How to Set Up Codebase Memory MCP for Claude Desktop

2026-08-07 · by bixzell

How to Set Up Codebase Memory MCP for Claude Desktop

Codebase Memory MCP turns your codebase into a persistent knowledge graph your agent can query — symbol-level answers with sub-ms lookups, without dumping files into context. Here’s how to wire it into Claude Desktop.

37,718⭐ stars and a single static binary — claim to be zero-dependency.

Step 1 — One-line install

The project ships a single static binary (macOS, Linux, Windows) with zero dependencies. The recommended install is a one-liner:

macOS / Linux:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.ps1 -OutFile install.ps1
Unblock-File .\install.ps1
.\install.ps1

The installer downloads the binary, sets it up, and configures detected agents. Add --ui for the optional 3D graph visualization (served at localhost:9749). If you’d rather install manually, download the archive for your platform from the releases page and run its install.sh / install.ps1.

Step 2 — Restart and index

  1. Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.
  2. In a new conversation, ask the server to index a repository: “Index /path/to/my/repo”.
  3. The first index of a large monorepo can take a while — it’s a one-time cost. Small repos are fast.

Step 3 — Query

Now you can ask things like:

  • “Where is the retry logic defined?”
  • “What calls this function?”
  • “Summarize the data flow from the API layer to the DB.”

37,718⭐-scale precision, without pasting source files.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Fix
Binary won’t start Check macOS Gatekeeper (xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ./codebase-memory) or download the correct architecture.
First index is slow Narrow the working directory or filter by language; the graph persists so you pay the cost once.
No tools in Claude Desktop Confirm the server shows as connected in Settings → Developer → MCP; restart Claude after editing config.
Wrong language coverage Check the repo’s current tree-sitter grammar list — coverage varies by version.

Next steps