Pensieve MCP
An MCP server and Mac app that keeps one local index of repos, agent sessions and tickets, with semantic search and work threads
- 76 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Extended access
Why this level
- The index covers chosen repos and agent sessions, so it holds code and conversations
- Tracker connections give read access to tickets and messages through OAuth
Install
- Works in
Manual install
curl -fsSL https://pensieve.tools/install.sh | shDownloads the Pensieve.dmg app for Apple Silicon and installs the `pensieve` backend. On Linux and Intel Macs it builds the backend from source.
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The index covers chosen repos and agent sessions, so it holds code and conversations
- Tracker connections give read access to tickets and messages through OAuth
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Pensieve gathers files, repositories, agent sessions, tickets and messages into one local index so a person and an agent get the right context for a goal. It only reads what you can access and keeps everything on your Mac. Threads mode needs no index and no model: it reads agent sessions, git, `gh` and the issue tracker. Developer mode indexes the repos and folders you choose, adds the Map, People and Insights tabs and uses the GPU. Agents connect over MCP and get the few most relevant files and passages instead of grepping the whole disk. Each agent is scoped: by default to the repo it runs in. Search works by meaning or exact words, with filters such as `since:3d` and `project:my-app`. The Threads tab shows a thread for each agent session with PRs, tickets, a branch and a button that resumes the session. The `pensieve integrate recommended` command finds Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Qwen Code, Windsurf, Claude Desktop and VS Code on the Mac and registers Pensieve as an MCP server. Tickets from Jira, Linear, Asana and Slack arrive through their MCP servers with read-only tools. Git blame shows who knows which part of the code.
Who it is for. Developers on Apple Silicon Macs who run several agent sessions and repos and want to search them by meaning and return quickly to unfinished work.
Good fit when
- Agents grep the disk and burn tokens when two or three relevant files would do
- A past Claude Code session was left unfinished and you want to resume it with its PR and branch
- You want to know who on the team knows a given module from git blame
- Tickets from Jira or Linear should sit next to the code in the agent view
- Several projects live in different folders and search must cover all of them
Not a fit when
- You work on Windows: the app installer targets macOS, and Linux and Intel Macs get a source install only
- Personal folders must stay out of the index: Developer mode reads those you pick
- You need cloud storage for the index: all data stays on your Mac
Example request
Find where in my repos we discussed payment retries in the last three days and show the open threads for that project.MCP
- Transport
- stdio, http
- Authentication
- OAuth
Limitations
The app targets Apple Silicon Macs, while on Linux and Intel Macs the installer builds the backend from source through uv and opens the map in the browser. In Developer mode the first index is heavy: the embedding model runs to the end at about 500 code files a minute. The search model downloads on first run. Only what you chose during setup is indexed, and reading images, video and audio is off by default. The install runs through `curl | sh`, which is worth reading before you run it.
How to disable. Turn off launch at login in settings, delete the app from `~/Applications`, remove the server from the agent MCP configs (`claude mcp remove pensieve`) and delete the index.
FAQ
How do I connect Pensieve to Claude Code by hand?
Run `claude mcp add --scope user pensieve -- pensieve mcp`. Without `--scope user` the server connects only to the current folder.
What is the difference between Threads and Developer mode?
Threads reads agent sessions, git and the tracker with no index and no model. Developer indexes chosen repos and folders and adds semantic search and the Map, People and Insights tabs.
Is my data sent to the cloud?
No. Everything is stored on the Mac in SQLite with a full-text index plus turbovec vector indexes. Trackers connect through OAuth with read-only tools.
What is an agent scope?
A slice of the index the agent works with. The default `auto` is the repo the agent was started in. Another slice is set with `--scope payments`.
Which agents are supported?
Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Qwen Code, Windsurf, Claude Desktop and VS Code. `pensieve integrate recommended` finds them itself.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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README in short
Covers Threads and Developer modes, script and source install, the setup steps, search with filters and connecting to agents over MCP with scopes.