MCP in Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal-based coding agent. With Synapse MCP, Claude Code gains persistent memory across coding sessions — it remembers your project context, past decisions, and codebase patterns.

Setup

Method 1: CLI Command (recommended)

# Add Synapse as an MCP server
claude mcp add synapse -- npx -y synapse-mcp-api@latest

# Set your Mind Key as env var (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
export SYNAPSE_MIND_KEY="mk_YOUR_MIND_KEY_HERE"
export SYNAPSE_URL="https://synapse.schaefer.zone"  # optional, defaults to synapse.schaefer.zone

Method 2: Edit Config File

Edit ~/.claude/config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "synapse": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "synapse-mcp-api@latest"],
      "env": {
        "SYNAPSE_MIND_KEY": "mk_YOUR_MIND_KEY_HERE",
        "SYNAPSE_URL": "https://synapse.schaefer.zone"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify It Works

Start Claude Code:

claude

In the Claude Code prompt, type:

recall all my memories

Claude should call memory_recall and respond with your stored memories.

Common Patterns

Project context persistence

At the start of a coding session:

recalling my memories — what projects am I working on?

Claude calls memory_recall, sees your project list, and continues work where you left off.

Codebase decisions

When you make an architectural decision:

store this: "We chose PostgreSQL over SQLite because of concurrent write
performance. Decision made on 2026-06-27."

Claude calls memory_store with category project, priority high.

Avoiding past mistakes

what mistakes have I made with this codebase?

Claude searches memories with category mistake and reminds you of past errors.

Task tracking

create a task: "Refactor auth module to use JWT refresh tokens"

Claude calls task_create, and the task persists across sessions.

Tool Profiles

For coding sessions where you don't need all 119 tools:

# Set profile via env var
export MCP_PROFILE="standard"  # 25 tools, ~2500 tokens

# Or in config.json
"env": {
  "SYNAPSE_MIND_KEY": "mk_...",
  "MCP_PROFILE": "standard"
}

Troubleshooting

MCP server not starting

# Test the MCP server manually
npx -y synapse-mcp-api@latest

# Should print:
# [info] synapse-mcp Streamable HTTP server ready
# [info]   MCP:      http://localhost:13100/mcp

Mind Key not recognized

# Verify env var is set
echo $SYNAPSE_MIND_KEY

# Test directly
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $SYNAPSE_MIND_KEY" \
     https://synapse.schaefer.zone/memory/recall

Claude Code doesn't see tools

• Restart Claude Code after config changes
• Check claude mcp list to verify Synapse is registered
• See MCP Troubleshooting

Next Steps

• Claude Desktop Setup
• Cursor Setup
• Persistent LLM Agent Guide