Install

askround needs Python 3.11 or later and nothing else: it has no runtime dependencies, and every provider is one HTTPS call through the standard library.

In Claude Code: the plugin

The plugin brings the MCP server, four slash commands (/askround:ask, /askround:run, /askround:report, /askround:diff) and a skill that tells the agent to run a question itself. It carries the package and runs it with the Python on the machine, so nothing has to be installed or put on the PATH.

/plugin marketplace add alegauss/askround
/plugin install askround@askround

At project scope, for every clone

Run askround install in the project and commit .claude/settings.json. It names the marketplace and enables the plugin, keeping every other setting, so everyone who clones the project is offered the plugin on their first session.

askround install            # writes the two entries
askround install --check    # writes nothing, exits 1 when they are missing (for CI)

Claude Code on the web installs no plugin. askround install --vendor also copies askround into .claude/askround/ with a launcher and names it in the project’s .mcp.json. Commit both; askround install --vendor --check exits 1 when the copy is behind the askround that checks it.

On the command line

From a checkout, until the first release is on PyPI:

pip install .
askround doctor

Once it is published, pip install askround, or uvx askround doctor with no install at all. The MCP server alone, without the plugin: claude mcp add askround -- askround mcp.

The keys

Every provider whose key is in the environment is asked, in parallel:

Provider	Key variable	Search
OpenAI	OPENAI_API_KEY	web_search, Responses API
Gemini	GEMINI_API_KEY or GOOGLE_API_KEY	google_search grounding
Anthropic	ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	web_search server tool
Perplexity	PERPLEXITY_API_KEY	built into Sonar

askround reads the keys at call time and never stores them. askround doctor lists which providers can run: the key variable (never its value), the model, the search tool and a free check call; --no-check makes no call. Override a provider’s model with ASKROUND_OPENAI_MODEL and its siblings, or --model openai=gpt-5 on one command.