Gnosis
Zero-config knowledge base for AI coding agents. Loads your markdown docs into a searchable database and exposes them as MCP tools — search, read, and manage documentation without leaving your editor. Works instantly with SQLite (no setup), upgrades
What is Gnosis?
Gnosis is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to zero-config knowledge base for ai coding agents. loads your markdown docs into a searchable database and exposes them as mcp tools — search, read, and manage documentation without leaving your editor....
Zero-config knowledge base for AI coding agents. Loads your markdown docs into a searchable database and exposes them as MCP tools — search, read, and manage documentation without leaving your editor. Works instantly with SQLite (no setup), upgrades
This server falls under the Knowledge & Memory category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Zero-config knowledge base for AI coding agents. Loads your
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
PIP
pip install gnosis-mcpManual Installation
pip install gnosis-mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Gnosis
Gnosis MCP is a zero-configuration knowledge base server that ingests your local Markdown documentation, code notes, and other text files into a searchable SQLite (or PostgreSQL) database and exposes them to AI coding assistants as MCP tools. It supports hybrid keyword and semantic search using BM25 plus local ONNX embeddings, enabling AI agents to retrieve precise, token-efficient excerpts from large documentation sets instead of reading entire files. Developers use it to keep project wikis, architecture notes, and API references instantly searchable from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.9+ with pip or uv installed
- Documentation files in Markdown, text, JSON, TOML, or CSV format to ingest
- Optional: PostgreSQL with pgvector extension for multi-user or large-scale deployments
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, or VS Code with Copilot
Install gnosis-mcp
Install the base package with pip or uv. Add optional extras for semantic search, PostgreSQL, or web crawling support.
# Basic install (SQLite, keyword search)
pip install gnosis-mcp
# With semantic/hybrid search
pip install "gnosis-mcp[embeddings]"
# With PostgreSQL support
pip install "gnosis-mcp[postgres]"
# Via uv
uv tool install gnosis-mcpIngest your documentation
Run the ingest command pointing at your docs directory. Gnosis walks the directory, chunks documents, and stores them in the local SQLite database. Use --embed to also generate semantic embeddings.
gnosis-mcp ingest ./docs/
# With embeddings for hybrid search
gnosis-mcp ingest ./docs/ --embed
# Prune deleted files and re-ingest
gnosis-mcp ingest ./docs/ --embed --pruneTest search from the command line
Verify the index is populated by running a test search before connecting your MCP client.
gnosis-mcp search "authentication flow"
gnosis-mcp statsConfigure your MCP client
Add the gnosis server to your Claude Desktop or editor MCP configuration. The server runs gnosis-mcp serve which starts the MCP stdio transport.
{
"mcpServers": {
"gnosis": {
"command": "gnosis-mcp",
"args": ["serve"]
}
}
}Optionally enable write access and configure the environment
To allow Claude to create or update documents in the knowledge base, set GNOSIS_MCP_WRITABLE=true. Configure the database URL or embedding provider as needed.
{
"mcpServers": {
"gnosis": {
"command": "gnosis-mcp",
"args": ["serve"],
"env": {
"GNOSIS_MCP_WRITABLE": "true",
"GNOSIS_MCP_EMBED_PROVIDER": "local",
"GNOSIS_MCP_DATABASE_URL": "sqlite:///gnosis.db"
}
}
}
}Gnosis Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop config for gnosis-mcp with local embeddings and write access enabled.
{
"mcpServers": {
"gnosis": {
"command": "gnosis-mcp",
"args": ["serve"],
"env": {
"GNOSIS_MCP_WRITABLE": "true",
"GNOSIS_MCP_EMBED_PROVIDER": "local",
"GNOSIS_MCP_RERANK_ENABLED": "true",
"GNOSIS_MCP_COLLAPSE_BY_DOC": "true"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts for searching and managing documentation with gnosis-mcp.
- "Search my docs for anything related to database connection pooling"
- "Get the full contents of the architecture/overview.md document"
- "Find documents related to the authentication module and show linked pages"
- "What does our onboarding guide say about environment variable setup?"
- "Add a new document summarizing what we just discussed about the API rate limits"Troubleshooting Gnosis
gnosis-mcp command not found after pip install
Ensure your Python scripts directory is on your PATH. With uv tool install, run uv tool update-shell to add the tool bin directory to your PATH. On macOS you may need to add ~/.local/bin to your shell profile.
Search returns no results after ingest
Run gnosis-mcp stats to confirm documents were indexed. If the count is 0, check that the directory path passed to ingest is correct and contains supported file types (.md, .txt, .json, .toml, .csv). Re-run gnosis-mcp ingest ./docs/ with verbose output.
Embedding generation is very slow on first run
The first ingest with --embed downloads the ONNX embedding model (~100MB). This is a one-time download. Subsequent ingests use the cached model and are significantly faster.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gnosis
What is Gnosis?
Gnosis is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that zero-config knowledge base for ai coding agents. loads your markdown docs into a searchable database and exposes them as mcp tools — search, read, and manage documentation without leaving your editor. works instantly with sqlite (no setup), upgrades It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Gnosis?
Install via pip with: pip install gnosis-mcp. Then configure your AI client to connect to this MCP server.
Which AI clients work with Gnosis?
Gnosis works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Gnosis free to use?
Yes, Gnosis is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
Gnosis Alternatives — Similar Knowledge & Memory Servers
Looking for alternatives to Gnosis? Here are other popular knowledge & memory servers you can use with Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
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Browse More Knowledge & Memory MCP Servers
Explore all knowledge & memory servers available in the MCPgee directory. Each server includes setup guides for Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Set Up Gnosis in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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