code-context-mcp

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An MCP server that gives AI coding agents a memory of your codebase and a sprint process.Your agents forget everything between sessions. This one file does not.

// 01 WHAT IT DOES

• Gives AI coding agents persistent memory. The memory survives the session.
• Indexes your codebase into one SQLite file, context.db. Agents query file roles, exports and dependents. They do not read raw files first: about 45 % fewer tokens in the benchmark.
• Runs a full sprint process for a 9-agent team: vision, discovery, milestones, epics, tickets, gates and retros. It uses 93 MCP tools and 6 slash commands.
• Shows everything on a live React dashboard at :3333. Zero API keys.

// 02 QUICK START

npm install vlm-code-context-mcp
npx code-context-mcp setup .
npx code-context-dashboard ./context.db   # optional — live dashboard on :3333

Two commands, then restart Claude Code. Zero API keys. One context.db file.

1. Install. npm install vlm-code-context-mcp

2. Initialize. npx code-context-mcp setup .

   • Creates context.db and indexes your codebase.
   • Seeds a 9-agent team and the frontend skill library into the project database.
   • Writes .mcp.json. Offers to wire the sprint statusline into .claude/settings.json. Pass --defaults to skip the prompts.
   • Run it again later and it switches to update mode: migrate (with automatic backup) and config repair. It never touches your data.
   • --force renames the old database. It does not delete it.

3. Restart your AI client. Claude Code (or any MCP client) loads the server from .mcp.json. Verify with get_project_status.

   • Manual registration instead: claude mcp add code-context -- node node_modules/vlm-code-context-mcp/dist/server/index.js ./context.db

4. Launch the dashboard. npx code-context-dashboard ./context.db

   • Opens at http://localhost:3333 with live SSE updates.

   • File watching and auto-reindex on save are on by default (derived from the indexed files).

   • Pass a directory as the 4th argument only to override it, for example on a database with nothing indexed yet:

     npx code-context-dashboard ./context.db 3333 .
     

5. Run your first sprint. Type /kickoff in Claude Code.

   /kickoff
   

   • The orchestrator walks you through vision → discovery → milestone → epics → tickets → sprint → implementation → retro.
   • It asks one question at a time. Smart resume lets you stop and continue later.

// 03 HOW IT WORKS

Every command follows the same pattern: load context from the database before doing anything.

search_files("auth middleware")       → find the right file
get_file_context("src/auth.ts")      → understand role, exports, dependents
Read("src/auth.ts")                  → only now read the actual code

No agent holds the full project in its context window. Agents query a shared SQLite brain and write results back.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               Claude Code / MCP Client              │
│  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐          │
│  │ /kickoff │  │ /sprint  │  │ /ticket  │  ...     │
│  └────┬─────┘  └────┬─────┘  └────┬─────┘          │
│       └──────────────┼─────────────┘                │
│                      ▼                              │
│     93 MCP Tools (99 with all toolsets)             │
│      (reads · writes · ceremony cards)              │
│                      │                              │
│                      ▼                              │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐            │
│  │       context.db (SQLite)           │            │
│  │  30 tables · WAL mode · <5ms reads  │            │
│  └──────────────────┬──────────────────┘            │
│                     │ WAL watcher                   │
│                     ▼                               │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐            │
│  │    React Dashboard (Vite)           │            │
│  │  62 components · SSE live updates   │            │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────┘            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The full picture with the repo and the re-index loop: docs/REFERENCE.md.

// 04 USAGE

Long reference (skill sets, agent roles, sprint gates, release highlights): docs/REFERENCE.md.

Benchmark

• Simulated, not live sessions: 10 scripted development tasks (retrieval, debugging, refactoring, implementation), replayed against an 11-file fixture project.
• Token counts are estimated from what each approach reads. No model calls.
• Tokens (estimated): MCP 4,806, vanilla 8,726. Saved: 44.9 %.
• Tool calls: MCP 49, vanilla 68. Saved: 27.9 %.
• Stochastic run: 200 randomized trials, Wilcoxon signed-rank test. MCP wins 90.5 % (p < 0.001). It is not a fluke.
• MCP tools return structured summaries (exports, deps, file role), not raw file content.
• Re-validated for v2.0.0. Since 2.0, sprint ceremonies cost −39 % output tokens with compact-by-default tools, measured on a replayed kickoff.
• Method and limits: BENCHMARK-GUIDE.md.

# Deterministic — 10 tasks, 6 categories
npm test -- test/benchmark.test.ts

# Stochastic — 200 randomized trials, Wilcoxon test, bootstrap CI
npm test -- test/benchmark-stochastic.test.ts

Full methodology in BENCHMARK-GUIDE.md.

Dashboard

7 pages. Live SSE updates. Zero polling.

• Dashboard: kanban board, phase gate stepper, burndown, velocity, sprint checklist.
• Planning: milestone tracker, epic progress, discovery pipeline.
• Code: file tree, dependency graph, export/import map, change history.
• Team: agent cards, model badges, mood trends, workload bars.
• Retro: bento grid insights, cross-sprint patterns, recurring themes.
• Benchmark: MCP vs vanilla comparison with animated metrics.
• Velocity: sprint-by-sprint trends, committed vs completed.

Every database mutation triggers an instant refresh through SQLite WAL monitoring. Since 2.0 the board is live-editable: title, description, points, status and multi-agent assignments (with per-assignment models). Every edit raises a change flag. The Claude session sees it and acknowledges it at its next context load. The UI can never set DONE or qa_verified. Completion stays earned.

Slash commands

Type these in Claude Code.

• /kickoff: full guided lifecycle, vision to retro. Start here.
• /sprint: sprint-only loop. Plan → implement → QA → retro → archive.
• /ticket: move tickets through their lifecycle with full context.
• /milestone: create, update, close milestones with epic verification.
• /retro: data-backed retrospectives with burndown and velocity analysis.
• /sprint-connect: bridge the dashboard UI to your Claude session.

/kickoff loads the frontend skill playbook into the session when a sprint has fe-engineer work. Pull the full guidance of any skill with get_skill.

Skill sets (server-provided)

• Three libraries: Frontend (22 skills plus an editable house-style primer), Landing pages and Workflow.
• The MCP server serves them into your live session. They are not copied into your repo.
• Source: claude_development_skills, vendored under vendor/skills/.
• Storage: the project DB skills table (fe:*, la:*, wf:*). Edit them. Re-seeds never overwrite your edits.
• Opt-in: /kickoff asks once. update_skill_sets({ landing: true, ... }) changes it any time.
• Update: CODE_CONTEXT_SKILLS_AUTOSYNC=1 syncs from the latest upstream release at boot. npm run sync:skills re-vendors the offline fallback.
• Details: docs/REFERENCE.md.

The agent team

• 9 configurable agents: Product Owner, Team Lead, Architect, Backend Developer, Frontend Developer, Developer, QA Engineer, Security Engineer, DevOps.
• Dev roles default to claude-fable-5, QA to claude-opus-5, the rest to claude-sonnet-5.
• Change a model, tools or system prompt with the update_agent MCP tool or in the dashboard.
• The model routes execution: during /kickoff and /sprint, a subagent at the assigned model tier (fable/opus/sonnet/haiku) implements each ticket.
• Since 2.0, a ticket can have several agents. The lead implements, supporters verify, QA needs every verdict.
• Roles and focus: docs/REFERENCE.md.

Sprint process

planning → implementation → done → rest

• Planning (1 day): tickets assigned, velocity committed.
• Implementation (3 days): all tickets DONE or NOT_DONE, blockers resolved.
• Done (0.5 day): retro findings recorded, QA verified.
• Rest (0.5 day): automatic after retro.
• Change phases, durations and gates with update_sprint_config.
• Since 2.0, start_sprint and advance_sprint refuse while untriaged retro try_next findings or escalated discoveries exist. Override with acknowledge_open_items: true.
• Since 2.2, qa_verified needs commits with Why:/What:/How: body groups.

Tech stack and engine numbers

• Runtime: Node.js 24 LTS. Build: TypeScript strict mode.
• Database: SQLite via better-sqlite3, WAL mode. 33 tables (27 scrum + 6 code).
• MCP protocol: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk. 93 MCP tools by default, 99 with CODE_CONTEXT_TOOLSETS=all.
• Dashboard: React 19 + Vite + Zustand + Framer Motion. CSS variables + Tailwind, dark theme. 75 React components.
• Live updates: SSE via WAL file watcher.
• Testing: Vitest. 762 tests (677 backend + 85 frontend).
• 9 agent roles (configurable). 4 sprint phases with gate checks + planning gate. 6 slash commands.
• 4 CLI bins: code-context-mcp, code-context-dashboard, code-context-statusline, code-context-reindex.

Manual MCP server setup

If the automatic .mcp.json setup doesn't work:

# Add to current project
claude mcp add code-context npx -y vlm-code-context-mcp ./context.db

# Add globally
claude mcp add --scope user code-context node /path/to/node_modules/vlm-code-context-mcp/dist/server/index.js ./context.db

# Remove
claude mcp remove code-context

Development

# MCP server
npm run dev

# Dashboard (Vite dev server with HMR)
npm run dashboard:dev

// 05 STATUS

• Stable. 2.8.0 on npm. The npm badge shows the live version.
• Tests: npm test (backend) · npm run test:all (backend + frontend).
• Changes: CHANGELOG.md. Release highlights 2.0 to 2.8: docs/REFERENCE.md.
• License: MIT.

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