# coldstart

File and symbol index plus a notebook where the agent writes notes anchored to your code. Agents stop rediscovering the repo every session.

- MCP server · `type=mcp` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Cline, Zed, Gemini CLI · ★ 11
- Author: AkashGoenka
- License: MIT · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/AkashGoenka/coldstart
- Updated: 2026-09-29
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/coldstart

## What it does

Two layers in one tool. Navigation: a static index of paths, symbol names, exports, and the import graph; answers which files matter for a task in milliseconds, no embeddings. The notebook: notes the agent writes after real tasks — what a file does, how a flow spans modules, which invariants hold. Each note ties to specific files; when code drifts and a note goes stale, the server flags it instead of serving it as fact.

One-step setup: `coldstart init` at the project root. The command creates config, wires hooks for your chosen client (Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor), spins up the notebook, and warms the index in the background. You manually specify which client to configure during init.

Requires Node.js 18 or later. No models, no services, no embeddings — just an index and text notes stored locally.

## Requirements
- Needs: Node.js (commands run via npx)

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

**Platform CLI**
```bash
claude mcp add coldstart -- npx -y @cstart/coldstart
```

### Codex

**Platform CLI**
```bash
codex mcp add coldstart -- npx -y @cstart/coldstart
```

### Cursor

**Config file**
File `.cursor/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "coldstart": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@cstart/coldstart"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```

### GitHub Copilot

**Config file**
File `.vscode/mcp.json`:
```json
{
    "servers": {
        "coldstart": {
            "type": "stdio",
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@cstart/coldstart"
            ]
        }
    }
}
```

### Gemini CLI

**Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini mcp add coldstart npx -y @cstart/coldstart
```

## When to use it
- locate files by symbol name, import, or function call
- recall what the agent learned about a module in the last session
- see which files change together in git history
- detect when a note is stale because code changed

## Example prompts
- Find all files that call `processPayment`
- What does the `src/auth` module do and how does it connect to the rest?
- Remember: `EmailService` sends mail via SendGrid, config in `.env`

## Similar
- [REA](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/rea.md) — MCP server · ★ 386989
- [GitHub](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/github.md) — MCP server · ★ 33918
- [Netdata](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/netdata.md) — MCP server · ★ 81115
- [browser-use](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/browser-use.md) — MCP server · ★ 119160
- [Codebase Memory](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/codebase-memory.md) — MCP server · ★ 47392
- [mcp-server](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/mcp/mcp-server.md) — MCP server · ★ 43872

---
NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md