Which integrations are available for this server?

Allows for the storage and retrieval of Docker configuration patterns and system settings within a persistent vector-searchable knowledge base. Enables the management and searching of Home Assistant smart home configurations and automation scripts for AI-powered reference. Supports automatic EXIF metadata extraction from JPEG images, including camera settings, exposure, and GPS location data for advanced searchable photo archives. Supports the ingestion and retrieval of Kubernetes system and application configurations to provide context for AI-driven infrastructure management. Facilitates the batch ingestion and parsing of TOML configuration files into searchable vector storage. Allows for the structured ingestion and search of XML data files within vector collections. Enables AI assistants to parse and store YAML configuration data for persistent memory and context retrieval.

How do I use ChromaDB Local MCP Server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@ChromaDB Local MCP Server Search my saved snippets for Python async examples" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

ChromaDB MCP Server 🧠

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives AI assistants persistent memory through ChromaDB vector storage. Now with EXIF extraction, Watch Folders, and Duplicate Detection - the ultimate tool for creators!

MCP ChromaDB Bun Version

✨ Features

Core

Persistent AI Memory: Your AI assistant remembers past conversations and solutions
Vector Search: Find similar code patterns, configurations, and documentation instantly
Local First: Run everything on your own hardware, no cloud dependencies

🚀 Batch Processing

Fast Batch Ingest: Process entire directories in seconds (500+ files)
77 File Types: Photos, CAD, documents, data files, code
Quick Load/Unload: Temporary collections for rapid workflows
Export/Import: Backup and transfer collections as JSON

📸 Photo Features (NEW in v3.0)

EXIF Extraction: Camera, lens, exposure, GPS location, date taken
Search by Camera: "Find photos shot with my Canon 5D"
Search by Location: GPS coordinates embedded and searchable
Search by Date: "Find photos from vacation 2024"

👁️ Watch Folders (NEW in v3.0)

Auto-Ingest: Drop files in watched folders, auto-add to ChromaDB
Hands-Free: Perfect for incoming photo dumps, downloads
Filter by Type: Watch only for specific file types

🔍 Duplicate Detection (NEW in v3.0)

Find Duplicates: Hash-based detection across directories
Reclaim Space: See exactly how much space duplicates waste
Compare Files: Check if two files are identical
Perceptual Hashing: Find similar (not just identical) images

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Bun (JavaScript runtime)
Docker (for ChromaDB)
Claude Desktop (or any MCP client)

Installation

Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com//vespo92/chromadblocal-mcp-server.git cd chromadb-mcp-server
Install dependencies
bun install
Start ChromaDB
docker run -d \ --name chromadb-local \ -p 8001:8000 \ -v ~/chromadb-data:/chroma/chroma \ -e IS_PERSISTENT=TRUE \ chromadb/chroma:latest
Initialize collections
bun run setup
Configure Claude Desktop
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{ "mcpServers": { "chromadb-context": { "command": "bun", "args": ["run", "/path/to/chromadb-mcp-server/index.js"], "env": { "CHROMADB_URL": "http://localhost:8001" } } } }
Restart Claude Desktop and start building your knowledge base!

💬 Usage Examples

Once configured, interact naturally with your AI:

Store Knowledge

"Store this Docker configuration in ChromaDB for future reference"
"Save this React component pattern with tags: hooks, authentication"
"Remember this solution for GPU passthrough issues"

Retrieve Information

"Search ChromaDB for Python async examples"
"Find similar component patterns to this one"
"What solutions do we have for Docker networking issues?"

Build Context

"Add this API documentation to the project_docs collection"
"Store these test patterns for our testing suite"

🚀 Batch File Processing

The killer feature! Process massive amounts of files instantly for AI-powered search and retrieval.

Quick Load Workflow (Fastest)

Perfect for "load, process, discard" workflows:

You: "Quick load my photos from /home/photos/vacation2024" AI: Creates temp collection, ingests 500 photos in seconds You: "Find photos with mountains or beaches" AI: Returns matching photos with metadata You: "Unload the collection" AI: Cleans up, frees memory

Supported File Types

Category	Extensions	Metadata Extracted
Images	.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .heic, .raw, .cr2, .nef, .arw, .tiff, .gif, .webp	Dimensions, size, format
CAD	.stl, .obj, .dxf, .dwg, .step, .iges, .fbx, .blend, .skp, .scad	Vertices, faces, format
Documents	.pdf, .txt, .md, .doc, .docx, .rtf	Full text content
Data	.json, .yaml, .xml, .csv, .toml, .ini	Parsed content
Code	.js, .ts, .py, .go, .rs, .java, .cpp, .c, .php, .rb + 20 more	Full source code

Batch Processing Examples

"Scan /projects/cad-files to see what's there" "Batch ingest all STL files from /3d-prints into the 'print_library' collection" "Quick load my Downloads folder, find anything mentioning 'invoice'" "Export the photo_archive collection to backup.json" "Import backup.json into a new collection called 'restored_photos'"

Processing Speed

Quick Load: ~200 files in 2-3 seconds
Batch Ingest: ~500 files in 5-10 seconds (with full metadata)
Concurrent Processing: 10-20 parallel file operations
No external dependencies: Pure JavaScript/Bun processing

📚 Available Collections

Collection	Description	Use Case
`home_automation`	Smart home configs & automations	Home Assistant, IoT scripts
`code_snippets`	Reusable code patterns	Functions, hooks, utilities
`configurations`	System & app configs	Docker, Kubernetes, services
`troubleshooting`	Problem solutions	Fixes, workarounds, debugging
`project_docs`	Project documentation	APIs, architecture, guides
`learning_notes`	Learning insights	Tutorials, concepts, notes

🛠️ MCP Tools

`search_context`

Search for relevant information across collections

Parameters: - query: Search query - collection: (optional) Specific collection to search - limit: (optional) Number of results

`store_context`

Store new information with metadata

Parameters: - content: The content to store - metadata: Tags, categories, descriptions - collection: Target collection

`list_collections`

List all available collections and their metadata

`find_similar_patterns`

Find code patterns similar to provided example

Batch Processing Tools

`scan_directory`

Preview files in a directory before ingesting

Parameters: - path: Directory to scan - categories: Filter by type (images, cad, documents, data, code) - extensions: Filter by extension (.jpg, .stl, etc.) - recursive: Include subdirectories (default: true)

`batch_ingest`

Bulk ingest files into ChromaDB with full metadata

Parameters: - path: Source directory - collection: Target collection name - categories: File types to include - max_files: Limit number of files

`quick_load`

🚀 FAST: Rapidly load files for temporary processing

Parameters: - path: Directory to load - name: Collection name (auto-generated if omitted) - categories: File types to include

`unload_collection`

Delete a collection (cleanup after quick_load)

Parameters: - collection: Name of collection to delete

`export_collection`

Export collection to JSON file

Parameters: - collection: Collection to export - output_path: File path for JSON output

`import_collection`

Import collection from JSON file

Parameters: - input_path: JSON file to import - collection: Override collection name - overwrite: Delete existing first (default: false)

`get_collection_info`

Get detailed stats about a collection

Parameters: - collection: Collection name

`ingest_file`

Ingest a single file with metadata extraction

Parameters: - path: File to ingest - collection: Target collection

`list_file_types`

Show all supported file extensions

EXIF & Photo Tools

`extract_exif`

Extract detailed EXIF metadata from photos

Parameters: - path: Path to JPEG or TIFF image Returns: Camera, lens, exposure, GPS, date taken

Watch Folder Tools

`watch_folder`

Start auto-ingesting new files from a folder

Parameters: - path: Folder to watch - collection: Target collection (default: auto_ingest) - categories: File types to watch - include_exif: Extract EXIF from photos (default: true)

`stop_watch`

Stop watching a folder

Parameters: - path: Folder to stop watching

`list_watchers`

List all active folder watchers

Duplicate Detection Tools

`find_duplicates`

Scan directory for duplicate files

Parameters: - path: Directory to scan - hash_method: "partial" (fast), "full" (thorough), "perceptual" (images) - categories: File types to check Returns: Duplicate groups with wasted space info

`compare_files`

Check if two files are duplicates

Parameters: - file1: First file path - file2: Second file path

`find_collection_duplicates`

Find duplicate entries in a ChromaDB collection

Parameters: - collection: Collection name

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

CHROMADB_URL=http://localhost:8001 # ChromaDB server URL

Custom Collections

Add new collections in setup-home-collections.js:

await createCollection('ml_experiments', { description: 'Machine learning experiments and results' });

📦 Project Structure

chromadb-mcp-server/ ├── index.js # MCP server with 22 tools ├── batch-processor.js # Fast batch file processing engine ├── exif-extractor.js # EXIF metadata extraction for photos ├── watch-folder.js # Auto-ingest watch folder system ├── duplicate-detector.js # Duplicate file detection ├── setup-home-collections.js # Collection initialization ├── test-chromadb.js # Connection test script ├── test-mcp.js # MCP functionality test ├── test-batch-processor.js # Batch processing tests ├── HOME-AI-SETUP.md # Detailed setup guide ├── package.json # Project dependencies └── README.md # This file

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for more details.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Anthropic for the MCP specification
Chroma for the excellent vector database
The open-source community for inspiration and support

🚀 What's Next?

✅ ~~Export/import collections~~ DONE!
✅ ~~Batch file processing~~ DONE!
✅ ~~EXIF metadata extraction~~ DONE in v3.0!
✅ ~~Watch folders / auto-ingest~~ DONE in v3.0!
✅ ~~Duplicate detection~~ DONE in v3.0!
Cloud sync capabilities
Multi-user support
Web UI for collection management
AI-powered image descriptions (what's in the photo)
3D print analysis (volume, time estimates)

Built with ❤️ for the Home AI Community

ChromaDB MCP Server 🧠

✨ Features

Core

🚀 Batch Processing

📸 Photo Features (NEW in v3.0)

👁️ Watch Folders (NEW in v3.0)

🔍 Duplicate Detection (NEW in v3.0)

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Installation

💬 Usage Examples

Store Knowledge

Retrieve Information

Build Context

🚀 Batch File Processing

Quick Load Workflow (Fastest)

Supported File Types

Batch Processing Examples

Processing Speed

📚 Available Collections

🛠️ MCP Tools

search_context

store_context

list_collections

find_similar_patterns

Batch Processing Tools

scan_directory

batch_ingest

quick_load

unload_collection

export_collection

import_collection

get_collection_info

ingest_file

list_file_types