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mrdulasolutions edited this page Jun 15, 2026 · 2 revisions

Setup

Skill name: exchek-setup | Folder: exchek-setup | Command: /exchek setup

First-run setup wizard for the ExChek Engine. It verifies your company profile, confirms report defaults, tests API connectivity, sets the regulatory-data source, lets you pick your edition (free or Enterprise), sets telemetry preferences, confirms compliance contacts, then proves the engine works with a live compliance demo before you ever leave setup — and arms the engine. This is not a form; it is the moment your compliance engine comes online. Free.

When complete, it writes verified state to .exchek/state/setup-complete.json so subsequent skills know the engine is armed.

When to use

  • /exchek setup — run setup explicitly
  • Any skill run for the first time when .exchek/state/setup-complete.json does not exist (setup runs automatically)
  • "Set up ExChek", "configure my engine", "first time setup"
  • You changed your CRM or ERP system, or want to re-verify your configuration

How it works

The wizard reads .exchek/config.json (pre-populated for paid-tier customers, or filled in interactively for free-tier users), walks you through verifying each section, and finishes with a real classification.

Step 0 — CUI/Classified check. Asks whether the work involves CUI or classified material. If yes, routes to on-prem guidance and stops. See CUI and Classified Information.

Step 1 — Verify company profile. Displays name, legal name, domain, industry, and team size. You confirm or edit; edits are written back to .exchek/config.json.

Step 2 — Verify report defaults. Report prefix, report folder, from-name/title, ECO for approval, primary analyst, and AI tool name. These auto-populate into every report the engine generates.

Step 3 — Test the ExChek API MCP, then choose your edition. Probes the hosted ExChek API MCP for reachability. If connected, reports "Connected"; if not, notes that the local MCP still works against ecfr.gov directly. It then surfaces the configured regulatory data source (ask / local / api) and reminds you it can be changed in plugin config (default ask — ExChek API recommended).

It then asks you to pick an edition (skipped in one line if edition is already set in plugin config or .exchek/config.json):

  • Free — every skill, full classification/screening/license analysis, local audit-ready .docx reports, and both regulatory MCP servers. Everything stays on your machine; no account, no key, ever.
  • Enterprise — $1 per report, no subscription — everything in Free, plus the official branded PDF memorandum and your live dashboard at app.exchek.us (Transactions, Screening Center, Products registry, Regulatory Radar, vault, team sharing). See Enterprise.

Your answer is written to .exchek/config.json as "edition": "free" | "enterprise", and both choices are respected everywhere: free means skills never interrupt the flow with Enterprise asks; Enterprise means skills default to offering the PDF and the dashboard-sync consent. You can change editions anytime by re-running setup or editing plugin config.

If you choose Enterprise, setup confirms your credentials: the enterprise_api_key plugin setting (stored in your OS keychain), or the OAuth https://api.exchek.us/mcp/pro connector on claude.ai / Claude Desktop. If you have neither yet, it points you to app.exchek.us to sign in and buy prepaid credits — your key is shown once at purchase.

Step 4 — CRM/ERP connectors (paid tier, optional). Checks whether the connector skill is installed. On the free public plugin it is not, so this step is skipped silently.

Step 5 — Telemetry preferences. Local analytics stay on your machine and remain enabled. You can opt in to anonymous cloud telemetry (skill names and durations only — never code, item descriptions, company names, or compliance results).

Step 6 — Compliance contacts. ECO name and email and legal contact, which appear on memos and drive escalation routing.

Step 7 — First Compliance Run (the wow moment). You describe one common export product, and the engine classifies it live against the Commerce Control List, assesses a destination country's risk level, and renders a branded report preview with your company name, prefix, and analyst — proving the classification was real, not a mockup.

Arm the engine. Writes setup-complete.json, presents the armed-engine summary, and offers the guided tour (Onboarding).

Example

Step 7 — First Compliance Run

  Item: handheld thermal imaging camera, MWIR, 640x480
  Preliminary ECCN: 6A003.b.4.a — exceeds 640x480 / frame-rate threshold
  Destination: Germany — Risk Level: Low (Country Group A:1)

  +-----------------------------------------------------------+
  |  ACME MANUFACTURING                                       |
  |  Export Compliance Classification Report                  |
  |  Report ID: ACME-EC-2026-001                              |
  |  Preliminary ECCN: 6A003.b.4.a   Destination: Germany     |
  |  Prepared by: J. Rivera   AI Tool: Acme ExChek Engine     |
  +-----------------------------------------------------------+

  That classification was real. Ready to arm the engine?

What it writes

.exchek/state/setup-complete.json:

{
  "complete": true,
  "completed_at": "{ISO timestamp}",
  "steps_completed": ["company_profile", "report_defaults", "api_connectivity", "edition",
                      "connectors", "telemetry", "compliance_contacts", "first_compliance_run"],
  "edition": "free | enterprise",
  "engine_version": "{from config}",
  "api_reachable": true,
  "cloud_telemetry": false,
  "demo_item": "{item from step 7}",
  "demo_eccn": "{ECCN from step 7}"
}

The demo_item and demo_eccn carry forward into Onboarding so the guided tour can build on what you classified here.

Skills to use with this one

Step Skill
Take the guided first hour after setup Onboarding
Return to your command center Orchestrator
Track audit readiness over time Analytics

→ See Installation for how to install the plugin and all 20 skills.

Notes

  • Richest on Claude Code/desktop. Setup reads and writes local state under .exchek/. In Claude Cowork, choose the api regulatory source so the connectivity test and live demo can pull CFR data.
  • Config missing? If .exchek/config.json does not exist, setup reports that provisioning did not complete and directs you to contact support — it never silently swallows write errors.
  • Demo snags are graceful. If the live classification hits an ambiguous item or the API is down, setup acknowledges it and still arms the engine.
  • Decision-support only. Setup configures a tool that supports — but does not replace — qualified export compliance counsel.

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