Codebase Curator
A set of tools to use while coding using the Claude code cli. 'smartgrep' is a grep-like tool that uses a semantic index of the codebase to provide Claudes with information tailored for how they think. Claudes love it! A 'codebase-curator' Claude to
What is Codebase Curator?
Codebase Curator is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to set of tools to use while coding using the claude code cli. 'smartgrep' is a grep-like tool that uses a semantic index of the codebase to provide claudes with information tailored for how they think. ...
A set of tools to use while coding using the Claude code cli. 'smartgrep' is a grep-like tool that uses a semantic index of the codebase to provide Claudes with information tailored for how they think. Claudes love it! A 'codebase-curator' Claude to
This server falls under the Coding Agents category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- A set of tools to use while coding using the Claude code cli
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx codebase-curatorConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Codebase Curator
Codebase Curator is an MCP server that gives Claude a persistent, semantic understanding of your codebase using a two-Claude architecture: a dedicated Curator Claude maintains deep codebase knowledge while your coding Claude queries it through tools like smartgrep, get_codebase_overview, and ask_curator. This dramatically reduces token usage and hallucinations on large codebases.
Prerequisites
- Bun runtime installed (bun.sh) — the project uses Bun, not Node.js
- Active Claude Code subscription (the Curator runs as a separate Claude agent)
- Git repository to index
- Claude Desktop or Claude Code CLI configured
Clone and install the repository
Clone the Codebase Curator repository and install dependencies with Bun. The bun link step makes the CLI commands globally available.
git clone https://github.com/RLabs-Inc/codebase-curator.git
cd codebase-curator
bun install
bun linkConfigure the MCP server in Claude Code
Add the MCP server to your Claude Code config, pointing to the server entry file. Replace /path/to/codebase-curator with the actual absolute path where you cloned the repo.
Initialize the semantic index for your project
Run the curator CLI in your target codebase directory to build the initial semantic index. This may take a few minutes on large repos.
cd /your/project
codebase-curatorRun a semantic search with smartgrep
Use smartgrep to perform concept-aware searches rather than plain text matching. It understands code semantics and returns AI-optimized context.
smartgrep group auth
smartgrep refs "PaymentService"
smartgrep changes --compactStart the live monitoring dashboard
The curator-monitor command opens a dashboard that shows live codebase changes and impact analysis as you edit files.
bun run monitor watch --overviewCodebase Curator Examples
Client configuration
Claude Code MCP config pointing to the Codebase Curator server script via Bun.
{
"mcpServers": {
"codebase-curator": {
"command": "bun",
"args": ["run", "/path/to/codebase-curator/src/mcp-servers/codebase-curator/server.ts"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Prompts to use in Claude Code once the Codebase Curator MCP is active.
- "Give me an overview of this codebase architecture"
- "Find all authentication-related code in the project"
- "What will be impacted if I change the UserService class?"
- "Show me uncommitted changes and their potential impact"Troubleshooting Codebase Curator
bun command not found after installation
Install Bun with: curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash. Then restart your terminal or source ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc. Verify with: bun --version.
smartgrep returns no results on first run
The semantic index must be built before searching. Run codebase-curator in your project directory and wait for indexing to complete before using smartgrep.
MCP server fails to start with module not found errors
Ensure you ran bun install in the codebase-curator directory and that the path in your MCP config points to the correct absolute location of server.ts. The path must be absolute, not relative.
Frequently Asked Questions about Codebase Curator
What is Codebase Curator?
Codebase Curator is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that set of tools to use while coding using the claude code cli. 'smartgrep' is a grep-like tool that uses a semantic index of the codebase to provide claudes with information tailored for how they think. claudes love it! a 'codebase-curator' claude to It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Codebase Curator?
Follow the installation instructions on the Codebase Curator GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Codebase Curator?
Codebase Curator works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Codebase Curator free to use?
Yes, Codebase Curator is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up Codebase Curator in Your Editor
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Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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