Getting started with Lineman is four slash commands inside a Claude Code session. Add the marketplace, install the plugin, reload, and authenticate once. From there, your next large file read or build triage routes through Lineman automatically. There's no separate app to run, no config file to hand-edit, and nothing language- or project-specific to wire up.
The whole flow is the same on macOS, Linux, and Windows, because every step runs inside Claude Code rather than in your shell.
Install the plugin
Run these in a Claude Code session, top to bottom:
/plugin marketplace add lineman-io/lineman-mono
/plugin install lineman@lineman
/reload-plugins
/lineman:auth
The first three commands register the marketplace, install the Lineman plugin, and reload so it's live in the current session.
Authenticate once per machine
The final command, /lineman:auth, opens a browser, waits for you to confirm, and writes your API token locally. You only do this once per machine. After it completes, Lineman is ready and stays authenticated for future sessions.
You're done, and it works from here
After authentication, you don't call Lineman directly. Ask Claude to do anything that touches a large file or noisy build output, and the assist tool routes through the secondary model on its own. Reading a long source file, triaging a failed test run, or searching across the codebase all flow through Lineman without you changing how you work.
A couple of helpers are there when you want them:
/lineman:statsshows how many tokens Lineman has saved this session, and where./lineman:authcan be re-run any time you set up a new machine.
What to expect
Once it's running, you'll notice quieter context windows and lower token spend on the data-heavy work. Lineman saves 40%+ on file reads, logs, search, and web fetches. You keep using Claude Code exactly as before, and Lineman trims the bulky tool output before it reaches your model.
If you want to see the numbers before you install, the benchmarks page shows the measured savings. Plans (Basic, Pro, and Enterprise) are on the pricing page, and there's a 14-day free trial with no card required when you sign up.