CKB — Code Knowledge Backend

Turn your codebase into a queryable knowledge base: search, impact analysis, ownership, dead code — via MCP.

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Add to your client

Copy the config for your MCP client and paste it into its config file.

Install / run

npx @tastehub/ckb setup

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ckb-code-knowledge-backend": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@tastehub/ckb",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step-by-step guides: Add to Claude Desktop · Add to Cursor · Add to Windsurf

Before you start

Node.js 16+ and Git (npm install path), OR Go 1.21+ and Git (build from source)
Optional: a SCIP indexer for your language (scip-go, scip-typescript, etc.) — run `ckb index` to auto-install; without it CKB falls back to tree-sitter basic mode
Optional: LIP v2.0 semantic embedding daemon (requires Rust/cargo) for best search quality
Run `ckb init` in your project, then `ckb setup` to generate the MCP config

About CKB — Code Knowledge Backend

CKB orchestrates multiple code-intelligence backends — SCIP (pre-indexed symbol data), LSP (real-time language server queries), Git (blame, history, churn, ownership), and the optional LIP semantic embedding daemon — merging and compressing results for LLM context limits. It maintains persistent knowledge across sessions: a module registry, ownership registry (CODEOWNERS + git-blame with time decay), hotspot tracker, and a decision log (ADRs). The MCP server exposes 80+ tools but starts with a 14-tool 'core' preset (~1k tokens) to minimize context overhead, with additional workflow presets and a dynamic expandToolset tool.

Tools & capabilities (10)

explore

Compound area exploration: returns symbols, dependencies, and hotspots for a region of code in a single call.

understand

Compound symbol deep-dive: references, callers, and an explanation for a given symbol in one call.

prepareChange

Pre-change analysis: impact (blast radius), affected tests, and risk scoring before you modify code.

batchGet

Fetch up to 50 symbols at once.

batchSearch

Run up to 10 symbol searches at once.

expandToolset

Dynamically expand the active MCP toolset mid-session beyond the loaded preset.

searchSymbols

Semantic / symbol search across the codebase; supports SSE streaming with real-time progress.

findReferences

Find references to a symbol (who calls / uses it); supports SSE streaming with real-time progress.

compareAPI

Detect breaking API changes between versions for impact and safety analysis.

findDeadCode

Confidence-scored dead code detection.

When to use it

Ask an AI assistant 'what breaks if I change this?' and get a precise blast radius with a risk score instead of grepping
Get data-driven reviewer suggestions and ownership for a PR from CODEOWNERS + git blame
Run only the tests affected by a change rather than the whole suite
Detect dead code with confidence scores before deleting it
Scan for exposed secrets and credentials across the repo
Navigate architecture, call graphs, and module boundaries semantically during AI-assisted refactoring

Security notes

The MCP server runs locally over stdio with no auth. CKB performs static analysis on your local repository; it includes secret/credential scanning (26 patterns) with allowlists. The HTTP/index-server mode (not the MCP path) supports Bearer API tokens (ckb_xxx) for remote uploads. CKB is static analysis, not runtime analysis — verify critical decisions against the actual code.

CKB — Code Knowledge Backend FAQ

How do I connect CKB to Claude Code?

Run `npx @tastehub/ckb setup` in your project (or `--global`), which creates the .mcp.json automatically. You can also run `claude mcp add --transport stdio ckb -- npx @tastehub/ckb mcp`, or add the mcpServers block manually.

Why does the MCP server only show 14 tools when it has 80+?

CKB defaults to the 'core' preset (14 essential tools, ~1k tokens) to reduce context overhead by up to 83%. Use --preset (review, refactor, federation, docs, ops, full) to load more, or the expandToolset tool to expand mid-session.

Do I need a SCIP index?

No — CKB works in basic mode using tree-sitter parsing. With a SCIP index (run `ckb index`) you also get cross-file references, precise impact analysis, and call-graph navigation. Incremental indexing is Go-only; other languages require a full reindex.

Which languages are supported?

Tier 1 (full): Go. Tier 2: TypeScript, JavaScript, Python. Tier 3 (basic): Rust, Java, Kotlin, C++, Ruby, Dart. Tier 4 (experimental): C#, PHP.

Is CKB free?

Free for personal use, open source projects, and businesses under $25k annual revenue. A commercial license is required for organizations at $25k+ annual revenue.

#code-intelligence #code-navigation #impact-analysis #scip #lsp #refactoring #code-review #ownership #dead-code #go

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