What Log Levels Are Available in codebase-memory-mcp: The Complete Developer Guide

The codebase-memory-mcp logging subsystem provides five ordered log levels—DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR, and NONE—defined in the CBMLogLevel enum in src/foundation/log.h, which filter output at runtime via cbm_log_set_level() or the CBM_LOG_LEVEL environment variable.

The codebase-memory-mcp repository implements a lightweight, hierarchical logging system designed for C applications. Understanding what log levels are available in codebase-memory-mcp is essential for configuring appropriate verbosity in production and debugging environments. The system defines five distinct severity levels in src/foundation/log.h, ranging from verbose debugging output to complete logging suppression.

The Five Log Levels Defined in codebase-memory-mcp

The logging granularity is controlled by the CBMLogLevel enum declared in [src/foundation/log.h](https://github.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/blob/main/src/foundation/log.h#L20-L26). Each level maps to a numeric value that determines filtering behavior:

• CBM_LOG_DEBUG (0): Verbose debugging information representing the most granular output.
• CBM_LOG_INFO (1): General informational messages and standard operational logs.
• CBM_LOG_WARN (2): Warnings indicating non-critical problems or recoverable issues.
• CBM_LOG_ERROR (3): Errors indicating failure conditions requiring attention.
• CBM_LOG_NONE (4): Special level that disables logging entirely.

The numeric ordering ensures that setting a higher threshold filters out lower-severity messages. For example, configuring the level to CBM_LOG_WARN suppresses both DEBUG and INFO output.

Programmatic Log Level Control

The runtime API allows dynamic adjustment of the global log threshold. The function cbm_log_set_level() defined in src/foundation/log.h accepts any CBMLogLevel enum value to immediately filter subsequent log calls.

#include "foundation/log.h"

/* Set minimum level to WARN - only WARN and ERROR messages appear */
cbm_log_set_level(CBM_LOG_WARN);

/* These calls are suppressed due to the current threshold */
cbm_log_debug("init.complete");
cbm_log_info("service.start");

/* These calls emit output to the configured sink */
cbm_log_warn("config.missing", "key", "database_url");
cbm_log_error("connection.failed", "reason", "timeout");

The implementation in src/foundation/log.c compares the current global level against the message level before formatting or outputting any text, ensuring zero-cost filtering for suppressed messages.

Environment Variable Configuration

For deployments where recompilation is impractical, codebase-memory-mcp supports the CBM_LOG_LEVEL environment variable. The helper function cbm_log_init_from_env() parses both textual identifiers ("debug", "info", "warn", "error", "none") and numeric values (0-4) at startup.

# Enable all debug output

export CBM_LOG_LEVEL=debug

# Or using numeric form

export CBM_LOG_LEVEL=0

# Run application with verbose logging

./my_application

The parsing logic resides in src/foundation/log.c (lines 14-27) and is validated by the unit tests in tests/test_log.c, which verify proper handling of case-insensitive strings and boundary values.

Implementation Architecture

The logging architecture separates interface from implementation. The header src/foundation/log.h declares the CBMLogLevel enum and public API functions including cbm_log_set_level() and cbm_log_get_level(). The corresponding src/foundation/log.c file contains the level comparison logic that determines whether a message qualifies for output based on the current threshold.

When a logging function such as cbm_log_warn() or cbm_log_error() is invoked, the implementation checks if the message's level is greater than or equal to the configured global level. This filtering occurs before string formatting to minimize overhead when messages are suppressed.

Summary

• codebase-memory-mcp provides five log levels: DEBUG (0), INFO (1), WARN (2), ERROR (3), and NONE (4).
• Control the global threshold programmatically using cbm_log_set_level() or via the CBM_LOG_LEVEL environment variable.
• The CBMLogLevel enum is defined in src/foundation/log.h with implementation logic in src/foundation/log.c.
• Level filtering occurs before message formatting to ensure efficient suppression of verbose output.
• Unit tests in tests/test_log.c verify environment variable parsing and threshold behavior.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the default log levels in codebase-memory-mcp?

By default, the codebase-memory-mcp logging system initializes to CBM_LOG_INFO (level 1), meaning DEBUG messages are suppressed while INFO, WARN, and ERROR messages are emitted. You can verify the current level by calling cbm_log_get_level() after initialization.

How do I disable logging completely in codebase-memory-mcp?

Set the log level to CBM_LOG_NONE (value 4) either programmatically with cbm_log_set_level(CBM_LOG_NONE) or via the environment variable using export CBM_LOG_LEVEL=none or export CBM_LOG_LEVEL=4. This disables all logging output including errors.

Can I use numeric values instead of names for CBM_LOG_LEVEL?

Yes, the cbm_log_init_from_env() function accepts both textual names (case-insensitive) and numeric strings. Valid numeric values are 0 (DEBUG), 1 (INFO), 2 (WARN), 3 (ERROR), and 4 (NONE). The parser handles string values like "0" and "4" identically to "debug" and "none".

Where is the log level validation implemented in codebase-memory-mcp?

The validation and parsing logic is implemented in src/foundation/log.c (lines 14-27), which converts environment variable strings to CBMLogLevel enum values. The enum definition itself is located in src/foundation/log.h (lines 20-26), and comprehensive testing exists in tests/test_log.c to ensure correct level handling across edge cases.

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