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agentcheckpoint

by erniomaldo

AgentCheckpoint

Atomic key-value state store for AI agent coordination.

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🌐 πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Έ EspaΓ±ol Β· πŸ‡«πŸ‡· FranΓ§ais Β· πŸ‡§πŸ‡· PortuguΓͺs


πŸ“¦ Installation

pip install agentcheckpoint

Then add it to your MCP client of choice (jump to Client Configuration).


Related MCP server: iranti

🀨 The Problem

Semantic memory stores β€”vector DBs, agentmemory, mem0, etc.β€” are designed for facts and learning, not state coordination. When multiple agents read and write shared state, here's what happens:

Problem

What happens

Consequence

memory.save() has no update

Each save creates a new entry

Dozens of stale versions pile up

memory.recall() uses similarity

Returns semantically close results, not the latest

Agents read outdated state

No concurrency control

Two agents read the same state, write without coordination

Changes overwrite each other, data loss

No version guard

One write can blindly overwrite another agent's work

Corrupted workflows, re-executed work

Bottom line: your agents work with stale state, re-run tasks already completed, and burn compute on duplicated effort.


βœ… The Solution

AgentCheckpoint is not a memory store β€” it's a shared state store with atomic guarantees. Think of it as a traffic light or shared memory for AI agents.

β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”    MCP stdio    β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”    SQLite WAL    β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
β”‚  Agent A              β”‚ ───────────────→│                    β”‚ ──────────────→│              β”‚
β”‚  Agent B              β”‚ ───────────────→│  AgentCheckpoint   β”‚ ──────────────→│  state.db    β”‚
β”‚  Cron Worker C        β”‚ ───────────────→│  MCP Server        β”‚ ──────────────→│  (1 file)    β”‚
β”‚  Pipeline D           β”‚ ←──────────────│                    β”‚ ←──────────────│              β”‚
β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜                  β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜                β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜

How it compares

Feature

AgentCheckpoint

agentmemory / vector DB

Redis

JSON file

Purpose

State coordination

Facts, learning

Generic cache

Basic persistence

Write

Always replaces (UPSERT)

Always appends (INSERT)

Overwrites (no versioning)

Overwrites entire file

Read

SELECT WHERE key=? exact match

ORDER BY distance semantic

Direct key lookup

Parse & search

Concurrency

Optimistic Concurrency Control (OCC)

None

None native

None

Persistence

SQLite WAL (transactional, ACID)

Varies by backend

RAM / RDB / AOF

Filesystem-dependent

Infrastructure

Zero β€” single stdio process

Server, API, indices

Dedicated server

Zero

MCP Tooling

Native β€” auto-discovery of tools

No

No

No

Lines of code

~150

Thousands

~50K+

~5 (no guarantees)

Use both together: AgentCheckpoint for shared state, vector memory / agentmemory for facts, observations, and discoveries.


πŸ› οΈ Tools (MCP API)

Tool

Description

When to use

get_state(key)

Read the current value, version, and timestamp for a key

Before any modification

set_state(key, value, expected_version?)

Write with optional version guard (OCC)

When multiple agents write the same key

force_set_state(key, value)

Unconditional atomic write

When a single agent/worker owns the key

list_state(pattern?)

List keys matching a SQL LIKE pattern

Auditing, discovery, debugging

delete_state(key)

Remove a key permanently

Cleanup of completed state

Each tool is auto-discovered through the MCP protocol β€” no extra configuration needed.

Note for MCP clients: in some clients tools are prefixed as mcp_checkpoint_get_state, mcp_checkpoint_set_state, etc.


πŸš€ Quick Start

1. Install

pip install agentcheckpoint
# or with uv:
uv pip install agentcheckpoint

2. Add to your MCP client

Configuration varies by platform. After adding, restart your client or reload MCP servers.

🟣 Claude Desktop

Edit claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "checkpoint": {
      "command": "agentcheckpoint",
      "timeout": 10
    }
  }
}

πŸ”΅ Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "checkpoint": {
      "command": "agentcheckpoint",
      "timeout": 10
    }
  }
}

Or via CLI:

claude mcp add checkpoint -- python -m agentcheckpoint

🟒 Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "checkpoint": {
      "command": "agentcheckpoint",
      "timeout": 10
    }
  }
}

🟠 Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "checkpoint": {
      "command": "agentcheckpoint",
      "timeout": 10
    }
  }
}

βšͺ Continue.dev

Add to ~/.continue/config.json:

{
  "experimental": {
    "mcpServers": {
      "checkpoint": {
        "command": "agentcheckpoint",
        "timeout": 10
      }
    }
  }
}

πŸ”Ά Hermes Agent

Add to ~/.hermes/config.yaml:

mcp_servers:
  checkpoint:
    command: "agentcheckpoint"
    timeout: 10

Then run /reload-mcp in-session, or restart the gateway.

🐍 Any client with uvx support

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "checkpoint": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["agentcheckpoint"],
      "timeout": 10
    }
  }
}

3. Verify

Ask your agent:

"What tools do I have from the checkpoint MCP server?"

You should see all 5 tools listed above.

4. First checkpoint

# Save state
mcp_checkpoint_force_set_state(
    key="project:build-status",
    value='{"phase": "testing", "passed": 13, "failed": 2}'
)

# Read state later
status = mcp_checkpoint_get_state(key="project:build-status")
# β†’ {status: "ok", key: "...", value: {...}, version: 1, updated_at: "2026-06-16T..."}

🎯 Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: Single Writer (cron jobs, solo agents)

Use force_set_state β€” always succeeds, always replaces:

# Nightly worker: checkpoint progress
mcp_checkpoint_force_set_state(
    key="checkpoint:nocturnal-2026-06-16",
    value='{"status": "in-progress", "started_at": "2026-06-16T03:00:00Z"}'
)

# ... processing ...

mcp_checkpoint_force_set_state(
    key="checkpoint:nocturnal-2026-06-16",
    value='{"status": "completed", "records_processed": 1427, "finished_at": "..."}'
)

Pattern 2: Multiple Agents with OCC (the important one)

Use get_state + set_state with the version guard (Optimistic Concurrency Control):

# 1. READ with version
current = mcp_checkpoint_get_state(key="workflow:plan-today")
plan = json.loads(current["value"])
# plan.current_index = 5, version = 3

# 2. MODIFY
plan.current_index += 1
plan.current_task = "analysis"

# 3. WRITE with the version we read
result = mcp_checkpoint_set_state(
    key="workflow:plan-today",
    value=json.dumps(plan),
    expected_version=current["version"]  # ← OCC guard
)

if result["status"] == "conflict":
    # Another agent changed the state β†’ re-read and retry
    pass
elif result["status"] == "ok":
    # Write succeeded, new version assigned
    print(f"Checkpoint updated, version {result['version']}")

Each write carries the version observed at read time. If another agent changed the key in between, the write fails with conflict β€” you re-read and retry. This is standard Optimistic Concurrency Control (OCC), the same pattern used by Elasticsearch, CouchDB, and Git.

Pattern 3: Distributed Lock

# Attempt to acquire a lock (create-only)
result = mcp_checkpoint_set_state(
    key="lock:db-migration",
    value=json.dumps({"owner": "agent-A", "acquired_at": "..."}),
    expected_version=0  # ← only works if it DOESN'T exist
)

if result["status"] == "ok":
    # Lock acquired β€” run critical operation
    run_migration()
    # Release
    mcp_checkpoint_delete_state(key="lock:db-migration")
else:
    # Lock held by another β€” wait or abort
    pass

Pattern 4: Skip-if-done (idempotency guard)

# Before starting: was this already completed?
state = mcp_checkpoint_get_state(key="checkpoint:generate-invoices")
if state["status"] != "not_found":
    print("Work already completed, skipping")
    return

# Claim + execute
mcp_checkpoint_force_set_state(
    key="checkpoint:generate-invoices",
    value='{"status": "started"}'
)
# ... do the work ...

πŸ“ Key Naming Convention

Keep your keys organized with this structure:

<domain>:<identifier>[:<attribute>]

Example

Purpose

workflow:daily-digest

Multi-step workflow state

project:agentcheckpoint:build-status

Build state for a project

lock:database-migration

Mutex for critical operation

plan:2026-06-16

Daily execution plan

checkpoint:nocturnal-pillar-1

Nightly worker checkpoint

cron:news-morning

Cron job coordination

Best practices:

  • Use colons (:) as separators β€” readable and work with SELECT LIKE

  • Keep keys under 200 characters

  • Values must always be valid JSON

  • Use list_state(pattern="project:%") to find all keys in a domain


πŸ“Š API Reference

get_state(key)

Parameter

Type

Required

Description

key

string

βœ…

Key to read

Success response:

{"status": "ok", "key": "workflow:plan", "value": "...", "version": 3, "updated_at": "2026-06-16T..."}

Key not found:

{"status": "not_found", "key": "workflow:plan"}

set_state(key, value, expected_version?)

Parameter

Type

Required

Description

key

string

βœ…

Key to write

value

string

βœ…

Value (JSON string)

expected_version

integer

❌

-1=unconditional (default), 0=create-only, N=versioned update

Version guard behavior:

expected_version

Result

-1 (omitted)

Always writes (like force_set_state)

0

Creates only if it DOESN'T exist. Fails with conflict if it does

N > 0

Updates only if stored version matches N. Fails with conflict if it doesn't

force_set_state(key, value)

Unconditional. Always writes. No version guard.

Parameter

Type

Required

Description

key

string

βœ…

Key to write

value

string

βœ…

Value (JSON string)

list_state(pattern?)

Parameter

Type

Required

Description

pattern

string

❌

SQL LIKE pattern (% = any text, _ = single char). Default: %

delete_state(key)

Parameter

Type

Required

Description

key

string

βœ…

Key to delete


βš™οΈ Configuration

Env var

Default

Description

CHECKPOINT_DB_PATH

~/.hermes/checkpoints.db

SQLite database file path

Custom path example:

CHECKPOINT_DB_PATH=/tmp/my-state.db agentcheckpoint

πŸ—οΈ Architecture

β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”       stdio (stdin/stdout)      β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
β”‚                       β”‚                                  β”‚                    β”‚
β”‚  MCP Client           β”‚ ────── JSON-RPC (MCP) ───────→  β”‚  agentcheckpoint   β”‚
β”‚  (Claude, Cursor,     β”‚ ←────────────────────────────── β”‚  MCP Server        β”‚
β”‚   Windsurf, Hermes)   β”‚                                  β”‚                    β”‚
β”‚                       β”‚                                  β”‚  β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”  β”‚
β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜                                  β”‚  β”‚  SQLite WAL   β”‚  β”‚
                                                          β”‚  β”‚  state.db     β”‚  β”‚
                                                          β”‚  β”‚  (1 file)     β”‚  β”‚
                                                          β”‚  β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜  β”‚
                                                          β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜

Technical details

  • Transport: stdio (MCP subprocess) β€” no network ports, no containers

  • Database: SQLite in WAL mode (Write-Ahead Logging) for concurrent reads without blocking

  • Concurrency: PRAGMA synchronous=NORMAL β€” balance between durability and speed

  • Validation: all values validated as JSON on write

  • Versioning: every UPSERT atomically increments the version counter

  • Connection timeout: 5 seconds in SQLite, 10 seconds recommended in MCP client

  • Atomicity: writes are transactional β€” either fully persisted or not persisted at all


❓ FAQ

Q: Does AgentCheckpoint replace agentmemory? A: No. They're complementary. AgentCheckpoint coordinates state (who did what? which step are we on?). agentmemory stores facts and learnings (what did we discover? how does X work?). Use both together.

Q: Can I run multiple instances pointing at the same file? A: SQLite WAL supports multiple concurrent readers, but for multiple writers it's best to use a single MCP server instance. For high availability, consider placing the .db on a shared volume.

Q: What if the process crashes mid-write? A: SQLite WAL guarantees atomicity β€” either the full change is persisted or nothing is. No partial writes.

Q: How large can a value be? A: Values are JSON strings. SQLite can theoretically handle up to ~1GB, but we recommend keeping values under 100KB. For large data, store a reference (file path, URL) as the value.

Q: How do I clean up old checkpoints? A: Use delete_state for individual keys or write a script that iterates with list_state and deletes based on updated_at.

Q: Does it support TTL / auto-expiration? A: Not natively, but you can implement it in your agent: when reading, check updated_at and decide if the state is stale.


πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Development

git clone https://github.com/erniomaldo/agentcheckpoint
cd agentcheckpoint
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Source code lives in src/agentcheckpoint/:

File

What it does

__init__.py

Package version

__main__.py

Entry point (python -m agentcheckpoint)

server.py

Complete MCP server (~150 lines)

Contributing

  1. Fork the repo

  2. Create a branch (git checkout -b feature/awesome-thing)

  3. Make your changes

  4. Commit with clear messages

  5. Push and open a Pull Request


πŸ“œ License

MIT Β© Ernesto Maldonado


🌐 Languages

Language

File

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ English

README.md (this)

πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Έ EspaΓ±ol

README.es.md

πŸ‡«πŸ‡· FranΓ§ais

README.fr.md

πŸ‡§πŸ‡· PortuguΓͺs

README.pt.md


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B
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