> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nika.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use Nika with LM Studio

> Add the read-only Nika oracle to LM Studio's mcp.json — the real macOS path quirk included; one wire command in the next release.

[LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai) (v0.3.17+) follows Cursor's `mcp.json`
notation. The safe path is in-app — `Program` tab →
`Install > Edit mcp.json` — then add:

```json theme={"system"}
{ "mcpServers": { "nika": { "command": "nika", "args": ["mcp"] } } }
```

The binary comes first: `brew install supernovae-st/tap/nika`
([other paths](/getting-started/installation)).

## Where the file lives

LM Studio documents `~/.lmstudio/mcp.json` (macOS + Linux;
`%USERPROFILE%\.lmstudio` on Windows) — but on some macOS installs the app
actually keeps it under `~/.cache/lm-studio/` instead
(lmstudio-bug-tracker#1371, open). Writing the documented path there wires
nothing, which is why editing in-app is the safe manual route.

`nika wire lmstudio` ships in the next release and resolves this for you:
whichever app-created directory exists wins (documented location first);
neither existing falls back to the documented default. Idempotent,
unrelated servers preserved.

## Verify

LM Studio's MCP listing shows `nika` with the eight `nika_*` tools
([the oracle's contract](/reference/mcp-server): validate, explain, schema,
cost — no execution, no mutation). A fully local pairing: LM Studio serves
the model, Nika runs the workflow —
[local models guide](/guides/local-models). Then prove the loop
end-to-end: [integrate in 10 minutes](/integrations/quickstart).