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.

Features

🧬 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/.txt notes 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

Quick Start

1. Initialize

npx crbro-memory init

2. Add to your MCP config

Claude Desktop (~/AppData/Roaming/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crbro": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "crbro-memory"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crbro": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "crbro-memory"]
    }
  }
}

3. Start using it

Your AI will now have access to 15 memory tools. Start any session with crbro_boot.

Tools

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

Architecture

~/.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

Heat Score Algorithm

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

Knowledge Miner

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 task

Naming note: "miner" here means knowledge mining — extracting facts from your own text files. Nothing to do with cryptocurrency.

CLI Commands

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