description: > graphmind gives Claude Code persistent memory and structural code intelligence across all registered projects. Auto-triggers in any registered project directory. MANDATORY: query graphmind before using grep, find, or reading source files. allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Write

graphmind — Persistent Code Intelligence

MANDATORY: Search through graphmind FIRST

Before using Grep, find, rg, ag, or reading files to understand code: You MUST query graphmind first. Only fall back to grep/find if graphmind cannot answer (e.g., string literals, config values, non-code patterns).

Is this project registered?

Check: graphmind status Register if not: graphmind register .

The 3-Layer Rule — always follow this order

Layer 1 — Structural graph (what the code IS)

Query before touching any code:

• Find a symbol: graphmind fn <symbol> or MCP gm_fn
• File dependencies: graphmind deps <file> or MCP gm_deps
• Blast radius before editing: graphmind fn-impact <symbol> --no-tests
• Impact of current git changes: graphmind diff-impact
• Entry points: graphmind map
• File structure: graphmind outline <file> or MCP gm_outline
• Transitive callers: MCP gm_who_calls_chain

Layer 2 — Persistent memory (what was DECIDED, PREFERRED, KNOWN)

Query for context, decisions, conventions:

• graphmind memory search "<query>" or MCP gm_memory_search

AUTO-RECALL: The hook automatically searches memory on each prompt. Use gm_memory_search for deeper/targeted recall.

AUTO-SAVE: When the conversation reveals any of the following, immediately save via gm_memory_add:

• Decisions (type: decision) — architecture choices, tech choices, trade-off resolutions
• Patterns (type: pattern) — recurring approaches, solutions, code patterns
• Conventions (type: convention) — naming, style, workflow rules
• Bugs (type: bug) — known issues, workarounds, gotchas
• Context (type: context) — business context, project goals, stakeholder info, user preferences

Save rules:

• Do NOT ask "should I save this?" — just save it
• Use project=<slug> for project-specific facts
• Use global=true for user preferences, team conventions, cross-project knowledge
• Keep entries atomic: one fact per entry, clear and reusable
• Do NOT save ephemeral task progress or things derivable from code/git

Layer 3 — Raw files (only when layers 1-2 are insufficient)

Read source files only when editing or when the graph doesn't have the answer.

Cross-project queries

When a symbol or pattern might exist in another project: graphmind cross query <symbol> or MCP gm_cross_query

Session workflow

Start of session: run graphmind session start → loads graph summary + recent memory End of session: run graphmind session save → saves decisions and progress to memory

When to rebuild the graph

• After adding/removing modules or major refactors
• After git merge with structural changes
• NOT every session — the graph persists between sessions
• Command: graphmind build (fast, SHA256-cached)

NEVER

• Never use grep/find/rg to search for symbols — use graphmind
• Never re-read the entire codebase if graphmind can answer it
• Never manually edit files in ~/.graphmind/
• Never rebuild the graph every session
• Never skip the 3-layer rule

graphmind

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.

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.

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.<path>.mcpServers (local scope)
   • VS Code: <project>/.vscode/mcp.json
3. Git hooks (auto-rebuild on commit, impact check on push)
4. 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)

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 <project>/.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 "<query>"          # hybrid search (FTS + semantic + graph)
graphmind search "<q1>; <q2>"       # multi-query with RRF ranking
graphmind search "<query>" --kind function

How search works

1. FTS5 — exact text matching on symbol names, signatures, docs
2. Semantic embeddings — cosine similarity finds conceptually related symbols