Provides a tool to inspect git status and git diff in the workspace, automatically attaching changed files (including staged renames) to the active mindmap task or architectural component.
Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Synapse create a mindmap for this refactor and map the architecture"
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.
Synapse is an MCP server + live web viewer that lets any coding agent (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, OpenCode, Codex, Windsurf, etc.) maintain a real-time visual mindmap of:
What the plan is (hierarchical tasks with planned, in_progress, completed, and blocked statuses)
How the agent is thinking about the code (HLD / Mental Model) (semantic component, data_flow, decision, hypothesis, and risk cards connected by directed flow links)
Which files and symbols are being touched (line ranges, symbols, diff summaries, and cross-highlighting between plan tasks and architectural components)
📖 Docs: https://vss96.github.io/synapse/
Requires Node ≥ 20.
# Register Synapse with the coding agents installed on this machine
npx synapse-mindmap init
# Watch your agent work (port 4040, or the next free port)
npx synapse-mindmap viewer --openinit detects Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, OpenCode and Codex (which also covers the ChatGPT desktop app), asks before configuring each one, and backs up any config file it edits. Restart your agent afterwards. Mindmaps are stored in ~/.synapse/data (override with SYNAPSE_DATA_DIR). See the client guide for manual setup.
Related MCP server: mcp-codemap
Visualize how the agent understands the system architecture, data flows, design decisions, hypotheses, and risks—without reading walls of text:
See the full execution plan and the architectural mental model side-by-side in a single live canvas. The Sessions panel on the left lists every mindmap with its active task, progress, and a live dot; filter it or switch with ⌥↑/⌥↓:
The Changes tab shows what kind of change the agent made in each file (added, modified, fixed, refactored, renamed, removed, tested). Pick a kind to highlight every plan task and HLD component with that kind of change:
Track a real-time chronological log of every plan update, HLD mapping, and file edit:
Tool | Description |
| Create a new mindmap with |
| Batch-record the agent's mental model / HLD ( |
| Create a directed conceptual or data/control-flow arrow between two nodes ( |
| Mark a task node |
| Attach a touched file ( |
| Inspect |
| Render a Markdown dashboard of task progress (%), HLD concept count, and all touched files |
| Add a child task, plan step, HLD concept, file, or note node |
| Update a node's label, status, semantic type, notes, or files |
| Remove a node and all its descendants |
| List all stored mindmaps sorted by most recently updated |
| Get full mindmap data as JSON |
| Render as |
| Delete an entire mindmap |
npx synapse-mindmap init writes this for you. To add it by hand, most clients use:
{
"mcpServers": {
"synapse": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "synapse-mindmap", "mcp"]
}
}
}Built-in MCP Instructions & Prompt: Synapse automatically advertises server instructions and the track-coding-plan MCP prompt to connected clients.
Skill / Rules:
For skill-supporting agents (like Antigravity / Claude): see .agent/skills/synapse-tracker/SKILL.md.
For CLAUDE.md / .cursorrules: copy the snippet from AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md.
Development uses Bun; the published package is plain Node.js.
./setup.sh # bun install, build, write claude.json for this checkout
bun test # tests
bun run build # tsc → dist/ (MCP server, CLI, viewer server) + bundled viewer app
bun run dev # MCP server from source, restarting on changes
bun run viewer # build, then serve the viewer against ./data
bun run docs:dev # docs siteMIT. The logo is a public-domain NIAID illustration; see docs/public/LOGO-CREDITS.md.
This server cannot be deployed
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