CRBRO is a local MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives your AI assistant persistent long-term memory across sessions. It uses a biological neural architecture — cortex, synapses, hippocampus — to store, connect, and retrieve knowledge automatically.
Free and open source (MIT). All 15 tools included — no license, no account, no tiers.
⭐ If CRBRO gives your AI a memory worth keeping, a star on GitHub is the best way to support it.
- 🧬 Biological Architecture — Knowledge organized as neurons (cortex), connections (synapses), and session memory (hippocampus)
- 🔍 Hybrid Search — Powered by Orama for fast BM25 + fuzzy text search
- 🔥 Heat Scores — Automatic relevance tracking based on frequency, recency, and connectivity
- 🗺️ Global Map — Cluster detection and cross-domain bridge identification
- ⛏️ Knowledge Miner — Optionally scans your local
.md/.txtnotes and feeds them into the brain - 🔒 Fully Local — Runs on Node.js alone: no Python, no Docker, no databases, no external services. Your memory never leaves your machine
- 💾 File-Based — All data stored as readable JSON files in
~/.crbro/— inspectable, diffable, and versionable with git - 🔌 MCP Native — Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client
npx crbro-memory initRegister CRBRO at the user level, not per-project. Your brain lives in
~/.crbro/and is shared across every folder — but if you register the server inside a single project, other folders won't have the tools and it will look like the memory is gone. User-level registration makes it available everywhere, which is the whole point.
Claude Code (one command, available in every folder):
claude mcp add --scope user crbro -- npx -y crbro-memoryClaude Desktop (~/AppData/Roaming/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"crbro": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "crbro-memory"]
}
}
}Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json — the one in your home folder, not a project's .cursor/):
{
"mcpServers": {
"crbro": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "crbro-memory"]
}
}
}Your AI will now have access to 15 memory tools. Start any session with crbro_boot.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
crbro_boot |
Boot the brain at session start — loads hot topics and context |
crbro_status |
Brain status — neurons, synapses, sessions count |
crbro_learn |
Store a fact, decision, pattern, or preference |
crbro_neuron |
Read a specific neuron (topic) with all its knowledge |
crbro_neurons |
List neurons with optional filters (domain, type, heat) |
crbro_recall |
Search the brain using hybrid text search |
crbro_connect |
Create or strengthen a connection between neurons |
crbro_connections |
Get all connections for a neuron |
crbro_session_log |
Log a session summary |
crbro_sessions |
List recent sessions |
crbro_context |
Read/update active working context |
crbro_hot_topics |
Get the most active topics by heat score |
crbro_global_map |
View the neural network — clusters and cross-domain bridges |
crbro_maintenance |
Full brain maintenance — archive, prune, rebuild |
crbro_consolidate |
End-of-session consolidation |
~/.crbro/
├── manifest.json ← Brain metadata
├── cortex/ ← One JSON per neuron (topic)
│ ├── project_octochat.json
│ └── tech_firebase.json
├── synapses/ ← One JSON per connection
│ └── syn_octochat__firebase.json
├── hippocampus/ ← One JSON per session
│ └── session_2026-05-06.json
├── prefrontal/ ← Working memory
│ ├── active_context.json
│ ├── hot_topics.json
│ └── global_map.json
├── archives/ ← Cold neurons
└── .search/ ← Orama search index
└── orama.index.json
Each neuron has a heat score (0.0 - 1.0) calculated from:
- Frequency (35%) — How often the neuron is accessed
- Recency (40%) — When it was last accessed (today = 1.0, >3 months = 0.05)
- Connectivity (25%) — How many synapses connect to it
The miner is an optional, fully local helper that scans a directory for .md and .txt files (notes, docs, journals) and extracts knowledge into the brain — so CRBRO can learn from what you already wrote, not just from conversations. It never touches the network and never leaves your machine.
npx crbro-memory mine [dir] # One-shot scan of a directory
npx crbro-memory setup-miner # Install a scheduled auto-scan (OS task scheduler)
npx crbro-memory miner-status # Check the auto-miner status
npx crbro-memory remove-miner # Remove the scheduled taskNaming note: "miner" here means knowledge mining — extracting facts from your own text files. Nothing to do with cryptocurrency.
npx crbro-memory # Start MCP server (stdio)
npx crbro-memory init # Initialize brain + detect IDEs
npx crbro-memory status # Show brain status
npx crbro-memory --help # Help