LocalNest MCP

Code Intelligence + Knowledge Graph + AI Memory — One Local MCP Server

npm version License: MIT Quality

The only MCP server that unifies semantic code search, a temporal knowledge graph, and persistent AI memory in a single local-first package.
74 tools. Zero cloud. Pure SQLite.

--- ## Why LocalNest? Every other MCP server forces you to choose: memory **or** code intelligence. Never both. LocalNest is the first to combine all three pillars into one server that runs entirely on your machine: | Pillar | What it does | Why it matters | |:---|:---|:---| | **Code Intelligence** | Hybrid BM25+vector search, AST-aware chunking, symbol finding (defs/usages/callers) | Your AI understands code structure, not just text | | **Knowledge Graph** | Temporal entity-triple store with multi-hop traversal and `as_of` time-travel queries | Architectural decisions, dependencies, and facts — versioned over time | | **Persistent Memory** | Cross-session recall, semantic dedup, agent-scoped isolation, conversation ingestion | Your AI remembers what you taught it — forever | --- ## How LocalNest Compares No other MCP server covers all three pillars. Here's how the landscape breaks down: ### vs Memory-Only Servers | | **LocalNest** | **Mem0** | **Basic Memory** | **MCP Memory Service** | **AgentMemory** | |:---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | Persistent AI memory | **Yes** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Knowledge graph | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | | Semantic code search | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | | Symbol finding (defs/usages) | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | | AST-aware chunking | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | | Local-first / no cloud | **Yes** | Hybrid | Yes | Yes | Yes | | MCP tools | **74** | 8 | ~10 | 24 | 43 | > Mem0 has 41k stars and $24M in funding — but it's memory-only with no code intelligence. Basic Memory integrates with Obsidian but can't search code. AgentMemory has auto-capture hooks but zero code features. ### vs Code Intelligence Servers | | **LocalNest** | **GitNexus** | **claude-context** | **codebase-memory-mcp** | **CodeGraphContext** | |:---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | Semantic code search | **Yes** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Knowledge graph | **Yes** | Code-only | No | Code-only | Yes | | Persistent AI memory | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | | Cross-session recall | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | | Symbol finding | **Yes** | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | | Temporal time-travel queries | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | | Conversation ingestion | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | | Local-first / no cloud | **Yes** | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | | MCP tools | **74** | 16 | ~5 | 14 | ~10 | > GitNexus (27k stars) has strong code search but no memory. claude-context (Zilliz, 5.9k stars) is Milvus-backed with no KG or memory. codebase-memory-mcp (DeusData) is the closest competitor — code + KG in a single binary — but has no AI memory layer. ### Full Feature Matrix | Feature | LocalNest | codebase-memory-mcp | GitNexus | claude-context | Basic Memory | Mem0 | |:---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | Semantic code search (hybrid BM25+vec) | **Yes** | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | | Knowledge graph (entities + triples) | **Yes** | Code-only | Code-only | No | No | No | | Persistent AI memory | **Yes** | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | | Symbol finding (defs/usages/callers) | **Yes** | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | | AST-aware chunking | **Yes** | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | | Temporal time-travel queries | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | No | | Multi-hop graph traversal | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | No | | Conversation ingestion | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | No | | Agent-scoped isolation | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | No | | Semantic dedup | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | No | | Hooks system (pre/post callbacks) | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | No | | Interactive TUI dashboard | **Yes** | No | No | No | No | No | | Local-first / no cloud | **Yes** | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Hybrid | | MCP tools | **74** | 14 | 16 | ~5 | ~10 | 8 | | Zero external deps | No (Node.js) | Yes (binary) | No | No | No | No | **LocalNest is the only server that checks every box in the first three rows.** --- ## Quick Start ```bash # Install npm install -g localnest-mcp # Setup workspace + embeddings localnest setup # Verify localnest doctor ``` **Interactive dashboard:** ```bash localnest dashboard ``` ### MCP Client Config After setup, add this to your AI client config: ```json { "mcpServers": { "localnest": { "command": "localnest-mcp", "startup_timeout_sec": 30, "env": { "MCP_MODE": "stdio", "LOCALNEST_CONFIG": "~/.localnest/config/localnest.config.json", "LOCALNEST_INDEX_BACKEND": "sqlite-vec", "LOCALNEST_MEMORY_ENABLED": "true" } } } } ``` Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Continue, Gemini CLI, and any MCP-compatible client. --- ## Tool Suites LocalNest exposes **74 specialized MCP tools**, organized into focused suites:
Workspace & Discovery — file navigation, project summaries, scoped reads

project_tree, read_file, file_changed, list_projects, list_roots, summarize_project

Search & Code Intelligence — hybrid search, symbols, AST-aware queries

search_hybrid, search_code, search_files, find, find_definition, find_usages, find_callers, find_implementations, get_symbol, rename_preview

Memory & Recall — persistent cross-session memory with semantic dedup

memory_store, memory_recall, memory_get, memory_update, memory_delete, memory_list, memory_store_batch, memory_delete_batch, memory_related, memory_suggest_relations, memory_add_relation, memory_remove_relation, memory_capture_event, memory_events, memory_status, memory_check_duplicate

Knowledge Graph — temporal triples, time-travel, multi-hop traversal

kg_add_entity, kg_add_triple, kg_query, kg_invalidate, kg_as_of, kg_timeline, kg_stats, kg_add_entities_batch, kg_add_triples_batch, kg_backfill_links, graph_traverse, graph_bridges

Organization — nests, branches, agent isolation, diary

nest_list, nest_branches, nest_tree, diary_write, diary_read

Ingestion & Hooks — conversation import, lifecycle callbacks

ingest_markdown, ingest_json, hooks_stats, hooks_list_events

Agent Context — priming, teaching, outcomes, task context

agent_prime, teach, capture_outcome, task_context, whats_new

System — health, indexing, updates, embedding status

health, server_status, index_project, index_status, embed_status, update_self, update_status, audit, backup, restore, help, usage_guide

Full parameter reference: [Tool Documentation](https://wmt-mobile.github.io/localnest/docs/tools/overview) --- ## Agentic Workflows LocalNest is designed as the foundational context layer for AI coding agents: - **Cold start** — `agent_prime` instantly hydrates the context window with relevant memories, recent changes, and project state. - **Deep investigation** — `find` runs fused search across code fragments and historical design decisions in a single call. - **Continuous learning** — `teach` saves architectural rules that persist across sessions, ensuring agents never repeat mistakes. - **Outcome capture** — `capture_outcome` records what worked and what didn't, building an experience base over time. --- ## Enterprise-Grade Quality - **OIDC Trusted Publishing** for verifiable npm provenance - **Continuous CodeQL** static analysis on all branches - **OpenSSF Scorecard** monitoring and proactive Dependabot updates --- ## Troubleshooting
Installing from GitHub fails Direct `npm install -g git+https://...` may fail with `TAR_ENTRY_ERRORS`. This is a [known npm limitation](https://github.com/npm/cli/issues/3910). **Fix: clone, pack, install** ```bash git clone https://github.com/wmt-mobile/localnest.git cd localnest && npm pack npm install -g ./localnest-mcp-*.tgz ```
Semantic search not working ```bash cd $(npm root -g)/localnest-mcp && npm install --no-save @huggingface/transformers localnest doctor ```
--- ## Resources - **[Documentation](https://wmt-mobile.github.io/localnest/)** — Full tool reference, architecture, and guides - **[Comparison](https://wmt-mobile.github.io/localnest/docs/comparison)** — Detailed competitive analysis - **[Architecture](https://wmt-mobile.github.io/localnest/docs/architecture)** — Retrieval pipeline and memory graph internals - **[Changelog](./CHANGELOG.md)** — Release history - **[Security](./SECURITY.md)** — Vulnerability disclosure policy ---
Code intelligence. Knowledge graph. AI memory. One server. Your machine.