ide-memory-mcp 0.1.1

Cross-IDE persistent memory layer for AI coding agents via MCP

IDE Memory MCP

A cross-IDE persistent memory layer for AI coding agents, built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Switch IDEs (Cursor → VS Code → Windsurf → Claude Desktop → Antigravity) and your AI coding agent instantly remembers your project — architecture, decisions, file layout, gotchas — instead of starting from scratch every session.

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What It Does

When you open a project in any MCP-compatible IDE, this server lets the agent:

1. Register the project on first use (or reconnect silently on return)
2. Scan the directory tree automatically
3. Store structured context: overview, structure, decisions, active work, progress
4. Load it instantly in any other IDE — same machine or different machine (via git remote)

With auto-initialization, new projects can be set up with a single call:

// Auto-initialize a project with basic structure scanning
init_project(projectPath, projectName, gitRemoteUrl, true)

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• uv package manager

Install

git clone https://github.com/prasanna-pmpeople/IDE-Memory-MCP.git
cd IDE-Memory-MCP
uv sync

Run (stdio mode for IDEs)

uv run ide-memory-mcp

Run Web Dashboard

uv run ide-memory-dashboard

Then open http://127.0.0.1:5000 in your browser.

Test with the inspector

uv run mcp dev src/ide_memory_mcp/server.py

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🔧 IDE Configuration

Add this to your IDE's MCP config file:

Antigravity — %APPDATA%\Antigravity\mcp_config.json
Claude Desktop — claude_desktop_config.json
Cursor — .cursor/mcp.json
VS Code — .vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ide-memory": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "C:/path/to/IDE-Memory-MCP", "run", "ide-memory-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

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Tools Reference

Tool	Input	Description
init_project	projectPath, projectName?, gitRemoteUrl?, autoInitialize?	Register or reconnect. Auto-detects git, auto-creates folder if missing. With autoInitialize=true, also scans structure and creates basic overview.
scan_project_structure	projectIdOrPath, maxDepth?, maxFiles?	Scan directory tree → save to structure section.
load_memory	projectIdOrPath	Load all 5 memory sections as markdown.
update_memory	projectIdOrPath, sections	Overwrite one or more sections.
get_memory_section	projectIdOrPath, section	Read a single section.
list_projects	—	List all registered projects.
prune_memory	projectIdOrPath	Load memory so the agent can clean it up and call update_memory.

All tools accept either a project ID or an absolute path for projectIdOrPath.

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📁 Memory Structure

Memory is stored in ~/.ide-memory/projects/<hash>/:

~/.ide-memory/projects/
  └── c4ab9b46c299/
      ├── meta.json          # ID, name, path, git remote, timestamps
      ├── overview.md        # Tech stack, architecture, purpose
      ├── structure.md       # Auto-scanned directory tree
      ├── decisions.md       # Architectural decisions & rationale
      ├── active_context.md  # Current work, recent changes
      └── progress.md        # Milestones, TODOs, known issues

Plain markdown — human-readable, git-diffable, editable by hand.

⚙️ Configuration

The IDE Memory MCP can be configured through a JSON configuration file located at ~/.ide-memory/config.json. An example configuration file is available at config.example.json.

Configuration options include:

• auto_initialize: Automatically initialize new projects
• scan_depth: Directory scanning depth
• max_files: Maximum files to include in directory scan
• preserve_annotations: Preserve inline annotations during rescanning
• ignored_dirs: Directories to ignore during scanning
• ignored_extensions: File extensions to ignore during scanning

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Agent Workflow

New project

Agent: init_project(projectPath)
  →  ACTION REQUIRED: fill memory
Agent: scan_project_structure(projectId)
  → tree auto-saved to structure section
Agent: update_memory(projectId, { overview, decisions, active_context, progress })
  → all sections filled

Returning to a project

Agent: init_project(projectPath)
  →  Reconnected — memory sections already present
Agent: load_memory(projectId)
  → full context restored instantly

Switching IDEs

Same flow — init_project on the same path (or git-matched path) reconnects automatically.

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Project Matching

Projects are matched in this priority order:

1. Exact path — same machine, same location
2. Normalized path — handles case differences & slash differences on Windows
3. Git remote URL — different machine or cloned to a new folder (SSH/HTTPS/.git agnostic)

When matched by git remote, the stored path is auto-updated to the new location.

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Agent Behavioral Hints

The server tells agents what to do at each step:

• On new project: calls scan_project_structure then update_memory automatically
• On reconnect with empty sections: reminded to fill missing sections
• After every update: reminded to call update_memory again on next change

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Smart Pruning (Agent-driven)

When memory grows stale, ask the agent to prune it — no external tools needed:

User: "Clean up the project memory, remove anything outdated"
Agent: prune_memory(projectIdOrPath)
  → Returns all sections with pruning instructions
Agent: (analyzes with its own understanding of the project)
Agent: update_memory(projectId, { ... cleaned sections ... })

The agent is better at this than any local LLM — it already has full project context and knows what's actually outdated.

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V1 — Verified Features

All of the following have been tested end-to-end:

• Cross-IDE persistence (Antigravity ↔ VS Code)
• Git-based cross-repo/cross-machine matching
• Path-based tool lookup (no need to look up IDs)
• Auto directory tree scanning
• Agent behavioral hints (auto-fill on new project)
• Windows path normalization (case, slashes)
• Auto-creation of missing project folders
• Agent-driven memory pruning (no external LLM needed)

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