# Tenets - Intelligent Code Context for AI Assistants
> MCP server, CLI & Python library for intelligent code context. Native integration with Cursor, Claude, Windsurf and AI agents.
## What is Tenets?
Tenets is an open-source tool that helps AI coding assistants understand codebases better by automatically finding, ranking, and aggregating relevant code context.
## Installation
```bash
pip install tenets # Core CLI and Python library
pip install tenets[mcp] # With MCP server support
pip install tenets[all] # Everything included
```
## MCP Server
Start the MCP server:
```bash
tenets-mcp
```
### Available Tools
- `distill`: Build optimized code context for a task
- `rank_files`: Preview file relevance without content
- `examine`: Analyze codebase structure and complexity
- `chronicle`: Analyze git history patterns
- `momentum`: Track development velocity
- `session_create`: Create stateful sessions
- `session_list`: List all sessions
- `session_pin_file`: Pin file to session
- `session_pin_folder`: Pin folder to session
- `tenet_add`: Add guiding principle
- `tenet_list`: List tenets
- `tenet_instill`: Activate tenets
- `set_system_instruction`: Set system instruction
### Available Resources
- `tenets://sessions/list`: JSON list of sessions
- `tenets://sessions/{name}/state`: Session details
- `tenets://tenets/list`: Active tenets
- `tenets://config/current`: Current configuration
## CLI Commands
```bash
tenets distill "task description" # Build context for task
tenets examine # Analyze codebase
tenets chronicle # Git history analysis
tenets momentum # Development velocity
tenets session create <name> # Create session
tenets session pin <path> # Pin to session
tenets tenet add "principle" # Add guiding principle
```
## Key Features
1. **Multi-factor ranking**: BM25, TF-IDF, git signals, import centrality
2. **Token optimization**: Fits context into LLM token budgets
3. **Session management**: Maintain state across prompts
4. **Guiding principles**: Inject rules to prevent AI drift
5. **Local-first**: All processing runs locally, no data egress
## Links
- Website: https://tenets.dev
- GitHub: https://github.com/jddunn/tenets
- PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/tenets/
- Documentation: https://tenets.dev/MCP/
## Contact
- Email: team@manic.agency
- Agency: https://manic.agency
## License
MIT License - 100% open source, free forever.
