Graphmind

graphmind

[](https://github.com/aouicher/graphmind/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

> Your codebase has a shape. Now your AI can see it. And remember it.

GraphMind turns your codebase into a knowledge graph your AI can query, navigate, and remember. Ask about dead code, dependencies, or blast radius — and get answers grounded in your actual architecture.

Up to 5,700× fewer tokens than raw search (~10M tokens saved per session). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Zed, Continue, and any MCP-compatible AI assistant.

CLI + Claude MCP integration Desktop app — Mac & Windows

Why GraphMind

Every new AI session starts from zero. Your assistant re-reads the entire codebase, re-discovers architecture, and forgets every decision you explained last time. Across multiple projects, there's zero visibility into shared dependencies.

graphmind fixes this with four layers:

1. Structural graph — function-level knowledge graph per repo (AST-based, tree-sitter, 30+ languages)
2. Semantic embeddings — vector search over symbols (local ONNX, OpenAI, or Voyage AI)
3. Persistent memory — declarative store for decisions, patterns, conventions — survives across sessions
4. Cross-project links — dependencies and relationships between registered repos

Everything runs locally. No cloud. No open ports by default. No telemetry.

Benchmark

Comparison of token usage: grep -r (raw file search) vs graphmind search for the same query on a ~100k LOC codebase. graphmind returns ranked, structured results in under 300 tokens vs 1.5M+ for raw grep output.

Install

Desktop app (macOS) — recommended

Download the .dmg from Releases. The app installs the CLI for you and runs a guided onboarding that configures MCP, hooks, skill, and embeddings — no terminal needed.

| Platform | Asset | |----------|-------| | macOS (Apple Silicon) | GraphMind-macos-arm64.dmg | | macOS (Intel) | GraphMind-macos-x64.dmg |

> Linux / Windows: CLI only — use the shell script or direct download below.

CLI — shell script (macOS/Linux)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aouicher/graphmind/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Then run graphmind setup once to configure Claude Code, hooks, and skill.

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install aouicher/graphmind/graphmind                # CLI
brew install --cask aouicher/graphmind/graphmind         # Desktop app (macOS only)

CLI — Linux (direct download)

curl -fsSL https://github.com/aouicher/graphmind/releases/latest/download/graphmind-cli-linux-x64 -o ~/.local/bin/graphmind
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/graphmind

From source

git clone https://github.com/aouicher/graphmind
cd graphmind
cargo build --release -p graphmind-cli
cp target/release/graphmind ~/.local/bin/

Quick Start

graphmind setup          # once — configures Claude Code, Claude Desktop, hooks, skill
cd ~/projects/myapp
graphmind init           # per project — registers, installs git hooks, builds graph

That's it. Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code will use graphmind automatically.

graphmind setup (once, global)

Configures your machine so all AI tools can use graphmind:

1. Shell PATH (~/.zshenv, ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc)
2. Claude Code hooks (rewrites grep/find, injects session context, pre-fetches on prompts)
3. Claude Code skill (/gm + 19 sub-skills)
4. Claude Desktop MCP (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json)
5. Claude Code MCP (~/.claude/settings.json)
6. OpenCode MCP (~/.config/opencode/opencode.jsonc)
7. Cursor global MCP (~/.cursor/mcp.json) — available in all Cursor projects
8. CLAUDE.md instruction block (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md)

graphmind init (per project)

Registers and indexes a project, then writes MCP config for editors that support project-level config:

1. Registers current directory in the graphmind registry
2. MCP project configs — written automatically:

• Claude Code: ~/.claude.json under projects..mcpServers (local scope)
• VS Code: /.vscode/mcp.json

1. Git hooks (auto-rebuild on commit, impact check on push)
2. Builds the code graph

cd ~/projects/api && graphmind init
cd ~/projects/web && graphmind init
cd ~/projects/lib && graphmind init

Both commands are idempotent — safe to re-run.

Manual setup (if you prefer granular control)

Click to expand

MCP server for Claude Code (global)

claude mcp add graphmind -- graphmind mcp

Or manually in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "graphmind": {
      "command": "/home/user/.graphmind/bin/graphmind",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": { "PATH": "/home/user/.graphmind/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin" }
    }
  }
}

MCP server for Claude Code (per project)

graphmind init writes this automatically to ~/.claude.json:

{
  "projects": {
    "/absolute/path/to/project": {
      "mcpServers": {
        "graphmind": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "/home/user/.graphmind/bin/graphmind",
          "args": ["mcp"],
          "env": { "PATH": "/home/user/.graphmind/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin" }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP server for Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop does not inherit your shell PATH. Use the full path:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "graphmind": {
      "command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/graphmind",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": { "PATH": "/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin" }
    }
  }
}

Config file location:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

> Tip: Run which graphmind to find the correct path on your system.

MCP server for Cursor (global)

graphmind setup writes this automatically to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "graphmind": {
      "command": "/home/user/.graphmind/bin/graphmind",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": { "PATH": "/home/user/.graphmind/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin" }
    }
  }
}

MCP server for VS Code (per project)

graphmind init writes this automatically to /.vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "graphmind": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "/home/user/.graphmind/bin/graphmind",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": { "PATH": "/home/user/.graphmind/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code search hook

graphmind install hook-claude

Registers hooks in ~/.claude/settings.json for:

• PreToolUse — rewrites grep/find/rg to graphmind search, provides graph results for Grep/Glob/LS tools
• SessionStart — loads project context (stats, structure) at session start
• UserPromptSubmit — pre-fetches relevant graph context based on the user's prompt
• PostToolUse — enriches results with graph-aware suggestions

Built-in intelligence:

• Exhaustive search bypass — detects "find all occurrences", grep -c, pipes to wc/sort and lets them through
• Cache deduplication — identical searches within 5 minutes are skipped (0 tokens cost)
• Pattern extraction — extracts meaningful search terms from grep, find, fd, rg commands and Agent prompts

Claude Code skill

graphmind install skill

CLAUDE.md sync

graphmind sync                # updates CLAUDE.md in current project
graphmind sync --all          # updates CLAUDE.md for all registered projects

Git hooks

graphmind install hook-git

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Claude Code / MCP Client                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  MCP Server (rmcp SDK, stdio) — 27 tools     │
│  gm_query · gm_fn · gm_file · gm_deps      │
│  gm_outline · gm_who_calls_chain · gm_dead  │
│  gm_export · gm_similar · gm_listeners      │
│  gm_memory_search · gm_cross_query          │
│  gm_status · gm_context · gm_diff_impact    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Layer 1: Structural Graph (SQLite + FTS5)   │
│  Symbols · Edges · Call sites                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Layer 2: Semantic Embeddings (SQLite)       │
│  Cosine search · Graph expansion · RRF      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Layer 3: Semantic Memory (JSONL)            │
│  Decisions · Patterns · Conventions          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Layer 4: Cross-Project Links (JSONL)        │
│  Shared symbols · Inferred relationships     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Rust Core (tree-sitter + napi-rs)           │
│  Multi-language parsing · Symbol extraction  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Search & Embeddings

graphmind search combines three retrieval strategies into a single ranked result:

graphmind search ""          # hybrid search (FTS + semantic + graph)
graphmind search "; "       # multi-query with RRF ranking
graphmind search "" --kind function

How search works

1. FTS5 — exact text matching on symbol names, signatures, docs
2. Semantic embeddings — cosine similarity finds conceptually related symbols (e.g. "money transfer" → payment_service)
3. Graph expansion — top results are expanded with 1-hop callers/callees from the structural graph

Results are fused via Reciprocal Rank Fusion (RRF, k=60). Each result shows its source: [FTS], [SEM], [GRAPH], or combinations like [FTS+SEM+G].

Embedding providers

Configured in ~/.graphmind/config.json:

{
  "embedding": {
    "mode": "voyage",
    "model": "voyage-code-3",
    "api_keys": {
      "voyage": "pa-..."
    }
  }
}

| Mode | Model (default) | Notes | |------|----------------|-------| | local | nomic-embed-text-v1.5 (768d) | ONNX, no API key needed | | openai | text-embedding-3-small (1536d) | Supports custom openai_base_url | | voyage | voyage-code-3 (1024d) | Code-specialized, recommended | | disabled | — | No embeddings — default for new installs |

Embeddings are computed automatically during graphmind build when a provider is configured. If the model changes, the embedding index is rebuilt automatically.

OpenAI-compatible providers (Azure, proxies) can set a custom base URL:

{
  "embedding": {
    "mode": "openai",
    "model": "text-embedding-3-large",
    "openai_base_url": "https://your-proxy.example.com/v1",
    "api_keys": { "openai": "sk-..." }
  }
}

Persistent Memory

graphmind gives Claude persistent memory across sessions — not just code, but decisions, patterns, conventions, and context.

How it works

Memory is fully automatic:

• Auto-recall — at each prompt, the hook searches memory for relevant context and injects it into the conversation. No action needed.
• Auto-save — Claude proactively saves important facts (decisions, patterns, conventions, bugs, context) without asking. You'll see a brief mention of what was saved.

This works for both Claude Code (via hooks) and Claude Desktop (via MCP instructions).

What gets saved

| Type | Examples | |------|----------| | decision | Architecture choices, tech decisions, trade-off resolutions | | pattern | Recurring approaches, solutions, code patterns | | convention | Naming rules, workflow conventions, style guides | | bug | Known issues, workarounds, gotchas | | context | Business context, project goals, user preferences |

Storage

Memories are stored as JSONL files in ~/.graphmind/memory/:

• global.jsonl — cross-project knowledge (user preferences, team conventions)
• .jsonl — project-specific facts

Manual control

graphmind memory add "" [--project ] [--global]
graphmind memory search ""
graphmind memory list
graphmind memory delete 

Memories persist indefinitely until explicitly deleted. They are recalled automatically — you never need to ask "do you remember X?".

Commands

Setup & Init

graphmind setup                   # global one-time (hooks, MCP, skill)
graphmind init [path]             # per-project (register, git hooks, build)
graphmind init --skip-build       # per-project without building

Registry

graphmind register [path]     # register current dir
graphmind unregister    # remove project
graphmind list                # all projects
graphmind status              # health check

Build

graphmind build [slug]        # incremental build
graphmind build --all         # all projects
graphmind build --full        # force full rebuild
graphmind build --watch       # watch mode (debounced 2s)
graphmind clean [slug]        # remove graph cache (forces full rebuild)
graphmind clean --all         # clean all projects

Query

graphmind query                           # find symbol + connections
graphmind query  --file             # filter to a specific file
graphmind query  --kind function          # filter by kind
graphmind query  --limit 20 --offset 0   # paginate callers/callees
graphmind fn                              # full detail with source + callers/callees
graphmind fn  --file                # disambiguate by file
graphmind fn  --kind function             # filter by kind
graphmind fn  --limit 20 --offset 0      # paginate callers/callees
graphmind fn  --include-content           # include source code in output
graphmind fn  --no-tests                  # skip test files
graphmind deps                              # file dependency map
graphmind impact                            # transitive reverse deps
graphmind fn-impact                       # blast radius
graphmind diff-impact                             # impact of current git changes
graphmind diff-impact --staged
graphmind map [slug]                              # most-connected files
graphmind cycles [slug]                           # circular dependencies
graphmind outline                           # hierarchical symbol tree for a file
graphmind file                              # raw file content from project root
graphmind who-calls                       # transitive caller chain (BFS)
graphmind who-calls  --depth 5            # limit traversal depth
graphmind dead-code                               # symbols with no incoming edges
graphmind dead-code --kind function               # filter by kind
graphmind dead-code --limit 50                    # cap results
graphmind similar                         # structurally similar symbols
graphmind similar  --limit 10             # cap results
graphmind listeners                        # find listeners for an event name

Search

graphmind search ""                        # hybrid FTS + semantic + graph
graphmind search "; "                     # multi-query
graphmind search "" --kind class
graphmind search "" --offset 10            # paginate results
graphmind search "" --include-content      # include source code in output

Embeddings

graphmind embed                     # show embedding index status
graphmind embed --run               # generate embeddings for current project
graphmind embed --run --all         # generate embeddings for all projects

Memory

graphmind memory add "" [--project ] [--global]
graphmind memory search ""
graphmind memory list
graphmind memory delete 

Cross-Project

graphmind cross query       # search across ALL projects
graphmind cross deps          # who depends on this project
graphmind cross links               # all cross-project relationships
graphmind cross link add      # manual link
graphmind cross link infer          # auto-detect shared symbols

Export

graphmind export [slug] -f dot            # Graphviz dot format
graphmind export [slug] -f

…

## Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [aouicher](https://github.com/aouicher)
- **Source:** [aouicher/graphmind](https://github.com/aouicher/graphmind)
- **License:** MIT
- **Homepage:** https://getgraphmind.com

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.