# crew ship reference A ship is a folder in `/ships/` that several members share: `projects`, `todos`, `file-history`, `session-env` and `shell-snapshots`, plus the ship's own `mcp.json`. `crew ship join ` links a member's five folders to the ship, so its history, memory and MCP servers are the ship's. Every subcommand runs without a terminal except `join` to a ship that does not exist and `delete` without `--yes`. Ship names follow the member name rule: lowercase letters, digits and hyphens, starting with a letter, at most 32 characters. A wrong subcommand prints `Usage: crew ship create|list|rename|delete|join|leave|mcp|import (see crew --help)` and exits with 1. ## crew ship create Make an empty ship. ```sh crew ship create ``` ```text $ crew ship create home Created ship home: E:\demo-crew-pages2\crew-home\ships\home\projects [exit code 0] ``` - It makes the five folders and `mcp.json`, seeded with a copy of the `mcpServers` in your `~/.claude.json` (an empty list when you have none). On macOS and Linux `mcp.json` is readable only by you (mode 0600). - An existing ship fails with `Ship already exists`. ## crew ship list Ships and their members. ```sh crew ship list ``` ```text $ crew ship list base: main, side E:\demo-crew-pages2\crew-home\ships\base\projects [exit code 0] ``` With no ships it prints `No ships yet. Make one with: crew ship create `. ## crew ship join Share a member's history through a ship. ```sh crew ship join ``` ```text $ crew ship join main home main shares history through ship home. [exit code 0] ``` - Each of the member's five folders becomes a link to the ship's folder: a junction on Windows, a symbolic link elsewhere. - What the member already had is never deleted. A folder with files is moved aside to `.before-crewrota-` and copied into the ship; a file whose name is taken in the ship arrives as `.incoming-`. The note reads `[i] Copied this member's history into the ship. The original folder is kept at `. - A ship that does not exist: in a terminal it asks `Ship doesn't exist. Create it? (Y/n)`; without one it fails: ```text $ crew ship join team crew2 crewrota: Ship crew2 doesn't exist. Creating it needs a terminal. Make it first with: crew ship create crew2 [exit code 1] ``` ## crew ship leave Make a member isolated again. ```sh crew ship leave ``` ```text $ crew ship leave side [i] side is isolated again. The ship's files stay in E:\demo-crew-inventory\crew-home\ships\home [exit code 0] ``` Each link is replaced by an empty folder; the ship keeps every file. A member on no ship prints `[i] is not linked to a ship.` ## crew ship rename Rename a ship; its members follow. ```sh crew ship rename ``` ```text $ crew ship rename home base Renamed ship home to base. [exit code 0] ``` It renames the folder, saves the new name for each member, then re-points each member's links. It fails when `` does not exist or `` is taken, and on Windows when a running session holds a file open in the ship. ## crew ship delete Move a ship's folder to `removed/`. ```sh crew ship delete [--force] [--yes] ``` | Flag | Default | What it does | |---|---|---| | `--force` | off | Delete a ship that still has members; they are unlinked first and become isolated | | `--yes` | off | Do not ask; needed without a terminal | ```text $ crew ship delete base --force --yes Folder: E:\demo-crew-inventory\crew-home\ships\base Members linked: main (unlinked first; they become isolated) Session files: 0 Deleted ship base. Its folder is kept at E:\demo-crew-inventory\crew-home\removed\ship-base-20261104-1826 [exit code 0] ``` - Without `--force`, a ship with members fails: `Ship still has members aboard: . Run crew ship leave for each first, or pass --force.` - Without `--yes` it asks `Delete ship ? Its folder is moved to /removed` (default No); without a terminal it fails with `Confirming the deletion needs a terminal. Pass --yes to delete without asking.` - The folder goes to `removed/ship--`. Nothing is deleted. ## crew ship import Copy history and session folders from another folder into a ship. ```sh crew ship import --from ``` | Flag | Default | What it does | |---|---|---| | `--from ` | required | The folder to read. Each of the five folder names is looked for at `/` and at `/continuity/` | ```text $ crew ship import home --from E:/demo-crew-pages2/old-history projects 1 copied, 0 brought up to date, 0 already there, 0 kept beside a changed copy todos 0 copied, 0 brought up to date, 0 already there, 0 kept beside a changed copy Imported into ship home. E:/demo-crew-pages2/old-history was only read. [exit code 0] ``` - The source is only read. - New files are copied, the same file is skipped, a transcript that only grew in the source is brought up to date, and a file that changed on both sides arrives beside the ship's copy as `.incoming-`. - Run it again to bring in what is new. - Errors: `Ship doesn't exist. Make it first with: crew ship create `, ` is not a folder`, and ` holds none of: projects, todos, file-history, session-env, shell-snapshots`. ## crew ship mcp list The ship's MCP servers, without their keys. ```sh crew ship mcp list ``` ```text $ crew ship mcp list home docs http https://mcp.example.com/mcp files stdio npx (+3 args) File: E:\demo-crew-pages2\crew-home\ships\home\mcp.json [exit code 0] ``` Each line is the name, the type and the URL without its query string, or `stdio`, the command and how many arguments it has. Headers, environment values and URL queries are never printed, since that is where keys live. An empty ship prints `Ship has no MCP servers. Add one with: crew ship mcp add ...`. ![crew ship mcp list: the MCP servers a ship gives its members](https://crewrota.pasindug.com/docs/images/crew-ship-mcp.png) ## crew ship mcp add Add an MCP server to a ship. Its members get it at their next launch. ```sh crew ship mcp add --url [--transport ] [--header "Name: value"]... crew ship mcp add [--env KEY=value]... -- [args] crew ship mcp add --from <.claude.json> ``` | Flag | Default | What it does | |---|---|---| | `--url ` | none | A remote server at this URL | | `--transport ` | `http` | The server's `type` in `mcp.json`, for example `sse`; only with `--url` | | `--header "Name: value"` | none | A request header; repeat it for more. Only with `--url` | | `--env KEY=value` | none | An environment variable for a local server; repeat it for more | | `-- [args]` | none | A local (stdio) server: the command and its arguments | | `--from ` | none | Copy the server named `` from another config file's `mcpServers`, keys included; it must be the only flag | A remote server with a header: ```text $ crew ship mcp add home docs --url "https://mcp.example.com/mcp?key=SECRET" --header "Authorization: Bearer EXAMPLE" Added docs to ship home. Its members get it at their next launch. [exit code 0] ``` A remote server with another transport: ```text $ crew ship mcp add home events --url https://mcp.example.com/sse --transport sse Added events to ship home. Its members get it at their next launch. [exit code 0] ``` A local server: ```text $ crew ship mcp add home files --env ROOT=E:/demo-crew-pages2/proj -- npx -y @example/files-mcp E:/demo-crew-pages2/proj Added files to ship home. Its members get it at their next launch. [exit code 0] ``` A server from another config file: ```text $ crew ship mcp add home docs --from E:/demo-crew-pages2/other.claude.json Added docs to ship home. Its members get it at their next launch. [exit code 0] ``` - Adding a name that is already there replaces that server. - A header written in your shell needs quotes: `--header "Authorization: Bearer "`. - Errors: `Give either --url or a command after --, not both.`, `Give --url for an HTTP server, or -- [args] for a local one.`, `--header takes "Name: value".`, `--env takes KEY=value.`, ` needs a value.`, `Could not read : ` and ` has no MCP server `. - At every launch the member's own `mcpServers` in its `.claude.json` is replaced by the ship's list, so a server added inside a member with `claude mcp add --scope user` is gone at its next launch. See [Give a ship's members the same MCP servers](https://crewrota.pasindug.com/docs/guides/mcp-servers/). ## crew ship mcp remove Remove one server from a ship. Its members lose it at their next launch. ```sh crew ship mcp remove ``` ```text $ crew ship mcp remove home files Removed files from ship home. Its members lose it at their next launch. [exit code 0] ``` A name the ship does not have fails with `Ship has no MCP server ` (exit 1). For every `crew ship mcp` subcommand, a ship that does not exist fails with `Ship doesn't exist`. ## Related - [Share history between members with a ship](https://crewrota.pasindug.com/docs/guides/ships/) - [Members, ships and your main setup](https://crewrota.pasindug.com/docs/concepts/members-and-ships/) - [Files and folders](https://crewrota.pasindug.com/docs/reference/files-and-folders/)