🧠 nucleus-mcp
⚠️ official repository → nucleus-mcp
the sovereign agent control plane — one brain that syncs cursor, claude, windsurf, and any mcp-compatible tool.
Caution
after the OpenClaw security crisis (1.5M API keys leaked, sleeper agents in skills), agent security is no longer optional. built nucleus security-first: hypervisor controls, resource locking, and full audit trails — all 100% local.
🚀 live on product hunt: nucleus is the local-first agentic identity & security layer. join the strike →
🚨 v1.0.8 monolith: the "infrastructure" update
immediate value. zero friction.
New in v1.0.8: Monolith Decomposition completed. Core logic migrated to the
runtime/module for modular growth. New in v1.0.7: Nucleus now welcomes you with a Sovereign Brain Card and pre-seeded memories.
- Brain Card:
cold_startnow returns a rich summary of your memory, active tasks, and connected tools.- Welcome Engrams: Your brain connects with pre-loaded context, so you never start from zero.
- Smart Config:
nucleus-initgives you OS-specific paths (macOS/Windows/Linux) for 1-second setup.
📦 Installation
The clean, open source version of Nucleus is now available at:
→ github.com/eidetic-works/nucleus-mcp
pip install nucleus-mcp nucleus-init
This repository (mcp-server-nucleus) is the internal development monorepo. For production use, please use the official open source package above.
🎯 the problem
you use multiple ai tools daily:
- cursor for coding
- claude desktop for thinking
- windsurf for exploration
- chatgpt for quick answers
but they don't share memory.
every time you switch tools, you lose context. you re-explain decisions. you repeat yourself.
✨ the solution
nucleus syncs them with one brain.
Tell Claude about a decision → Cursor knows it
Make a plan in Windsurf → Claude remembers it
One brain. All your tools.
🚀 What Makes Nucleus Different? (The Fractal Architecture)
| Feature | Zapier / iPaaS | LangChain | Nucleus (v0.5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Centralized Hub | Code Library | Recursive Client |
| Scaling | O(N) (Manual) | O(N) (Code) | O(1) (Fractal) |
| Data Locality | Cloud Only | App Dependent | 100% Local |
| Agent Network | Walled Garden | Static Graph | Dynamic "Internet of Agents" |
🚀 What Makes Nucleus Different
| Feature | Other Solutions | Nucleus |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-Platform Sync | Single platform only | ✅ Syncs ALL your AI tools |
| Sovereignty | Cloud-dependent | ✅ 100% local, your data stays on your machine |
| Protocol | Proprietary | ✅ MCP standard (Anthropic-backed) |
| Security | Often misconfigured | ✅ Secure by default, audit logs included |
| Lock-in | Platform-specific | ✅ MIT license, open standard |
🛠 140+ MCP Tools Included
- Engrams — Persistent knowledge that survives sessions
- Tasks — Track work across agents
- Sessions — Save and resume context
- Sync — Multi-agent brain synchronization
- Hypervisor — File locking, security, audit trails
- Orchestration — Coordinate multiple agents
⚡ Comparison: Nucleus vs Alternatives
| OpenClaw | Claude Code | Nucleus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | ❌ Sleeper agents, key leaks | ✅ Hypervisor + audit trail | |
| What it syncs | OpenClaw → OpenClaw | Claude → Claude | Everything ↔ Everything |
| Cross-platform | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Local-first | ✅ 100% local | ||
| MCP Native | ❌ Custom protocol | ✅ Full MCP | |
| Open Source | ✅ MIT | ❌ Closed | ✅ MIT |
openclaw trades security for capability. nucleus gives you both. nucleus connects ALL your platforms with one shared brain.
🚀 Quick Start (2 Minutes)
1. Install
2. Initialize (Smart Config)
The nucleus-init command automatically detects your system and configures Claude Desktop for you.
# Create your .brain/ and auto-configure Claude Desktop
nucleus-init3. Ask Claude
Restart Claude Desktop and try:
"Use the cold_start prompt from nucleus to see our current sprint focus."
You will see the Sovereign Brain Card: a live dashboard of your engrams, tasks, and connected tools.
v1.0.7+: Smart Init automatically detects your OS and provides the exact config block for your editor.
Configuration (Claude Desktop)
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"nucleus": {
"command": "python3",
"args": ["-m", "nucleus_mcp"],
"env": {
"NUCLEAR_BRAIN_PATH": "/path/to/your/.brain"
}
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop and try: "What's my current sprint focus?"
Configuration (Windsurf)
Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"nucleus": {
"command": "python3",
"args": ["-m", "nucleus_mcp"],
"env": {
"NUCLEAR_BRAIN_PATH": "/path/to/your/.brain"
}
}
}
}Configuration (Cursor)
Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"nucleus": {
"command": "python3",
"args": ["-m", "nucleus_mcp"],
"env": {
"NUCLEAR_BRAIN_PATH": "/path/to/your/.brain"
}
}
}
}❓ Troubleshooting
"Show me all tasks" returns nothing? Check your config pointer! You might be pointing to an old or temp brain.
- Check config: Open
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json - Verify path: Ensure
NUCLEAR_BRAIN_PATHpoints to your active project (e.g.,/Users/me/my-project/.brain) - Restart: You MUST restart Claude Desktop after any config change.
✨ Core Features (Included)
- Persistent Engrams —
brain_write_engram/brain_query_engrams(Vector-lite). - Audit Ledger — Immutable SHA-256 logs of every action (
brain_audit_log). - Recursive Mounting —
brain_mount_server(Basic). - Local Sovereignty — Zero cloud. All data in
~/.nucleus/brain.
🔄 Multi-Agent Sync (New in v0.7.0)
The killer feature: Multiple agents, one brain.
# Agent A (Claude Desktop) makes a decision brain_sync_now() # Syncs to shared .brain/ # Agent B (Cursor) automatically sees it brain_sync_status() # Shows last sync, active agents
Features:
- Intent-Aware Locking — Files locked with WHO/WHEN/WHY metadata
- Conflict Detection — Last-write-wins with manual resolution option
- Auto-Sync — Optional file watcher for real-time sync
- Audit Trail — Every sync logged to events.jsonl
🛠 Tool Categories
🧠 Core (Public)
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
brain_write_engram |
Store persistent knowledge |
brain_query_engrams |
Retrieve knowledge |
brain_audit_log |
Verify ledger integrity |
brain_mount_server |
Mount sub-MCP servers |
🔄 Sync Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
brain_sync_now |
Manually trigger brain sync |
brain_sync_status |
Check sync state and conflicts |
brain_sync_auto |
Enable/disable auto-sync |
brain_identify_agent |
Register agent identity |
🔒 Enterprise Features
| Feature | Capabilities |
|---|---|
| Audit Logs | Full decision trail with context hashing |
| RBAC | Role-based access control (coming soon) |
| SSO | Enterprise SSO integration (coming soon) |
| Compliance | SOC2/HIPAA export reports (coming soon) |
❓ How is Nucleus Different?
See the full comparison: Nucleus vs ContextStream vs mem0 vs OpenClaw →
| Nucleus | ContextStream | mem0 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 100% Local (Git-native) | Cloud SaaS | Cloud API |
| Audit Trail | ✅ Full | ❌ | ❌ |
| Governance | ✅ Policy engine | ❌ | ❌ |
| Pricing | Free (MIT) | Freemium → Paid | Freemium → Paid |
🤝 Community & Contributing
We're building the universal brain for AI agents. Join us!
- 🐛 Found a bug? Open an Issue
- 💡 Feature idea? Start a Discussion
- 🔧 Want to contribute? See CONTRIBUTING.md
- 💬 Join Discord — discord.gg/nucleus (coming soon)
�📜 License
MIT © Nucleus Team
Built for the AI-native developer. Star us on GitHub if Nucleus saves you from context amnesia! ⭐