UTCP (Local) CodeMode¶

This guide is for junior developers who want a reliable local CodeMode setup.

Use this path when you want: - strategy=codemode - deterministic local behavior - the full bridge contract expected by this release (search_tools and call_tool_chain)

1) Prerequisites¶

You are inside your project directory.
rlm-code is installed.
Node.js and npx are available.
A model can be connected in TUI (/connect).

Quick checks from shell:

node -v
npx -v
rlm-code --version

2) Add MCP config¶

Create or update rlm_config.yaml in your project root:

mcp_servers:
  utcp-codemode:
    name: utcp-codemode
    description: "Local CodeMode MCP bridge"
    enabled: true
    auto_connect: false
    timeout_seconds: 30
    retry_attempts: 3
    transport:
      type: stdio
      command: npx
      args:
        - "@utcp/code-mode-mcp"

3) Connect and verify in TUI¶

Start TUI:

rlm-code

Run:

/connect
/mcp-servers
/mcp-connect utcp-codemode
/mcp-tools utcp-codemode

You should see tools including: - search_tools - call_tool_chain

If these are missing, strategy=codemode will not run.

4) First harness run (steps=3)¶

/harness run "inspect this repo and create report.json with TODO/FIXME counts and top 5 improvements" steps=3 mcp=on strategy=codemode mcp_server=utcp-codemode

Expected sequence: 1. Harness calls mcp:utcp-codemode:search_tools 2. Model generates one JS/TS code program 3. Harness calls mcp:utcp-codemode:call_tool_chain

5) Demo commands¶

Use this exact flow for a short recording:

/mcp-servers
/mcp-tools utcp-codemode
/harness doctor
/harness run "analyze this repo, find TODO/FIXME, and create report.json" steps=3 mcp=on strategy=codemode mcp_server=utcp-codemode

6) Troubleshooting¶

Error: permission denied during `/mcp-connect`¶

Cause: npm cache permissions.

Fix from shell:

sudo chown -R "$USER" ~/.npm
npm cache verify

Then retry /mcp-connect utcp-codemode.

Error: `could not resolve an MCP server exposing call_tool_chain/search_tools`¶

Cause: wrong server selected or missing tools.

Fix: 1. Run /mcp-tools utcp-codemode 2. Confirm both required tools exist 3. Re-run with explicit mcp_server=utcp-codemode

Harness ends partial at 2 steps¶

Cause: model did not produce a final answer in time.

Fix: 1. Increase steps=4 or steps=5 2. Narrow the task text so the generated chain is shorter

7) Benchmark example¶

/rlm bench preset=generic_smoke mode=harness strategy=codemode mcp=on mcp_server=utcp-codemode limit=1 steps=3