Mimir
Your Self-Evolving Engineering Playbook
Mimir helps you work more effectively by providing structured playbooks that your AI assistant can access directly in your IDE. Get guidance, generate work plans, track progress, and continuously improve your development process.
For architecture and design details, see docs/architecture/SAO.md
Core Entities
Mimir organizes your playbooks using 7 core entities:
Playbook - Top-level methodology container (e.g., "FDD", "Scrum")
Workflow - Sequence of activities for a process (e.g., "Build Feature")
Phase (optional) - Grouping for activities within workflows (e.g., "Inception", "Construction")
Activity - Unit of work with guidance (e.g., "Create screen mockup")
Artifact - Inputs/outputs of activities (e.g., "Component Specification", "Unit Tests")
Role - Who performs activities (e.g., "Frontend Engineer", "UX Designer")
Howto - Specific implementation instructions (e.g., "Creating mockups with Figma")
What Can Mimir Do?
Answer Playbook Questions via MCP
Your AI assistant can query Mimir directly from your IDE (powered by FastMCP):
Generate Work Plans
Automatically create task breakdowns in GitHub or Jira:
Assess Project Progress
Check if you've completed all required artifacts for a phase:
Evolve Through Experience
When AI encounters issues during work, it can propose playbook improvements:
Access Playbook Library
Download playbooks from HOMEBASE based on your access level:
Family-based: Software Engineering, UX Design, Testing, etc.
Version tiers: LITE (Basic), FULL (Standard), EXTENDED (Premium)
Quick Start with Docker
Just want to run Mimir? Pull the container:
Configure MCP in your IDE:
For Windsurf (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json):
For Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
For Cursor (.cursorrules or workspace settings):
Important: Replace yourusername with the username you set in MIMIR_USER when starting the container.
That's it! Your data persists in ~/mimir-data across container updates.
Multi-platform support: Works on Intel (amd64) and Apple Silicon (arm64) Macs
Auto-updates: Pull latest image and restart container to update
Data safety: Database stored in mounted volume survives container restarts
See docs/DOCKER_QUICK_START.md for more details.
Installation (For Development)
Prerequisites
Python 3.11 or higher
IDE with MCP support (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)
Access credentials for HOMEBASE (optional, for syncing)
Setup Steps
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/petelind/mimir.git cd mimirCreate virtual environment
python -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activateInstall dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txtInitialize database
python manage.py migrateNote: The default database (
mimir.db) includes the FeatureFactory playbook, which was used to build Mimir itself. This playbook provides a complete feature development workflow with 8 activities covering planning, implementation, testing, and finalization.Create admin user (or use default)
The database comes with a default admin account:
Username:
adminPassword:
admin
For production or shared environments, create your own user:
python manage.py createsuperuserYou'll be prompted for:
Username (required)
Email (optional, for password reset)
Password (minimum 8 characters)
Run tests
Run unit and integration tests:
pytest tests/Note: BDD feature files in
docs/features/act-*/serve as comprehensive UI specifications (46 files covering Acts 0-15). Step definitions will be implemented during development.
Quick Reference
Running the Application
MCP Configuration Files
Windsurf:
~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonClaude Desktop:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonCursor: Workspace
.cursorrulesor settings
See configuration details in section 2 below.
How to Use
Mimir runs as two processes that work together:
1. Start the Web Interface
Open http://localhost:8000 in your browser and log in with your credentials.
Once logged in, you can:
Browse playbooks: View activities, workflows, phases, artifacts, roles, and howtos
Review PIPs: Approve or reject Playbook Improvement Proposals
Compare versions: See what changed between playbook versions
Edit locally: Customize playbooks for your team
2. Configure MCP in Your IDE
Add Mimir to your MCP client configuration.
For Windsurf (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json):
For Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
For Cursor (.cursorrules or workspace settings):
Important Notes:
Replace
/absolute/path/to/mimirwith your actual project pathReplace
adminwith your username (created in step 5 above)Use the full path to your virtual environment's Python binary
The
MIMIR_MCP_MODEenvironment variable disables console logging for Windsurf
Restart your IDE after configuration.
3. Use MCP Tools in Your IDE
Once configured, your AI assistant has access to 16 Mimir MCP tools for managing playbooks, workflows, and activities:
Playbook Management (5 tools)
create_playbook- Create new draft playbookslist_playbooks- List playbooks (filter by status: draft/released/all)get_playbook- Get detailed playbook info with nested workflowsupdate_playbook- Update playbook details (auto-increments version)delete_playbook- Delete draft playbooks
Workflow Management (5 tools)
create_workflow- Add workflows to playbookslist_workflows- List workflows for a playbookget_workflow- Get workflow details with activitiesupdate_workflow- Update workflow detailsdelete_workflow- Delete workflows from playbooks
Activity Management (6 tools)
create_activity- Add activities to workflowslist_activities- List activities in a workflowget_activity- Get activity details with dependenciesupdate_activity- Update activity guidance, name, phasedelete_activity- Remove activitiesset_predecessor- Define activity dependencies (validates no circular deps)
Example Usage:
All tools support async operations and validate user permissions automatically.
Typical Workflow
Daily Development
Configure your IDE (one-time setup)
Add Mimir to your IDE's MCP configuration (see section 2 above):
Windsurf:
~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonClaude Desktop:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonCursor: Workspace settings or
.cursorrules
Restart your IDE after configuration.
Start working with Mimir
Once configured, interact with Mimir through your IDE's AI assistant:
"Mimir, list available playbooks" "Mimir, show me the Build Page workflow" "Mimir, plan FOB-LOGIN-1 per BPE1 Plan Feature" "Mimir, implement backend per BPE2"Optional: Web UI for management
Start the web interface to manage playbooks visually:
python manage.py runserver 8000Open http://localhost:8000 to:
Browse and edit playbooks
View workflows and activities
Manage methodology content
Note: While a Playbook is in draft status, you can work with it directly: update, extend, and even delete - via both MCP and GUI. Once it's released, it can be revised only via PIPs (Playbook Improvement Proposals).
Troubleshooting
MCP Server Not Responding
Test the MCP server manually:
python manage.py mcp_server --user=adminThe server should start and wait for JSON-RPC input. Press Ctrl+C to exit.
To test a simple tool call, send:
echo '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"tools/list","id":1}' | python manage.py mcp_server --user=adminYou should see a list of 16 available tools.
Verify configuration:
Ensure paths in MCP config are absolute, not relative
Check that
--user=adminmatches an existing user in your databaseVerify virtual environment path points to correct Python binary
Check IDE logs:
Windsurf: View logs in MCP settings panel
Claude Desktop: Check
~/Library/Logs/Claude/Cursor: Check IDE console for MCP connection errors
Common issues:
"Command not found": Path to Python or manage.py is incorrect
"User not found": Username doesn't exist, create it with
python manage.py createsuperuser"Database is locked": Ensure web server isn't running simultaneously
Timeout errors: Check
app.logfor stderr contamination issues
Database Locked
If you see "database is locked" errors:
Project Structure
Note: Internal code uses
methodologyas the technical term for accuracy (e.g., Django app name, models, commands), while user-facing terminology uses "playbooks" for accessibility. This is intentional - see SAO.md for details.
Contributing
We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
IDE-Specific Rules
Mimir maintains project rules in two formats to support different AI-powered IDEs:
.windsurf/rules/*.md- For Windsurf IDE.cursor/rules/*.mdc- For Cursor IDE
Both rule sets contain identical content with different formatting. If you use Cursor and modify rules, ask your IDE to maintain sync between both formats to keep them consistent.
License
https://github.com/phainestai/mimir#Apache-2.0-1-ov-file
Learning Resources
New to Django?
Quick Read (20 min): Django at a Glance
Official Django overview
Covers models, views, templates, URL routing
Perfect primer before diving into Mimir's codebase
Video Tutorial (30 min): Django For Everybody - Introduction
Dr. Chuck's accessible introduction
Covers request/response cycle and MTV pattern
From the popular "Django for Everybody" course
Bonus Quick Reference: Django Cheat Sheet
One-page reference for common patterns
Models, views, templates, forms at a glance
New to HTMX?
Quick Read (15 min): HTMX Documentation - Introduction
Official docs covering core concepts
AJAX requests with HTML attributes
Swap strategies and event handling
Video Tutorial (25 min): HTMX Crash Course
Practical examples of HTMX in action
Progressive enhancement without JavaScript
Perfect complement to Mimir's server-side approach
Interactive Examples (10 min): HTMX Examples
Click Delete Row, Edit Row, Infinite Scroll examples
Shows patterns Mimir uses for CRUD operations
Live demos you can inspect
How Mimir Uses These Technologies
Django: Custom views (no Django Forms), repository pattern, pytest testing
HTMX: Partial page updates, form submissions, dynamic content loading
Together: Server-rendered UI with smooth interactivity, testable without browser automation
See docs/architecture/SAO.md for Mimir's specific implementation patterns.
Learn More
Architecture: docs/architecture/SAO.md - Complete system design
User Journey: docs/features/user_journey.md - Complete Acts 0-15 narrative with all screens
Feature Files: docs/features/ - 46 BDD specifications covering full CRUDLF for all entities
Screen Flow: docs/ux/2_dialogue-maps/screen-flow.drawio - Visual MVP flow diagram
UI Guidelines: docs/ux/IA_guidelines.md - Bootstrap design system, forms, validation, toasts
GitHub Issues: MVP Milestone - Track development progress
MCP Protocol: Model Context Protocol Specification
Support
Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions
Project Board: MVP Milestone