BGTP troubleshooting

Quick fixes for the things that actually go wrong when setting up or running the BGTP plug-in. The full install steps for each app are on the BGTP page.

The assistant can't see BGTP at all

The tool never appears in the list.

Did you restart the app? Claude Desktop needs a full quit with ⌘Q, not just closing the window. Cursor and the Perplexity Mac app need a restart too. Claude Code does not.
Check the file is really where the config points: run ls ~/bgtp-mcp/server.mjs in Terminal. If it says No such file or directory, the archive did not unzip where the steps expect.

It appears but fails to start.

The most common cause by far: npm install was skipped. The server uses two libraries that are not in the archive. Run:
```
cd ~/bgtp-mcp
npm install
```
It needs an internet connection, takes a few seconds, and you only do it once.
Check your Node version with node -v. Below 20 will not work.

The config looks right but nothing happens.

Config files do not expand ~. The path has to be the long form, /Users/YOURNAME/bgtp-mcp/server.mjs, with YOURNAME replaced by your Mac short username. Run whoami in Terminal to see it.
If your app's config already had an mcpServers block, the "bgtp" entry goes inside it. Replacing the whole file removes your other tools.

It's installed but nothing feels different

This is the single most common report, and it is usually not a bug.

Installing makes BGTP available. Loading a key stores it. Neither turns the filter on. Say engage, then ask for status:

Check bgtp status.

If status says it is on and answers still feel generic, remember that loading the serial does not change every reply. Ask for the brief when your worldview matters to the question. See Using BGTP day to day.

"translate" or "brief" gets denied

Both are denied unless the filter is on for this assistant, or on for all. Say engage first, then try again.

Grok Bot: it's on in one chat but not another

That is the design. engage and disengage cover the agent chat you are in. engage all and disengage all cover every Grok Bot agent, including ones you add later. One shared key, two scopes.

It works on one computer but not the other

Each machine has its own install and its own on/off switch. Set it up again on the second machine: download, unzip, run npm install, register, and restart.

It doesn't work in my browser

BGTP runs a local program, so claude.ai on the web, ChatGPT, Perplexity.com, and Grok on X cannot use it. Use Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, the Perplexity Mac app, or Grok Bot instead.

Privacy questions

Does this site store my key? No. The server runs on your machine and there is no serial vault on this server.
Will the assistant repeat my serial back? status never shows the key.
Is my name in it? No. Name, email, and street are not in the serial. If your serial carries a demographic prefix, your birth date, sex, country, and postal code are, and brief and translate decode them into plain text for the assistant.
What actually gets sent? Pasting a serial or attaching its .bgp file in a hosted chat sends the full serial to that provider, even while the filter is off. It can include belief responses, birth date, sex, country, and postal code. The provider may retain the message or attachment. Later, brief and translate also send decoded information. See What crosses the wire.
How do I stop it? Say disengage. That stops future reads but cannot withdraw a previous one or the serial you pasted or attached. Material already delivered to a hosted assistant lives in that conversation under that company's retention policy, not ours.
How do I delete my key? Say delete. That removes the stored key and forgets it, and the filter goes off with it. disengage on its own deliberately keeps the key so you can enable it again without pasting it. You can choose either action. What delete reaches is the copy on this machine: not the serial you can mint again in Mission Control, and not a serial or read already delivered to an assistant. The delete verb arrived in plug-in 1.1.0. If your assistant says there is no such tool, download the plug-in again, overwrite the folder you installed it into, and restart the assistant. A plug-in that is already running will not pick up a new verb on its own. By hand, on any version: delete ~/.bgtp/vault.json. That file, not the ~/bgtp-mcp program folder, is where your serial is stored. If you set BGTP_VAULT to a path of your own, delete that file instead. Deleting ~/bgtp-mcp and your app's config entry uninstalls the plug-in but leaves the key behind.

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