memtrace-public
Structural memory for AI coding agents. Bi-temporal graph, MCP-native, zero LLM calls. Cursor · Claude Code · Codex · DeepSeek Harness · Hermes · VS Code · Windsurf.
Documentation
Your agents deserve structural memory.
·
·
·
·
Memtrace turns your codebase into a live knowledge graph that AI coding agents can query in milliseconds — every function, class, call edge, and version, across every session, without re-reading files or breaking things they can't see.
Get your fleet on shared structural memory in under 90 seconds.
Structural · zero LLM calls · Bi-temporal · time-travel queries · Replay-aware · zero blind refactors
DeepSeek Harness
Memtrace runs as a DeepSeek Harness plugin. Install Harness first (`npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh` — that is the `dsh` command), then add Memtrace:
npx -y @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web add github:syncable-dev/dsh-plugin-memtraceThen ask the agent to index the workspace and pull blast radius, evolution, or an architecture briefing. Details: syncable-dev/dsh-plugin-memtrace.
What it does
Three things, every release.
🧭 Run a fleet of coding agents on the same repo without merge hell.
Each agent reads the same call graph, sees the same blast radius, inherits the same temporal history. No collisions. No stale context.
🔁 Replay any refactor with full causal awareness.
Agents see exactly what depends on what, and what changed when. No more *"I refactored a function and 14 tests broke that nobody saw."*
⚡ Index a 50k-file repo in under 90 seconds.
Rust + Tree-sitter, $0 in API costs, 20+ languages plus framework-aware scanners (Vapor, Lapis, Kong, GitHub Actions, Terraform, RLS policies, …), fully local. Your code never leaves your machine.
🆕 LeanCTX Native — compressed reads, smart trees, and a value ledger.
Four new compression modes on `get_source_window`, single-call directory maps, real-time token-savings dashboard, and an opt-in adaptive learner that beats the static table by ~14%. Full breakdown: `docs/leanctx-native.md`. Available in v0.3.57+.
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e7d6a1e9-c912-4e65-a421-bd0256dffa5a
Numbers
| Operation | Memtrace | Best alternative | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Index 1,500 files | 1.5s · $0 | Mem0: 31 min · $10–50 | ~1,200× faster |
| Exact symbol query (acc@1, lat) | 96.6% · 0.07 ms | GitNexus: 97.0% · 8.95 ms | 128× lower latency |
| Graph callers recall (Django) | 81.6% | GitNexus: 5.3% | 15.4× |
| Incremental re-index p95 | 42.5 ms | CodeGrapher: 613.7 ms | 14.4× |
| Hybrid acc@1 (Django, 3K cases) | 73.9% | GitNexus: 38.6% | 1.91× |
| PR code-review F1 (50 PRs) | 0.7268 | Cubic v2: 0.6077 | +19.60% |
| RSS / process | 26 MB | ChromaDB: 1,060 MB | 41× tighter |
| Languages | 16+ (Tree-sitter) | varies | — |
Reproducible benchmark suite: `benchmarks/`. Same machine, same corpora, same adapter contract. Ground truth from Python's `ast` and `pyright` LSP — never from any tool's own index. No system gets a home-field advantage in the dataset.
Detailed breakdowns: BENCHMARKS-v0.3.22.md · BENCHMARKS-v0.3.29.md · Code reviewer benchmark
GitHub Star Growth
Get access
Memtrace is in private beta. We're rolling out access in batches to keep the feedback loop tight — every cohort lands in a Discord channel where we ship fixes from real bug reports inside a week.
→ **Join the waitlist at memtrace.io.**
Already have access? `npm install -g memtrace` and you're indexing in 90 seconds. Full setup below.
> 🔒 Privacy. Memtrace runs entirely on your machine. Source code never leaves it. The only network traffic is license validation, aggregate node/edge counts, and opt-out crash telemetry — no source, no file paths, no symbol names. Full breakdown: PRIVACY.md, TELEMETRY.md. Disable telemetry with `MEMTRACE_TELEMETRY=off`.
Why Memtrace exists
Good code-intelligence tools already exist. GitNexus and CodeGrapherContext build AST-based graphs that work for *"what's in my repo right now."*
Memtrace is a bi-temporal episodic structural knowledge graph. It builds on the same AST foundation and adds two dimensions:
- Temporal memory — every symbol carries its full version history. Six scoring algorithms (impact, novelty, recency, directional, compound, overview) let agents ask different temporal questions: *"what changed?"*, *"what's unexpected?"*, *"what'll break?"*.
- Cross-service API topology — Memtrace maps HTTP call graphs *between* repositories, detecting which services call which endpoints across your architecture.
On top of that, the structural layer is comprehensive:
| Symbols are nodes | functions, classes, interfaces, types, endpoints |
|---|---|
| Relationships are edges | `CALLS`, `IMPLEMENTS`, `IMPORTS`, `EXPORTS`, `CONTAINS` |
| Community detection | Louvain algorithm identifies architectural modules automatically |
| Hybrid retrieval | Tantivy BM25 + vector embeddings + Reciprocal Rank Fusion + cross-encoder rerank |
| Rust-native | compiled binary, no Python/JS runtime overhead, sub-8 ms p95 query latency |
The agent doesn't just search your code. It remembers it.
Memtrace vs. general memory systems (Mem0, Graphiti)
Mem0 and Graphiti are strong conversational memory engines designed for tracking entity knowledge (e.g. `User -> Likes -> Apples`). They excel at that. For code intelligence specifically, the tradeoff is that they rely on LLM inference to build their graphs — which adds cost and time when processing thousands of source files.
Graphiti processes data through `add_episode()`, which triggers multiple LLM calls per episode — entity extraction, relationship resolution, deduplication. At ~50 episodes/minute (source), ingesting 1,500 code files takes 1–2 hours.
Mem0 processes data through `client.add()`, which queues async LLM extraction and conflict resolution per memory item (source). Bulk ingestion with `infer=True` (default) means every file passes through an LLM pipeline. Throughput is bounded by your LLM provider's rate limits.
Both accumulate $10–50+ in API costs for large codebases because every relationship is inferred rather than parsed.
Memtrace takes a different approach: it indexes 1,500 files in 1.2–1.8 seconds for $0.00 — no LLM calls, no API costs, no rate limits. Native Tree-sitter AST parsers resolve deterministic symbol references (`CALLS`, `IMPLEMENTS`, `IMPORTS`) locally. The tradeoff is that Memtrace is purpose-built for code — it doesn't handle conversational entity memory the way Mem0 and Graphiti do.
25+ MCP tools
Memtrace exposes a full structural toolkit via the Model Context Protocol.
Search & Discovery
- `find_code` — hybrid BM25 + semantic + RRF
- `find_symbol` — exact / fuzzy with Levenshtein
Relationships
- `analyze_relationships` — callers, callees, hierarchy, imports
- `get_symbol_context` — 360° view in one call
Impact Analysis
- `get_impact` — blast radius with risk rating
- `detect_changes` — diff-to-symbols scope mapping
Code Quality
- `find_dead_code` — zero-caller detection
- `find_most_complex_functions` — complexity hotspots
- `calculate_cyclomatic_complexity`
- `get_repository_stats`
Temporal Analysis
- `get_evolution` — 6 scoring modes
- `get_timeline` — full version history
- `detect_changes` — diff-based scope
Graph Algorithms
- `find_bridge_symbols` — betweenness centrality
- `find_central_symbols` — PageRank / degree
- `list_communities` — Louvain modules
- `list_processes` / `get_process_flow`
API Topology
- `get_api_topology` — cross-repo HTTP graph
- `find_api_endpoints`
- `find_api_calls`
Indexing & Watch
- `index_directory` — parse, resolve, embed
- `watch_directory` — live incremental
- `execute_cypher` — direct graph queries
17 agent skills
Memtrace ships skills/guidance that teach agents how to use the graph. They fire automatically based on what you ask — no prompt engineering required.
| Skill | You say… |
|---|---|
| `memtrace-search` | "find this function", "where is X defined" |
| `memtrace-relationships` | "who calls this", "show class hierarchy" |
| `memtrace-evolution` | "what changed this week", "how did this evolve" |
| `memtrace-impact` | "what breaks if I change this", "blast radius" |
| `memtrace-quality` | "find dead code", "complexity hotspots" |
| `memtrace-graph` | "show me the architecture", "find bottlenecks" |
| `memtrace-api-topology` | "list API endpoints", "service dependencies" |
| `memtrace-index` | "index this project", "parse this codebase" |
| `memtrace-cochange` | "what else changes with this", "hidden coupling" |
Plus 8 workflow skills that chain multiple tools with decision logic: `memtrace-first`, `codebase-exploration`, `change-impact-analysis`, `incident-investigation`, `refactoring-guide`, `continuous-memory`, `episode-replay`, and `session-continuity`.
Temporal Engine
Six scoring algorithms for different temporal questions:
| Mode | Best for |
|---|---|
| `compound` | General-purpose "what changed?" — weighted blend of impact, novelty, recency |
| `impact` | "What broke?" — ranks by blast radius (`in_degree^0.7 × (1 + out_degree)^0.3`) |
| `novel` | "What's unexpected?" — anomaly detection via surprise scoring |
| `recent` | "What changed near the incident?" — exponential time decay |
| `directional` | "What was added vs removed?" — asymmetric scoring |
| `overview` | Quick module-level summary |
Uses Structural Significance Budgeting to surface the minimum set of changes covering ≥80% of total significance.
Compatibility
| Editor / Agent | MCP Tools (25+) | Skills / Guidance | Install |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | ✅ | ✅ | `npm install -g memtrace` — fully automatic |
| Claude Desktop | ✅ | ✅ | Automatic — shared with Claude Code |
| DeepSeek Harness | ✅ | ✅ | `npx -y @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web add github:syncable-dev/dsh-plugin-memtrace` |
| Cursor (v2.4+) | ✅ | ✅ | `npm install -g memtrace` — fully automatic |
| Codex CLI | ✅ | ✅ | `npm install -g memtrace` — fully automatic |
| Windsurf | ✅ | ✅ | `npm install -g memtrace` — fully automatic |
| VS Code (Copilot) | ✅ | ✅ | `npm install -g memtrace` — fully automatic |
| Hermes | ✅ | ✅ | `npm install -g memtrace` — fully automatic |
| OpenCode | ✅ | ✅ | `npm install -g memtrace` — fully automatic |
| Kiro | ✅ | Steering | `npm install -g memtrace` — fully automatic |
| Cline / Roo Code | ✅ | — | Add MCP server manually |
| Any MCP client | ✅ | — | Add MCP server manually |
Skills are workflow prompts that teach the agent how to chain tools. Kiro does not use `SKILL.md`, so Memtrace writes equivalent auto steering files instead.
Setup
DeepSeek Harness
`dsh` comes from `@deepseek-ai/dsh`, not from Memtrace.
npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh
dsh plugin --profile web add github:syncable-dev/dsh-plugin-memtraceOr without a global CLI:
npx -y @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web add github:syncable-dev/dsh-plugin-memtraceThat bundle registers Memtrace's skills and starts `memtrace mcp` inside the Harness profile. First launch may fetch the Memtrace binary via `npx`; pin a local install with `npm install -g memtrace` and `MEMTRACE_BIN=memtrace`.
Claude Code + Claude Desktop
npm install -g memtraceHandles everything — binary, 17 skills, MCP server, plugin, marketplace. One command, both editors.
For manual setup:
claude plugin marketplace add https://github.com/syncable-dev/memtrace-public.git
claude plugin install memtrace-skills@memtrace --scope user
claude mcp add memtrace -- memtrace mcpCursor
`npm install -g memtrace` handles everything automatically. Cursor v2.4+ reads the same `SKILL.md` format as Claude.
For project-local install (skills travel with your repo):
npx memtrace-skills install --only cursor --localCodex, Windsurf, VS Code, Hermes, OpenCode, and Kiro
The installer also writes skills/guidance and MCP configuration for the newer agent surfaces:
| Agent | Global skills / guidance | Global MCP config | Project-local support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codex | `~/.agents/skills/` | `~/.codex/config.toml` | `.agents/skills/`, `.codex/config.toml` |
| Windsurf | `~/.codeium/windsurf/skills/` | `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` | `.windsurf/skills/`; MCP remains user-level |
| VS Code / Copilot | `~/.copilot/skills/` | VS Code user `mcp.json` | `.github/skills/`, `.vscode/mcp.json` |
| Hermes | `~/.hermes/skills/` | `~/.hermes/config.yaml` | user-level only |
| OpenCode | `~/.config/opencode/skills/` | `~/.config/opencode/opencode.json` | `.opencode/skills/`, `opencode.json` |
| Kiro | `~/.kiro/steering/` | `~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json` | `.kiro/steering/`, `.kiro/settings/mcp.json` |
Install only selected integrations:
npx memtrace-skills install --only codex,windsurf,vscode,hermes,opencode,kiroInstall project-local config where supported:
npx memtrace-skills install --only codex,vscode,opencode,kiro --localOther MCP clients
For Cline, Roo Code, or any client that only needs MCP tools, add this server manually:
{
"mcpServers": {
"memtrace": {
"command": "memtrace",
"args": ["mcp"],
"env": {}
}
}
}| Editor | Config file |
|---|---|
| Windsurf | `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` |
| VS Code (Copilot) | `.vscode/mcp.json` in your project root |
| Codex | `~/.codex/config.toml` or `.codex/config.toml` |
| Hermes | `~/.hermes/config.yaml` |
| OpenCode | `~/.config/opencode/opencode.json` or project `opencode.json` |
| Kiro | `~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json` or `.kiro/settings/mcp.json` |
| Cline | Cline MCP settings in the extension panel |
Uninstall
memtrace uninstall # removes skills, MCP server, plugin, settings
npm uninstall -g memtraceAlready ran `npm uninstall` first? The cleanup script is at `~/.memtrace/uninstall.js`:
node ~/.memtrace/uninstall.jsInstall troubleshooting
`npm install -g memtrace` ships a small main package + a platform-specific binary (one of `@memtrace/darwin-arm64`, `@memtrace/linux-x64`, `@memtrace/win32-x64`). If `memtrace start` ever says *"Could not find binary for your platform"*:
# Re-run install, asking npm to keep optional deps
npm install -g memtrace --include=optional
# Or refresh from latest
memtrace install # built-in self-update
npm install -g memtrace@latest --force
# Or install the platform binary directly (Apple Silicon shown — swap for your platform)
npm install -g @memtrace/darwin-arm64This typically only happens on machines where npm is configured to skip optional dependencies (corporate npmrc, certain CI caches).
Languages
Programming: Rust · Go · TypeScript · JavaScript · Python · Java · C · C++ · C# · Swift · Kotlin · Ruby · PHP · Dart · Scala · Perl · Lua — full AST: functions, classes, types, calls, complexity.
Infrastructure & config: YAML · HCL / Terraform · JSON · TOML · SQL (including PostgreSQL `CREATE POLICY` for RLS, with cross-language edges from policies to Drizzle / Prisma / TS schema symbols).
Framework-aware scanners on top of the AST layer:
- Backend HTTP: Express · NestJS · Encore · Fastify · Vapor · Hummingbird · FastAPI · Flask · Django · Gin · Chi · Echo · Actix · Lapis · Kong · OpenResty · Rails routes
- Frontend / client: RTK Query · TanStack Query · SWR · URLSession · AsyncHTTPClient · axios · fetch · SwiftUI views
- CI / infra: GitHub Actions workflows (jobs, steps, `needs:` edges) · Terraform variables / modules / data sources · Helm charts · K8s manifests
- Package & dependency graphs: `package.json` scripts + deps · `Cargo.toml` deps · `pyproject.toml` (best-effort)
- Database: PostgreSQL RLS policies + triggers + functions, with heuristic edges to ORM schema
Requirements
Memtrace runs locally — first index is CPU/RAM intensive, subsequent queries and incremental indexing are much lighter.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4 cores | 8+ cores for large monorepos |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16–32 GB RAM |
| Disk | 5 GB free | 10–20 GB free |
| GPU | Not required | Not required |
| Node.js | ≥ 18 | Current LTS |
| Git | Required for temporal analysis | Full repo history for best results |
Telemetry
Since v0.3.17 Memtrace ships with opt-out telemetry that helps us catch crashes, regressions, and performance issues before someone files an issue.
- Collected: app-start events, indexing/embedding durations, panic reports, WARN/ERROR log lines from Memtrace's own crates.
- NOT collected: source code, file contents, symbol names, embeddings, repository names or paths, branch names, commit data.
- Sanitisation: every payload is run through a sanitiser that strips home-dir paths, token-shaped strings, and email addresses before it touches disk.
Disable with one env var:
MEMTRACE_TELEMETRY=off memtrace start # per-run
export MEMTRACE_TELEMETRY=off # permanent (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc)Or in your editor's MCP config: `"env": { "MEMTRACE_TELEMETRY": "off" }`.
Full breakdown — including the on-disk queue layout, where data is stored on the receiving end, and how to inspect what would have shipped — is in TELEMETRY.md.
License & ownership
Proprietary EULA. Free to use during private beta and after general availability for individual developers. Indexer + database (MemDB) are closed-source.
Benchmark suite under MIT in `benchmarks/` — fully reproducible, no proprietary code required to run them.
·
·
·
Built by · Copenhagen 🇩🇰

Frequently asked questions
What is memtrace-public?
memtrace-public is Structural memory for AI coding agents. Bi-temporal graph, MCP-native, zero LLM calls. Cursor · Claude Code · Codex · DeepSeek Harness · Hermes · VS Code · Windsurf.
How do I install memtrace-public?
Open the GitHub repository and follow its README. Most MCP servers are added to your client's MCP config, then called by your agent.
Is memtrace-public open source?
Yes — it is hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/syncable-dev/memtrace-public and has 469 stars.
Related MCP tools
Open-source coding agent memory. Records issues, attempts, fixes and decisions, then warns your agent before it repeats an approach that already failed. Native MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor, Antigravity and Codex. 100% local, no cloud, no telemetry. MIT.
Give your AI agents persistent, collective memory — with deduplicating absorb, supersession lineage, semantic search, and a graph UI. Speaks MCP.
Cut AI token costs 95%+ on code exploration. The leading MCP server for precise, symbol-level GitHub code retrieval via tree-sitter AST. Works with Claude Code, Cursor & any MCP client. 313B+ tokens saved.
Open-source cross-agent memory layer for coding agents via MCP. Compatible with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Oh-my-Pi, Pi, Copilot, Kiro, OpenCode, and Trae.
A super light-weight embedded code search engine CLI (AST based) that just works - improves speed and efficiency for coding agent 🌟 Star if you like it!
Code research platform for AI agents; find, understand, and prove context across your code and all of GitHub, in a fraction of the tokens. One toolset, MCP or CLI
Run your own MCP server? See who uses it and what to fix.
Measure it with TrackMCP