How to Install Codebase-Memory-MCP: Complete Setup Guide for macOS, Linux, and Windows

Run the official one-line installer to download the SHA-256 verified binary to ~/.local/bin and automatically configure detected AI coding agents including Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Gemini CLI.

codebase-memory-mcp from the DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp repository is a single static binary that indexes your repository into a knowledge graph and exposes 14 MCP tools for AI coding agents. The installation process uses automated scripts that detect your operating system and architecture, verify cryptographic checksums, and optionally configure your development environment.

One-Line Installation (Quick Start)

The fastest way to install Codebase-Memory-MCP uses the official installer scripts hosted in the repository.

macOS and Linux

Run the Bash installer directly from GitHub:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.sh | bash

This command downloads install.sh, detects your OS and CPU architecture, downloads the appropriate .tar.gz archive from the latest release, verifies the SHA-256 checksum, and extracts the binary to ~/.local/bin.

Windows PowerShell

For Windows systems, download and execute the PowerShell installer:

# Download the installer

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.ps1 -OutFile install.ps1

# Unblock and execute

Unblock-File .\install.ps1
.\install.ps1

The install.ps1 script mirrors the Bash installer functionality, handling ZIP archives and installing to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\codebase-memory-mcp by default.

Installation Options and Customization

The installer supports several flags to customize the installation process.

Install the UI Variant

To include the 3-D graph visualizer, add the --ui flag:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --ui

This downloads the *_ui-*.tar.gz archive instead of the standard binary, enabling the web-based visualization interface.

Custom Installation Directory

Specify a custom installation path using the --dir flag:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --dir=/opt/cbm

This extracts the binary to /opt/cbm rather than the default ~/.local/bin.

Skip Automatic Agent Configuration

If you prefer manual configuration, use --skip-config:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --skip-config

The script still downloads and verifies the binary but does not modify any *.mcp.json configuration files.

Manual Installation Method

If you prefer not to run the automated installer, manually download and extract the binary:

1. Navigate to the latest release page at https://github.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/releases/latest.
2. Download the appropriate archive for your platform (e.g., codebase-memory-mcp-linux-amd64.tar.gz or codebase-memory-mcp-darwin-arm64.tar.gz).
3. Extract the archive and run the embedded install.sh (or install.ps1 on Windows) to complete setup.

How the Installer Works (Behind the Scenes)

The install.sh script performs several safety checks and platform-specific operations.

OS and Architecture Detection

The detect_os() function in install.sh maps uname -s output to platform identifiers (darwin for macOS, linux for Linux), while detect_arch() identifies arm64, aarch64, x86_64, and amd64 architectures, including Rosetta detection on Mac systems.

Checksum Verification

Before extraction, the script downloads checksums.txt from the same GitHub release and validates the SHA-256 hash of the downloaded archive against the expected value. This prevents installation of corrupted or tampered binaries.

macOS Code-Signing Fix

On macOS, the installer automatically clears quarantine attributes and applies ad-hoc code signing:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /path/to/binary
codesign --sign - /path/to/binary

This step prevents "damaged binary" warnings on macOS Gatekeeper-protected systems.

Agent Configuration

The script calls the installed binary with codebase-memory-mcp install -y to auto-detect and configure Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and VS Code MCP settings. Configuration failures are logged but do not halt the installation.

Verify Your Installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the binary version:

codebase-memory-mcp --version

Expected output:

codebase-memory-mcp version 0.8.3 (2026-07-04)

If the installer reported that the target directory is not in your $PATH, add it to your shell configuration:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

source ~/.bashrc

Summary

• Quick install: Use curl with install.sh (macOS/Linux) or install.ps1 (Windows) for automated setup.
• Safety first: The installer verifies SHA-256 checksums and uses HTTPS for all downloads.
• Customization: Use --ui for the visualizer, --dir for custom paths, and --skip-config to disable agent setup.
• macOS compatibility: Automatic code-signing fixes prevent Gatekeeper issues.
• Verification: Run codebase-memory-mcp --version to confirm successful installation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Codebase-Memory-MCP install by default?

On macOS and Linux, the binary installs to ~/.local/bin. On Windows, it installs to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\codebase-memory-mcp. You can override these locations using the --dir flag during installation.

How do I install the UI variant with the 3-D graph visualizer?

Append the --ui flag to the installer command: curl ... | bash -s -- --ui. This downloads the UI-enabled archive containing the graph visualization interface, which you can launch with codebase-memory-mcp --ui=true --port=9749.

What if the installer warns that the directory is not in PATH?

The install.sh script checks whether the installation directory exists in your $PATH environment variable. If missing, add export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" to your shell's startup file (.bashrc, .zshrc, or .profile) and reload the configuration with source ~/.bashrc.

Is the installer script safe to run?

Yes. The install.sh script enforces HTTPS downloads, validates SHA-256 checksums against the official release, and runs the binary with --version before completing. Review the script at https://github.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/blob/main/install.sh before execution if desired.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}