Codebaxing
FreeNot checkedMCP server for semantic code search that indexes your codebase and allows AI editors to search using natural language queries.
About
MCP server for semantic code search that indexes your codebase and allows AI editors to search using natural language queries.
README
MCP server for semantic code search. Index your codebase once, then search using natural language.
How It Works
Your Code → Tree-sitter Parser → Symbols → Embedding Model → Vectors → ChromaDB
↓
"find auth logic" → Embedding → Query Vector → Similarity Search → Results
Traditional search matches exact text. Codebaxing understands meaning:
| Query | Finds (even without exact match) |
|---|---|
| "authentication" | login(), validateCredentials(), authMiddleware() |
| "database connection" | connectDB(), prismaClient, repository.query() |
Quick Start
1. Start ChromaDB
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 --name chromadb chromadb/chroma
2. Index Your Codebase (CLI)
npx codebaxing@latest index /path/to/your/project
This creates a .codebaxing/ folder with the index. Only needs to be done once per project.
Performance note: Local embedding is slow (~4 min for ~4,000 files). For faster indexing, use Gemini embedding (free) — see Cloud Embedding below.
3. Install MCP Server for AI Editors
npx codebaxing install # Claude Desktop
npx codebaxing install --cursor # Cursor
npx codebaxing install --windsurf # Windsurf
npx codebaxing install --all # All editors
Restart your editor. Now you can ask: "Find the authentication logic"
CLI Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
npx codebaxing@latest index <path> |
Index a codebase (required first) |
npx codebaxing search <query> |
Search indexed code |
npx codebaxing stats [path] |
Show index statistics |
npx codebaxing clean [path] |
Remove index (reset) |
npx codebaxing install [--editor] |
Install MCP server |
npx codebaxing uninstall [--editor] |
Uninstall MCP server |
Tip: Use
@latestforindexto ensure you have the newest version.
Search Options
npx codebaxing search "auth middleware" --path ./src --limit 10
--path, -p- Codebase path (default: current directory)--limit, -n- Number of results (default: 5)
MCP Tools (for AI Agents)
After installing, AI agents can use these tools:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search |
Semantic code search |
stats |
Index statistics |
languages |
Supported file extensions |
remember |
Store project memory |
recall |
Retrieve memories |
forget |
Delete memories |
Note: The
indextool is disabled for AI agents. Use CLI:npx codebaxing@latest index <path>
Configuration
Cloud Embedding (Fastest)
Local embedding runs on CPU and can be slow for large codebases (~4 min for ~4,000 files). Cloud embedding is ~25x faster and recommended for any project with 1,000+ files.
# Gemini (FREE - recommended, 1500 RPM free tier)
CODEBAXING_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=gemini GEMINI_API_KEY=... npx codebaxing@latest index /path
# OpenAI (text-embedding-3-small, 384 dims)
CODEBAXING_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=openai OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... npx codebaxing@latest index /path
# Voyage (voyage-code-3, 1024 dims, code-optimized)
CODEBAXING_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER=voyage VOYAGE_API_KEY=va-... npx codebaxing@latest index /path
| Provider | Model | Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini | text-embedding-004 (768 dims) |
~10,000 texts/sec | Free (1500 RPM) |
| OpenAI | text-embedding-3-small (384 dims) |
~10,000 texts/sec | ~$0.02 / 1M tokens |
| Voyage | voyage-code-3 (1024 dims) |
~10,000 texts/sec | ~$0.06 / 1M tokens |
| Local | all-MiniLM-L6-v2 (384 dims) |
~200 texts/sec | Free (CPU) |
Note: Switching between providers requires full re-index (
npx codebaxing@latest index <path>) due to dimension differences.
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
CHROMADB_URL |
ChromaDB server URL | http://localhost:8000 |
CODEBAXING_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER |
Embedding backend: local, gemini, openai, voyage |
local |
CODEBAXING_DEVICE |
Compute device (local only): cpu, cuda |
cpu |
CODEBAXING_DTYPE |
Model quantization (local only): fp32, fp16, q8, q4 |
q8 |
CODEBAXING_WORKERS |
Worker threads for parallel embedding (local only, 0=off) | 2 |
CODEBAXING_MAX_FILE_SIZE |
Max file size in MB | 1 |
CODEBAXING_MAX_CHUNKS |
Max chunks to index | 500000 |
CODEBAXING_FILES_PER_BATCH |
Files per batch (lower = less RAM) | 100 |
CODEBAXING_PARALLEL_BATCHES |
Concurrent batches | 3 |
CODEBAXING_METADATA_SAVE_INTERVAL |
Save progress every N batches | 10 |
CODEBAXING_MODEL_CACHE |
Model cache directory (local only) | ~/.cache/codebaxing/models |
CODEBAXING_OPENAI_API_KEY |
OpenAI API key (or use OPENAI_API_KEY) |
- |
CODEBAXING_VOYAGE_API_KEY |
Voyage API key (or use VOYAGE_API_KEY) |
- |
CODEBAXING_GEMINI_API_KEY |
Gemini API key (or use GEMINI_API_KEY) |
- |
CODEBAXING_EMBEDDING_MODEL |
Override embedding model name | per-provider default |
CODEBAXING_EMBEDDING_DIMENSIONS |
Override embedding dimensions | per-provider default |
CODEBAXING_EMBEDDING_BASE_URL |
Custom API endpoint for cloud providers | provider default |
Manual Editor Config
Claude Desktop
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"codebaxing": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "codebaxing"],
"env": { "CHROMADB_URL": "http://localhost:8000" }
}
}
}
Cursor
~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"codebaxing": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "codebaxing"],
"env": { "CHROMADB_URL": "http://localhost:8000" }
}
}
}
Other Editors
Windsurf: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Zed: ~/.config/zed/settings.json (use context_servers key)
VS Code + Continue: ~/.continue/config.json
Supported Languages
Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java, C/C++, C#, Ruby, PHP, Kotlin, Swift, Scala, Lua, Dart, Elixir, Haskell, OCaml, Zig, Perl, Bash, HTML, CSS, Vue, JSON, YAML, TOML, Makefile
Requirements
- Node.js >= 20.0.0
- Docker (for ChromaDB)
- ~500MB disk space (embedding model)
Technical Details
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Local Embedding | all-MiniLM-L6-v2 (384 dims, ONNX, q8 quantized) |
| Cloud Embedding | Gemini text-embedding-004 (free), OpenAI, or Voyage |
| Model Cache | ~/.cache/codebaxing/models/ (local only, downloaded once) |
| Vector Database | ChromaDB |
| Code Parser | Tree-sitter (28 languages) |
| MCP SDK | @modelcontextprotocol/sdk |
Local mode: The embedding model is downloaded from HuggingFace on first run and cached at ~/.cache/codebaxing/models/. Uses q8 quantization (~3x faster than fp32). No network access after initial download.
Cloud mode: Sends code chunks to OpenAI/Voyage API for embedding. ~25x faster than local CPU. Requires API key.
License
MIT
Install Codebaxing in Claude Desktop, Claude Code & Cursor
unyly install codebaxingInstalls into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor & VS Code — handles npx, uvx and build-from-source repos for you.
First time? Get the CLI: curl -fsSL https://unyly.org/install | sh
Or configure manually
Run in your terminal:
claude mcp add codebaxing -- npx -y codebaxingFAQ
Is Codebaxing MCP free?
Yes, Codebaxing MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does Codebaxing need an API key?
No, Codebaxing runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is Codebaxing hosted or self-hosted?
Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.
How do I install Codebaxing in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open Codebaxing on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.
Related MCPs
GitHub
PRs, issues, code search, CI status
by GitHubFilesystem
Secure file operations with configurable access controls.
Memory
Knowledge graph-based persistent memory system.
Template MCP Server
A CLI tool to create a new Model Context Protocol server project with TypeScript support, dual transport options, and an extensible structure
by mcpdotdirectCompare Codebaxing with
Not sure what to pick?
Find your stack in 60 seconds
Author?
Embed badge for your README
Browse similar
All development MCPs
