux or macOS

Run the stable installer below to get the latest Tutor MCP release. It selects Linux or macOS and x64 or ARM64, checks the archive against SHA256SUMS and keeps the licence notices beside the binary. You can inspect the script before running it.

curl -fsSL https://tutor-mcp.dev/install.sh | sh

The default installation directory is /usr/local/bin; the installer may request sudo if that directory needs administrator access. Keep the full executable path printed at the end for your client configuration.

tutor-mcp --version

Compare the reported version with the latest stable server, v0.7.0. If your shell cannot find the command, use the full installed path.

The prebuilt server does not require Go. Go is needed only if you choose to build from source.

1. Install the server on Windows

Open PowerShell as your normal Windows user. Download and inspect the installer, then execute it according to your organisation’s PowerShell policy.

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://tutor-mcp.dev/install.ps1" -OutFile install-tutor.ps1
.\install-tutor.ps1

The script selects Windows x64 or ARM64, verifies the download and installs it under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\tutor-mcp. It updates your user PATH. Restart an already-open AI client after installation.

If script execution is restricted, download the matching Windows server ZIP from Downloads, verify it with the release’s SHA256SUMS, extract the complete archive and use the full path to tutor-mcp.exe. Keep its licence and notice files. The Windows desktop app is a separate download and currently targets x64.

2. Tell your AI client how to start Tutor

In Tutor ACP for Windows: open Settings → Institution, choose Local Tutor on this computer, and put the full executable path in Tutor program. Set Program arguments to the following JSON array, then select Verify local Tutor.

["--local"]

Use a Windows executable for a native Windows agent, or a Linux executable inside the selected distribution for a WSL2 agent. The program must be available in the same environment as the agent.

For a client using an mcpServers configuration: merge this entry into its existing configuration and replace the example command with your complete installed path.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tutor": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/tutor-mcp",
      "args": [
        "--local"
      ]
    }
  }
}

On Windows, a JSON path such as C:/Users/you/AppData/Local/Programs/tutor-mcp/tutor-mcp.exe avoids backslash escaping. For Claude Code, Hermes and other clients, see Connect another MCP client.

Your client starts and stops the local Tutor process. Set the command and arguments in the client rather than starting a separate HTTP server.

3. Verify your first session

Restart the client if needed and check that Tutor appears as a connected MCP server. In Tutor ACP, connect your selected AI agent as well. Then ask the assistant to use Tutor explicitly.

Use Tutor MCP to help me learn Go. Find out what I already know, create a learning plan and guide me through a first 20-minute session. Save my progress when we finish.

The assistant should use Tutor’s tools to obtain your learning context and record your work. In a later session, ask “Resume my Go learning with Tutor MCP.” with the same profile and client configuration.

Know where your learning is stored

The default profile directory is ~/.tutor-mcp/local. Several local clients can share that directory and the same learner identity. To choose a different private directory, add --data-dir and its absolute path as separate arguments.

["--local", "--data-dir", "/absolute/private/path/tutor"]

Separate directories and remote services have separate histories. Profiles are not synchronised or converted automatically. For a backup, close every client using the profile and copy the entire profile directory, including the database and keys.json, together. Follow backups and updates before moving it.

Keep going.