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Magnifico4625

Locus

by Magnifico4625
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Locus

Local persistent memory for AI coding tools. Built on MCP. Optimized for Codex CLI.

Locus hero image

npm version Node.js License: MIT MCP Compare

Quick links: Install · Why Locus · Competitive Snapshot · Full comparison

What Locus Does

AI coding agents forget project context between sessions. Locus gives them a local memory database they can query through MCP:

  • project structure: files, exports, imports

  • saved decisions: architecture choices, preferences, constraints

  • Codex conversation recall: recent work, errors, rejected alternatives, next steps

  • diagnostics: what is stored, what was imported, what capture mode is active

Locus is local-first. It stores data on your machine, uses SQLite, and does not require a cloud account, hosted database, embeddings provider, or LLM call to write memory.

Related MCP server: engram

Install For Codex

npx -y locus-memory@latest install codex --yes

Restart Codex, then verify:

npx -y locus-memory@latest doctor codex

Remove the Codex MCP entry while keeping local memory data:

npx -y locus-memory@latest uninstall codex --yes

The installer adds the Locus MCP server, installs the Codex skill, sets practical redacted capture defaults, and pins the recurring MCP runtime to the installed package version.

New In v3.7

New in v3.7 / Track D: Codex memory reliability. memory_recall, memory_search, and memory_timeline are scoped to the current project, date-aware recall reports searched buckets, memory_calendar gives day/week/month activity discovery, and memory_project_state summarizes current package/git/memory state before the agent relies on old context.

Track C richer recall is still carried forward: memory_recall can summarize imported redacted Codex sessions, durable decisions, explicit memory_remember entries, rejected alternatives, validation facts, user style, and dated questions such as "what did we do yesterday?". If several matches are plausible, Locus returns candidateGroups so the agent can ask a focused clarification instead of guessing.

Codex CLI is the primary validated path. Codex Desktop uses the same MCP model where exposed by the upstream surface, and the Track D marker acceptance validates the desktop MCP path when LOCUS_CODEX_SURFACE=desktop is set. Extension parity still depends on target-surface testing.

Why Choose Locus

Need

Locus approach

One-command Codex setup

npx -y locus-memory@latest install codex --yes

Local-only storage

SQLite under $CODEX_HOME/memory/, ~/.claude/memory/, or ~/.locus/memory/

Low token cost

Writes happen locally; tokens are spent only when the agent recalls memory

Privacy control

metadata, redacted, and full capture modes; full is explicit warning territory

Project-aware memory

Structural scan plus durable decisions and conversation events

Inspectability

memory_status, memory_project_state, memory_doctor, memory_audit, memory_review

Cross-client base

Any MCP client can use the server; Codex and Claude Code have the strongest adapters today

Competitive Snapshot

Locus is not trying to be a full agent runtime or cloud memory platform. It is a small local memory layer for coding agents, with Codex as the first-class product path.

Project

Main strength

Trade-off vs Locus

agentmemory

Very broad coding-agent memory stack with many tools, hooks, viewer, and benchmark claims

Larger system surface; Locus is smaller, simpler, Codex-first, and ships as one npm MCP runtime

AIDE Memory

Path-scoped local memory and very small context nudge

Locus focuses more on MCP tools, Codex JSONL import, diagnostics, and explicit recall UX

Mem0

Popular general-purpose memory layer for AI agents with SDKs, hosted/self-hosted options, and benchmarks

Usually an application integration layer; Locus is ready-to-use for coding tools through MCP

Letta

Full stateful agent platform with advanced memory

More framework/runtime commitment; Locus plugs into existing tools instead of replacing them

Zep / Graphiti

Temporal knowledge graphs and production context infrastructure

Strong for app/enterprise memory; Locus is lighter and local by default for individual coding workflows

Full comparison: docs/comparison.md

Capture Modes

Mode

Use it when

What to expect

metadata

You want safest diagnostics-first behavior

Minimal content recall

redacted

You want practical Codex memory

Bounded snippets and keyword extraction with best-effort secret redaction

full

You explicitly want maximum recall

More content stored locally after redaction; not risk-free

Recommended Codex settings:

LOCUS_CODEX_CAPTURE=redacted
LOCUS_CAPTURE_LEVEL=redacted

For product claims: full is maximum recall and must be treated as explicit opt-in, not a safe default.

MCP Tools

Locus exposes 17 MCP tools:

Tool

Purpose

memory_recall

Summary-first recall for questions about past work

memory_calendar

Discover day/week/month activity buckets for a project and time range

memory_project_state

Summarize project identity, package/git state, memory freshness, and active next steps

memory_search

Full-text search across structure, decisions, and conversation events

memory_remember

Save important decisions or preferences

memory_review

Inspect durable memories, states, evidence, and topic keys

memory_import_codex

Manually import Codex rollout JSONL sessions

memory_timeline

Chronological event feed

memory_scan

Index project structure

memory_explore

Browse indexed project structure

memory_status

Runtime state and Codex diagnostics

memory_doctor

Actionable health checks

memory_audit

Storage and privacy audit

memory_config

Show effective configuration

memory_compact

Prune old episodic entries

memory_forget / memory_purge

Delete selected or all memory with safety confirmation

For broad period questions, use memory_calendar first. It defaults to last_30d, so agents should pass this_month, last_month, or an explicit range for user period questions. Date-scoped memory_recall reports searched date buckets, and current-project recall must not mix other project memories unless the user asks for global recall.

Other Clients

Locus is an MCP server, so it can run in Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Zed, Claude Desktop, and similar clients.

Current maturity:

Surface

Status

Codex CLI

Primary validated path

Claude Code

Supported through hooks and shared runtime

Codex desktop / extension

Desktop MCP marker path validated with LOCUS_CODEX_SURFACE=desktop; extension still requires target-surface validation

Cursor / Windsurf / Cline / Zed

MCP tools work; passive conversation adapters are future work

Manual MCP fallback:

codex mcp add locus -- node /path/to/locus/dist/server.js

Docs

Development

git clone https://github.com/Magnifico4625/locus.git
cd locus
npm install

npm run check
npm run build

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

This server cannot be installed

A
license - permissive license
-
quality - not tested
A
maintenance

How are these scores calculated?

Maintenance

–Maintainers
24dResponse time
1wRelease cycle
15Releases (12mo)
Commit activity

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