whyline GitHub →

Git remembers what changed.
Whyline remembers why.

Local-first memory for AI coding sessions. Claude searches your past decisions before touching a file. No cloud. No auth. Just context.

npm install -g @malindar/whyline
Get started View on GitHub

You open a file. There's a decision from 6 months ago you don't recognise. The diff shows what changed. The commit message says "fix retention logic." But why 90 days? Why a background job and not a cron?

That context lived in an AI chat window — and it's gone.

Whyline captures it.

The loop

1

Start a task

Claude searches past memories and surfaces relevant decisions before touching any file.

2

Work and commit

Code as normal. Whyline stays out of the way until git commit succeeds.

3

Memory saved

Claude synthesises the session — intent, decision, tradeoffs — and saves it locally.

What you get

🗄️

Local-first

All memories stored in SQLite on your machine. No cloud, no account, no network call.

🔌

MCP-native

Integrates directly with Claude Code and Cursor via the MCP protocol. Zero new workflow.

🔒

Secret-safe

Every save runs automatic redaction. Tokens, keys, and credentials are never stored.

🛠️

Multi-tool

Works with Claude Code and Cursor today. Install with --tool claude or --tool cursor.

Up in three commands

1 — Install

npm install -g @malindar/whyline

2 — Wire up a repo

cd your-project
whyline install --tool claude   # or --tool cursor

3 — Verify

whyline doctor
✓  DB exists
✓  Migrations current
✓  whyline on PATH
✓  Inside a git repo
✓  MCP config
✓  Instruction file mentions Whyline
✓  MCP server starts

All checks passed. Whyline is ready.