Second Brain Core
FreeMaintainedUniversal persistent memory layer and context manager for AI agents, Claude, Cursor, and LLMs via Model Context Protocol (MCP)
About
Universal persistent memory layer and context manager for AI agents, Claude, Cursor, and LLMs via Model Context Protocol (MCP)
README
Second Brain Core
Universal Memory Layer for AI Systems & Autonomous Developers
Models are temporary. Memory is permanent.
⚡ Overview
Second Brain Core is the local-first cognitive substrate and universal memory layer for AI models and autonomous developer agents. It allows any LLM (Claude, Gemini, GPT, Copilot, Codex, Cursor) to seamlessly pause, switch, and resume complex engineering work without re-explaining context, losing architectural decisions, or replaying massive conversation histories.
Instead of storing raw ephemeral chat logs, Second Brain stores structured decisions, goals, tasks, relationships, and checkpoints inside a high-performance graph and event-sourced persistence architecture.
🌐 Official Website & Docs: vjnaveen2005.github.io/second-brain-core or view locally via brain 3d at http://127.0.0.1:3000/website.
🧠 How It Works & Architecture
Second Brain operates on a continuous Cognitive State Loop:
flowchart TD
User["👤 Developer / User"] -->|Starts New Session| Agent["🤖 AI Agent (Claude / Cursor / Gemini)"]
Agent -->|1. Reads Active State| WorkingMem["⚡ Working Memory (<= 1000 tokens)"]
WorkingMem -->|Project, Current Task, Decisions| Agent
Agent -->|2. Executes & Makes Technical Choices| BrainAPI["🧠 Second Brain Core Engine"]
BrainAPI -->|3. Records Important Choices| HotMem["🔥 Hot / Warm Memory (Decisions & Graph)"]
Agent -->|4. Checkpoint on Exit / Milestone| ColdMem["❄️ Checkpoint Snapshot (Immutable Event Log)"]
ColdMem -->|Restores Next Day Across Any Model| WorkingMem
🏗️ 4-Tier Memory Hierarchy
[ User Profile: Naveen (Founder / CEO) ]
│
│ OWNS
▼
[ Workspace: Production / Personal ]
│
│ CONTAINS
▼
[ Project: Second Brain Core ]
│
├─► [ Tier 1: Working Memory ] (<= 1000 tokens - Immediate active task & next step)
├─► [ Tier 2: Hot Memory ] (Active sprint milestones & architectural decisions)
├─► [ Tier 3: Warm Memory ] (Past technical research, benchmarks, tech stack indices)
└─► [ Tier 4: Cold Memory ] (Archived checkpoints, logs, and historical snapshots)
📋 Universal AI Agent Skill (Copy & Paste Prompt)
Second Brain includes a specialized Agent Skill (skills/second-brain/SKILL.md) that turns any AI assistant into a memory-aware autonomous partner.
🚀 Copy & Paste Setup Prompt for Your AI Agent:
Copy this single prompt and give it to any AI agent (Cursor, Claude, Antigravity, Gemini, ChatGPT). It will automatically install Second Brain, create the skill file, and resume your work:
<!-- SECOND BRAIN CORE AUTO-SETUP & AGENT SKILL -->
You are my autonomous AI developer. Integrate Second Brain Core for persistent memory across all sessions:
1. INSTALL SECOND BRAIN:
Run: `npm install -g second-brain-core` (or verify it is installed with `brain status`).
2. CREATE THE AGENT SKILL:
Create a skill file (in `.cursorrules`, `.claude/skills/second-brain/SKILL.md`, or your agent's skill directory):
```markdown
---
name: second-brain
description: Universal persistent memory layer for AI agents. Loads project state at start and checkpoints before exit.
---
# Second Brain Memory Protocol
- AT SESSION START: Always execute `brain status` (or use MCP `brain_status`) to load active project, current progress, next task, and architectural decisions.
- DURING WORK: Never contradict previous decisions. When important technical choices are made, run `brain remember "<decision>" --tags architecture`.
- AT SESSION END: When we finish or pause, create a checkpoint:
`brain checkpoint "<summary>" --next "<next task>" --progress <0-100>`.
- FOUNDER PROFILE: Run `brain identity show` to load profile & CEO reasoning mode.
- INITIALIZE NOW:
Run
brain statusright now and report back with my active project, progress, and immediate next task to resume work!
### 📂 About the `skills/` Directory:
- [`skills/second-brain/SKILL.md`](./skills/second-brain/SKILL.md): Complete protocol definition that specifies how agents initialize sessions, detect blockers, respect user persona modes (`CEO`, `ENGINEER`, `CREATIVE`, `SCIENTIST`), and serialize checkpoints.
---
## 💎 Key Features
- **🌐 100% Local-First Storage:** Runs completely offline on your machine (`~/.second-brain/`) with zero cloud lock-in and zero Docker prerequisites.
- **🌌 3D Interactive Cognitive Universe:** A visual 3D WebGL Force Graph running in real-time (`brain 3d`) with node inspection and instant search.
- **🧠 Identity & CEO Executive Mode:** Remembers who you are (Naveen / Founder), your companies, YouTube channels, coding standards, and prioritizes strategic ROI when in `CEO` mode.
- **🔄 Universal Cross-Model Continuation:** One-click resume prompts formatted specifically for Claude (XML), Gemini (Structured Markdown), GPT (System/User frames), and Copilot.
- **🔌 Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server:** Native `stdio` MCP server allowing Cursor, Claude Desktop, Antigravity, or Cline to autonomously query and write to Second Brain.
- **🌲 Semantic Knowledge Graph:** Automatically interlinks Workspaces, Projects, Goals, Decisions, Checkpoints, and Memories into an interconnected knowledge web.
---
## 🚀 Quick Start
### 1. Installation
#### Via NPM (Global CLI):
```bash
npm install -g second-brain-core
Or from Source:
git clone https://github.com/VJNAVEEN2005/second-brain-core.git
cd second-brain-core
npm install
npm run build
npm link
2. CLI Usage (brain)
You can now use the global brain CLI from any terminal or directory on your computer:
# Check current cognitive state
brain status
# Launch the interactive 3D WebGL Cognitive Universe in browser
brain 3d
# Generate instant resume prompt for any model
brain resume Gemini
brain resume Claude
brain resume GPT
# Manage Identity & CEO Mode
brain identity show
brain mode CEO
brain mode ARCHITECT
brain mode CODER
# Create a checkpoint
brain checkpoint "Finished 3D WebGL graph and official logo integration" --progress 95
# View recent event timeline
brain log
3. Model Context Protocol (MCP) Setup
Add Second Brain Core to your Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible agent configuration:
Option A: Run directly via NPX (Recommended for users)
{
"mcpServers": {
"second-brain": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "second-brain-core", "mcp"]
}
}
}
Option B: Local Development / Clone
{
"mcpServers": {
"second-brain": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["dist/cli/index.js", "mcp"]
}
}
}
Now any AI agent can autonomously invoke:
brain_status: Inspect active project, goal, and working memory.brain_checkpoint: Snapshot engineering progress before context limits.brain_resume: Pull resume instructions when starting a new session.brain_remember: Store long-term knowledge, decisions, or user preferences.brain_recall: Query the 4-tier memory by semantic tags or query.
🔍 Why Second Brain Core vs. Alternatives?
| Feature | Second Brain Core | Mem0 | LangChain Memory | Letta (MemGPT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Architecture | Graph + Event-Sourced Checkpoints | Vector Database | Ephemeral Buffer / KV | State Machine Agent |
| Model Agnostic Switch | ✅ Resume across Claude/GPT/Gemini | ⚠️ Requires API Key/Cloud | ❌ Locked to session/chain | ❌ Requires custom agent runtime |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | ✅ Native Native 1st-Class Support | ⚠️ Community wrapper | ❌ No | ⚠️ Partial |
| 100% Local-First & Zero Leakage | ✅ Local SQLite / Filesystem | ❌ Cloud / External Vector DB | ✅ In-memory | ⚠️ Postgres / Docker Server |
| Context Window Consumption | ⚡ Micro-context (≤ 1000 tokens) | ⚠️ Variable vector chunks | ❌ Huge conversation replay | ⚠️ Large context overhead |
| Decision & Architecture Lineage | ✅ Explicit graph tracking | ❌ Unstructured text chunks | ❌ None | ❌ State prompt only |
📦 NPM Package Publishing Workflow
To publish updates to the NPM Package Registry:
# 1. Login to npm (opens browser authentication)
npm login
# 2. Build the project
npm run build
# 3. Publish to npm
npm publish --access public
🧪 Testing & Verification
Run the comprehensive test suite (43 unit & integration tests):
npm test
📋 Master Specification
Refer to SECOND_BRAIN_MASTER_SPEC.md for the complete design contract, data schemas, SDK API specification, and architectural blueprint.
Built with ❤️ for AI Engineers and Autonomous Builders
Install Second Brain Core in Claude Desktop, Claude Code & Cursor
unyly install second-brain-coreInstalls 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 second-brain-core -- npx -y second-brain-coreStep-by-step: how to install Second Brain Core
FAQ
Is Second Brain Core MCP free?
Yes, Second Brain Core MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does Second Brain Core need an API key?
No, Second Brain Core runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is Second Brain Core hosted or self-hosted?
Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.
How do I install Second Brain Core in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open Second Brain Core 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 mcpdotdirectServer Sequential Thinking
MCP server for sequential thinking and problem solving
by GitHub ActionsUnyly Deploy
Deploy sites and MCP servers to Unyly straight from your AI agent
by UnylyAmap Maps Mcp Server
MCP server for using the AMap Maps API
by duxiaohuiPayMCP
Lightweight payments layer for MCP servers: turn tools into paid endpoints with a two-line decorator. [PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/paymcp/) · [npm](https://w
by blustAIServer For Power BI
Enables exploring Microsoft Fabric / Power BI workspaces and semantic models, and executing ad-hoc DAX queries.
by Mitsubishi-FusoGpt Image 2 Mcp
RunAPI GPT Image 2 MCP server for image generation: create tasks, poll results, and check pricing across 1 model from Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and VS Code.
by runapi-aiCompare Second Brain Core with
Not sure what to pick?
Find your stack in 60 seconds
Author?
Embed badge for your README
Browse similar
All development MCPs
