MCP server · Developer tools
Selvedge MCP server
by masondelan
Your AI can record why code changed and look up those reasons later, so you stop guessing.
Selvedge is a small tool that keeps a memory of why your code changed. When your AI assistant edits a file, it can write down the reason in plain words, and later you or the AI can look that reason up again. It is handy if you use AI to build things and keep forgetting what you were thinking last week.
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 another tool. This one connects your AI to Selvedge, a place where reasons for code changes are stored. So when you ask your AI about a function or a database column, it can check Selvedge and tell you what was decided and why.
What this MCP server does
You ask your AI something like why a column was added or what changed in a file. The AI uses this helper to talk to Selvedge, which keeps its notes in a small database file inside your project. Selvedge looks up the matching records and hands them back. Your AI then explains them to you in the chat, in normal words. If you are making a change, the AI can also write a new note into Selvedge so the reason is saved for later.
Click to zoomWhat you can do with it
- Ask why a specific column, function, route or dependency was changed
- See the last change to something and the reason given for it
- List all changes to a table or file over a period of time
- Search your project's change notes for a word like stripe or billing
- Group changes by task, for example everything done for add-stripe-billing
- Find decisions that might be worth revisiting because they are old
- Have your AI record a new reason right after it makes a change
Try asking your AI
- “Why was the user_tier_v2 column added?”
- “Show me everything that changed in the users table in the last 30 days”
- “What did we try before for the checkout route, and why did we reject it?”
- “Search my change notes for anything about stripe”
What it gives back to you
You get answers in the chat, usually a short summary with the date, who or what made the change, and the reason that was written down. Sometimes it is a list of changes, like all edits to a table or everything in one task. When your AI records a new reason, you get a short confirmation with the record it saved. It does not show you code diffs by itself; it shows you the why behind them.
Before you start
What you need
- Python installed on your computer
- The uv tool, which the README uses to install Selvedge
- An AI coding tool that supports MCP, like Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot, Gemini CLI or Windsurf
- A project folder where you want the memory to live
Good to know
Selvedge only stores the reasons people or AI assistants write down, so a saved reason may be wrong or incomplete, and it does not change or delete your code by itself.
Install it with your AI
Add Selvedge 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 Selvedge 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
People who build software with AI assistants and want to remember why changes were made, from solo side-project builders to teams keeping long-term codebases.
