MCP server · Developer tools
CTX MCP server
by halloffame12
Lets your AI map your codebase so it finds the right files and shows what a change would break.
CTX is a helper for AI coding tools that builds a map of your project's code. It reads your files once and keeps a local index of what is in them and how they connect. It is handy if you use an AI assistant on a codebase and want it to stop guessing file names or reading everything.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to something else. This one connects your AI to your local project folder, so it can look up files, symbols and dependencies for you. You ask a question, the AI calls this helper, and the helper reads the index it built and answers.
What this MCP server does
First you run a command that indexes your project, which means CTX reads your files and writes a small database under a .ctx folder. After that, when you ask your AI something about the code, the AI calls this helper instead of guessing. The helper looks in its index and returns the matching files, symbols, imports, or a ranked short list for your task. It can also tell you which parts of the code would be affected if you change something. Everything happens on your own machine.
Click to zoomWhat you can do with it
- Find where a function, class or file is defined
- See what a file imports and what imports it
- Check what would break if you change a symbol
- Get a short, ranked list of files that matter for a task
- See which files and symbols changed since the last commit
- Compare symbols between two points in your git history
- Get a body-less outline of a file to save space
Try asking your AI
- “Where is the create_user function defined?”
- “What would break if I change UserService.updateUser?”
- “Give me the files I need to look at to add pagination”
- “What changed in the code since the last commit?”
What it gives back to you
You get answers in the chat: lists of files and symbols, short explanations of why a file was picked, dependency and impact lists, and outlines of files without their full bodies. For some requests it returns counts, like how many files and symbols are in the index. When you ask for a context package, it comes back as a ranked set of files with reasons and an estimate of how much of your AI's reading budget it uses.
Before you start
What you need
- A project folder on your computer
- Node.js if you want to run it with npx, or you can install the ctx command another way
- Git if you want change and diff features
Good to know
It reads your source files and writes a local index, so only point it at projects you are allowed to index, and note that it can also run git commands to check changes.
Install it with your AI
Add CTX MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check CTX MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,066 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
Developers and anyone who uses an AI coding assistant on a real project and wants it to understand the code instead of guessing.
