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+ +### **Control what your AI can see.** + +**LeanCTX — Lean Context Engineering for AI agents** + +LeanCTX — short for **Lean Context** — is the context engineering layer for +AI agents. It runs as a single local binary between your agents and everything +they touch — your code, shell, data, and the model itself: it **decides** what +they read, **compresses** what they send (an optional local proxy shrinks every +request — system prompt, history and tool results — prompt-cache-safe), +**remembers** what they learn, **guards** what they touch — and **proves** what +they save with a signed, verifiable savings ledger. The result: 60–90% fewer +tokens. +Zero config required. +Local-first. + +| Problem | With LeanCTX | +|---------|-------------| +| Repeated file reads: ~2000 tokens each | Cached re-reads: **~13 tokens** | +| Raw `git status`: ~800 tokens | Compressed: **~120 tokens** | +| Every turn re-sends the whole history | Proxy compresses each request, **prompt-cache-safe** | +| Context resets every chat | Session memory persists across chats | +| No visibility into context usage | Real-time dashboard + budget control | + +--- + +

+ GitHub Stars   + CI + Security + crates.io + Downloads + npm + AUR + Pi.dev + License + Discord + X/Twitter + Opt-in Telemetry +

+ +

+ Website  ·  Docs  ·  Install  ·  SDKs  ·  Scenarios  ·  Demo  ·  Benchmarks  ·  Cookbook  ·  Security  ·  Changelog +

+ +
+ +--- + +> **Control what your AI can see.** LeanCTX — short for **Lean Context** — is the **context engineering layer** for AI agents: one local Rust binary that decides what your agents read, compresses what they send to the model, remembers what they learn, guards what they touch — and proves what they save. + +> Token savings are the receipt. Intelligence is the product. Works with **Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, Windsurf, Codex, Gemini** and 30+ other agents — no config needed. + +

See it in action:

+ + + + + + + +
+ Map-mode file read + compressed git output demo +
+ Read + Shell +
+ Map-mode reads + compressed CLI output + 		+ lean-ctx gain live dashboard demo +
+ Gain (live) +
+ Tokens + USD savings in real time + 		+ lean-ctx benchmark report demo +
+ Benchmark proof +
+ Measure compression by language + mode +
+ +

All GIFs are generated from reproducible VHS tapes in demo/.

+ +## Why developers use LeanCTX + +- **Longer useful coding sessions** — less context waste = more room for actual code reasoning +- **Lower API costs** — 60–90% fewer tokens on reads and shell output, cached re-reads cost ~13 tokens +- **No more "I already showed you this file"** — session memory persists across chats +- **Works with your existing setup** — one `lean-ctx setup` command, no config changes needed +- **Full visibility** — see exactly where your context window budget goes +- **Model-agnostic & yours** — swap OpenAI/Anthropic/Gemini freely; your context and memory stay local and portable, never locked in a vendor's black box + +--- + +

+ Saves you tokens? Give it a star — it helps others discover LeanCTX. +

+ +--- + +## Why now — own your context + +Models are converging on commodity. The durable edge isn't *which* model you call — it's your **context**: what your agents read, what they remember, and what you can prove. And the layer that optimizes and *owns* that context can't come from the vendor that bills per token or keeps your memory in a black box — it has to sit on your side. + +That's the shift behind "agent entities" that live in your chat and remember your company (Claude in Slack, ClickUp Brain): a **context login, not a model login** — you end up renting your own company knowledge back. LeanCTX is the opposite layer. It keeps the moat yours: local-first, portable (`.ctxpkg`), and model-agnostic — swap OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini without losing context or cache. **Own your context; don't rent it back.** + +--- + +## What it does — the four dimensions of context + +LeanCTX treats context as a managed resource, not an afterthought. One binary +covers the four dimensions that decide how well an AI agent actually performs: + +### 1. Compression — input efficiency + +Your AI agent reads files and runs commands. LeanCTX compresses both automatically. + +- **File reads**: 10 read modes (`full`, `map`, `signatures`, `diff`, `lines:N-M`, `density:X`, …) — cached re-reads cost ~13 tokens +- **Target density** (`density:0.4`): SDE-style budget compression — keeps the highest-entropy lines until ~40% of the original tokens remain, deterministic +- **JIT disclosure**: `signatures` carries line spans and points at `lines:N-M` for targeted expansion — outline first, bodies on demand +- **Shell output**: 95+ shell-output patterns compress git, npm, cargo, docker, kubectl, terraform and more (270 passthrough rules) +- **Tree-sitter AST**: structural understanding for 27 languages — not just text compression +- **Reversible by design (CCR)**: compression never *discards* content — pruned or truncated payloads move to a content-addressed store with a deterministic handle, so the model can pull the original bytes back on demand via `ctx_expand`, `ctx_retrieve`, an in-band marker, or `GET /v1/references/{id}`. [Five recovery paths →](docs/comparisons/vs-headroom.md#reversibility) + +### 2. Routing — the right fidelity per read + +Not every file needs the same depth. LeanCTX sends the signal, not the noise. + +- **10 read modes**: from full content down to AST signatures and entropy-filtered views +- **Adaptive `ModePredictor`**: learns the optimal read mode per file type from past sessions +- **`IntentEngine`**: classifies query complexity so simple lookups stay cheap + +### 3. Memory — context that persists + +Context doesn't disappear between chats anymore. + +- **Session memory (CCP)**: persist task/facts/decisions across chats — structured recovery queries survive compaction +- **Knowledge graph**: temporal facts with validity windows, episodic + procedural memory +- **Property Graph**: multi-edge code graph (imports, calls, exports, type_ref) powers impact analysis and search ranking +- **Yours, not the vendor's**: memory stays local and portable — export it as a `.ctxpkg` package and move it across machines or models, instead of locking it in a vendor's black box + +### 4. Verification — control what reaches the model + +Performance is accuracy, not just speed. You stay in control of the window. + +- **Context Manager**: browser dashboard with real-time token tracking, compression stats, utilization gauge +- **Budgets & SLOs**: profiles, roles, per-agent budgets, and throttling policies +- **Context Proof** (`ctx_proof`, `ctx_verify`): 4-layer verification engine with CI drift gates + +
+Full feature list (81 MCP tools) + +- **Web & Research** (`ctx_url_read`): pull a public web page, PDF, or YouTube transcript into context as compressed, citation-backed text — `facts`/`quotes` return claims with a confidence score + source URL, relevance-ranked research-compression distils to a token budget, SSRF-guarded (http/https only) +- **Graph-Powered Intelligence**: hybrid search (BM25 + embeddings + graph proximity via RRF), incremental git-diff updates +- **LSP Refactoring** (`ctx_refactor`): language-server-powered rename, references, go-to-definition via rust-analyzer, typescript-language-server, pylsp, gopls +- **Multi-Agent** (`ctx_agent`, `ctx_handoff`): agent handoff with context transfer bundles, diary system, synchronized shared state +- **Archive Full-Text Search** (`ctx_expand search_all`): FTS5-powered cross-archive search over all previously archived tool outputs +- **PR Context Packs**: `lean-ctx pack --pr` builds a PR-ready context pack (changed files, related tests, impact, artifacts) +- **Context Packages**: `lean-ctx pack create` bundles Knowledge + Graph + Session into portable `.ctxpkg` files with SHA-256 integrity +- **Context Time Machine**: `lean-ctx snapshot create|list|show|verify|restore|publish|import` — git-anchored, ed25519-signed snapshots of the layer state (lineage, ledger Φ, ROI, session) on an append-only timeline; replay them in the dashboard, `restore` to resume a session (and `--git` to check out the commit), or `publish`/`import` a signed snapshot to share it ([concept →](docs/concepts/context-time-machine.md)) +- **Observability**: `lean-ctx gain --live` for real-time savings, `lean-ctx wrapped` for weekly/monthly summaries (`gain --svg`/`--share` for a shareable card or self-hostable page), `lean-ctx watch` for TUI monitoring +- **Verified savings**: `lean-ctx savings` is an auditable, per-event ledger (tokenizer transparency, bounce-netting, tamper-evident SHA-256 chain) — local-only, on by default +- **HTTP mode**: `lean-ctx serve` for Streamable HTTP MCP + `/v1/tools/call` (used by the Cookbook + SDK) + +
+ +## Addons — run the ecosystem through one gateway + +You don't have to choose between LeanCTX and the other context tools you already +like. An **addon** wraps any MCP server in a tiny `lean-ctx-addon.toml` manifest; +LeanCTX runs it behind its gateway with one command, then treats what it returns +like your own reads instead of just proxying it. + +```bash +lean-ctx addon search memory # browse the registry by category +lean-ctx addon add headroom # installs the upstream package + wires the MCP server, on add +lean-ctx addon list # what's wired into your gateway +``` + +- **One command to add** — `addon add ` installs the upstream package via its native manager (uv, pip, cargo, npm, brew, dotnet) and wires the MCP server into your gateway. No fork, no recompile. +- **Folded in, not just proxied** — opt-in post-processing runs addon output through the same pipeline as your code: compress to a budget, spill oversized blobs to a `ctx_expand` handle, index into BM25 / graph / knowledge. Typed adapters route specific tools straight into `ctx_expand`, `ctx_callgraph` and `ctx_knowledge`. +- **Untrusted by default** — every addon's output is scrubbed for secrets and tagged untrusted before it reaches the model. Always on, not a flag. +- **You stay in control** — pin a machine or fleet to verified-only, an allowlist, or off entirely via one `[addons]` policy a single repo can't override. + +The registry spans compression (Headroom, Sophon), code intelligence (Repomix, +Serena), memory (Mem0, Cognee, Letta) and reasoning (Sequential Thinking). See the +**[addon guide](docs/guides/addons.md)** or [browse them all](https://leanctx.com/addons/). + +## Where it's going + +LeanCTX is growing from a single context *layer* into a full **cognitive context +layer** for whole teams: version-controlled context strategy, one unified graph, and a +governance layer across many agents. + +- **Context Time Machine → hosted history** — the snapshot engine, dashboard replay, restore, and signed file-based share/import have shipped (see above); next is a `ctxpkg.com` registry for hosted, versioned context history and a side-by-side model-view ｜ git-diff replay. The temporal axis through everything LeanCTX does — it *decides, remembers, guards, proves, and replays*. ([concept →](docs/concepts/context-time-machine.md)) +- **Context as Code** — declarative pipelines, profiles, and policies in TOML, versioned like infrastructure +- **Unified Context Graph** — code, tests, commits, CI runs, and knowledge entries in a single semantic graph +- **Agent Harness** — roles, budgets, and tool permissions for multi-agent governance +- **Context Observability** — SLOs on context consumption, anomaly detection, OpenTelemetry / Prometheus export + +The full roadmap lives in **[VISION.md](VISION.md)**. + +## How it works (30 seconds) + +LeanCTX works on **two planes** — what your agents *read* and what they *send to the model*: + +``` +read path: AI tool → (MCP tools + shell) → lean-ctx → your repo + CLI +wire path: AI tool → lean-ctx proxy → model provider (every request, compressed) +``` + +- **MCP server** *(read path)*: exposes `ctx_*` tools (read modes, caching, deltas, search, memory, multi-agent) +- **Shell hook** *(read path)*: transparently compresses common commands so the LLM sees less noise +- **Request proxy** *(wire path, opt-in)*: `lean-ctx proxy enable` puts a local proxy between your agent and the model that compresses **every request** — system prompt, full history and tool results — prompt-cache-safe, with measured USD spend. It can also pin **one reasoning-effort level across OpenAI, Anthropic & Gemini** (`proxy.effort`) without breaking that cache, cut **output** tokens with a cache-safe verbosity steer plus a measured holdout, and **relocate volatile fields** (dates, UUIDs, commit SHAs) out of the cacheable prefix so a stable system prompt finally caches. Every rewrite is reversible (content-addressed recovery) and byte-stable by contract. Same layer as a standalone request-compression proxy (e.g. Headroom) — you don't need one on top. +- **Property Graph**: multi-edge code graph powers impact analysis, related file discovery, and search ranking +- **Session memory**: persists state with structured recovery so long-running work never "cold starts" +- **Context Manager**: browser dashboard for real-time visibility into what's in your context window + +## Get started (30 seconds) + +```bash +# 1) Install (pick one) +curl -fsSL https://leanctx.com/install.sh | sh # universal (no Rust needed) +brew tap yvgude/lean-ctx && brew install lean-ctx # macOS / Linux +npm install -g lean-ctx-bin # Node.js +cargo install lean-ctx # Rust +pi install npm:pi-lean-ctx # Pi Coding Agent + +# 2) One-command setup for your agent +lean-ctx wrap cursor # or: wrap claude / wrap codex / wrap vscode + +# Done. Savings appear after your AI's first lean-ctx call. +lean-ctx gain +``` + +`lean-ctx wrap` installs shell hooks, registers the MCP server, sets up agent hooks, starts the daemon, and verifies the connection — all in one command. Undo anytime with `lean-ctx unwrap cursor`. + +
+Alternative: full control + +```bash +lean-ctx onboard # connect all detected AI tools (zero prompts) +lean-ctx setup # interactive wizard with every option +``` + +
+ +**Building from source on Windows?** Clone the repo and run `./install.ps1` in PowerShell — it builds the release binary and installs it into Cargo's bin directory (pass `-BuildOnly` to build without installing). + +
+Troubleshooting / Safety + +- Disable immediately (current shell): `lean-ctx-off` +- Run a single command uncompressed: `lean-ctx -c --raw "git status"` +- Only activate in AI agent sessions: set `shell_activation = "agents-only"` in `~/.config/lean-ctx/config.toml` +- Per-project config override: create `.lean-ctx.toml` in your project root (auto-merged with global config) +- Docker projects sharing `/workspace`: create `.lean-ctx-id` with a unique name to prevent context collisions +- Update: `lean-ctx update` +- Diagnose (shareable): `lean-ctx doctor --json` + +
+ +## Use it from your own code (SDKs) + +Beyond the CLI, lean-ctx ships published libraries so you can call it directly from your app. + +**Drop-in prompt compression — [`lean-ctx-sdk`](https://pypi.org/project/lean-ctx-sdk/) ([npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/lean-ctx-sdk)).** Compress a chat-style `messages` array before it reaches any model — deterministic and prompt-cache friendly; images, tool-calls and ids pass through untouched. + +```python +# pip install lean-ctx-sdk +from lean_ctx import compress +messages = compress(messages, model="claude-sonnet-4") +``` + +```ts +// npm install lean-ctx-sdk +import { compress } from "lean-ctx-sdk"; +messages = await compress(messages, { model: "gpt-4o" }); +``` + +Framework adapters included (LiteLLM, LangChain, Vercel AI SDK). → **[compress() cookbook](docs/guides/compress-sdk.md)** + +**Thin `/v1` contract clients — [`lean-ctx-client`](https://pypi.org/project/lean-ctx-client/) ([npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/lean-ctx-client) · [crates.io](https://crates.io/crates/lean-ctx-client)).** Wrap the full `/v1` tool, event and session API over the process boundary — never links the engine, so it stays stable as lean-ctx evolves. + +```bash +pip install lean-ctx-client # Python (imports as `leanctx`) +npm install lean-ctx-client # TypeScript / Node +cargo add lean-ctx-client # Rust +``` + +Start the server with `lean-ctx serve`, then point a client at it. → **[API reference](https://leanctx.com/docs/api-reference/)** + +## Real-world scenarios + +LeanCTX grows with you. Below are the journeys most people actually take — each +links to a complete, function-by-function walkthrough in the +**[Reference](docs/reference/README.md)** (every CLI command and all 79 MCP +tools are documented there). + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ +### 🟢 Your first 30 seconds +*"I just installed it — now what?"* + +```bash +lean-ctx wrap cursor # one-command setup for your agent +lean-ctx doctor # confirm you're wired up +``` +One command installs hooks, MCP registration, and verifies the connection. +→ **[Journey 1 — Setup & Onboarding](docs/reference/01-setup-and-onboarding.md)** + + + +### 📖 Coding every day +*"Stop re-reading the same files."* + +```bash +lean-ctx read src/server.rs -m map # API surface, ~13 tok on re-read +lean-ctx -c "git status" # compressed shell output +``` +Your agent reads less and searches smarter — automatically. +→ **[Journey 2 — Daily Use](docs/reference/02-daily-use.md)** + +
+ +### 🧠 Resume where you left off +*"My new chat forgot everything."* + +```bash +lean-ctx overview # task-aware project recap +lean-ctx knowledge recall "auth" # facts that survive resets +lean-ctx knowledge consolidate # import session + compact lifecycle +lean-ctx knowledge consolidate --all # compact every project store +``` +Session memory + a project knowledge graph persist across chats. +→ **[Journey 3 — Memory & Knowledge](docs/reference/03-memory-and-knowledge.md)** + + + +### 🗺️ Understand a new codebase +*"Where does this function ripple to?"* + +```bash +lean-ctx graph impact src/auth.rs # blast radius +lean-ctx smells scan # code-smell hotspots +``` +A multi-edge property graph powers impact analysis + ranked search. +→ **[Journey 4 — Code Intelligence](docs/reference/04-code-intelligence.md)** + +
+ +### 🔌 Providers & multi-repo +*"Pull in GitHub issues and our Postgres schema."* + +```bash +lean-ctx provider list +lean-ctx serve --root ./api --root ./web # multi-repo +``` +External data flows through the same consolidation pipeline. +→ **[Journey 5 — Advanced & Integrations](docs/reference/05-advanced.md)** + + + +### 🛠️ Keep it healthy +*"Update, fix, or cleanly remove."* + +```bash +lean-ctx doctor --fix +lean-ctx update +``` +Self-healing diagnostics; surgical uninstall that only removes its own blocks. +→ **[Journey 6 — Lifecycle & Troubleshooting](docs/reference/06-lifecycle.md)** + +
+ +### 🎛️ Take control of the window +*"Budget my context like a pro."* + +```bash +lean-ctx plan "refactor billing" --budget 8000 +lean-ctx compile --mode balanced +``` +Phi-scored planning + knapsack compilation + a context ledger. +→ **[Journey 7 — Context Engineering](docs/reference/07-context-engineering.md)** + + + +### 🤝 Run a team of agents +*"Planner + coder + reviewer on one repo."* + +```text +ctx_agent action=register role=dev +ctx_handoff action=create # baton-pass with full context +``` +Shared message bus, diaries, knowledge, and deterministic handoffs. +→ **[Journey 8 — Multi-Agent Collaboration](docs/reference/08-multi-agent.md)** + +
+ +### 🏢 Share across a team / CI +*"One shared index, headless in pipelines."* + +```bash +lean-ctx team serve --config team.toml +lean-ctx bootstrap # zero-prompt CI setup +``` +Scoped tokens, optional cloud sync, verifiable context gates. +→ **[Journey 9 — Team, Cloud & CI](docs/reference/09-team-cloud-ci.md)** + + + +### 🎚️ Tune & govern +*"Make it behave exactly how we want."* + +```bash +lean-ctx compression standard +lean-ctx harden # enforce token discipline +``` +Compression levels, tool profiles, themes, and rules governance. +→ **[Journey 10 — Customization & Governance](docs/reference/10-customization-and-governance.md)** + +
+ +### 📊 Prove the payoff +*"Show me the numbers."* + +```bash +lean-ctx gain --deep # savings, cost, per-agent, heatmap +lean-ctx wrapped # shareable recap (also: gain --svg / gain --share) +lean-ctx savings # verified per-event ledger (auditable; savings verify) +``` +All analytics live in the CLI/dashboard — never burning agent tokens. +→ **[Journey 11 — Analytics & Insights](docs/reference/11-analytics-and-insights.md)** + + + +### 📚 The full reference +*"I want to read everything."* + +Every command and all 81 MCP tools, organized as user journeys, plus +appendices for the [CLI map](docs/reference/appendix-cli-map.md), +[MCP tools](docs/reference/appendix-mcp-tools.md), and +[paths & config](docs/reference/appendix-paths-and-config.md). +→ **[Reference index](docs/reference/README.md)** + +
+ +## Supported IDEs & AI tools + +LeanCTX is a standard **MCP server**, so it works with any MCP-compatible client. Two integration modes are auto-selected per agent: + +| Mode | How it works | Best for | +|---|---|---| +| **Hybrid** | MCP for cached reads (~13 tokens) + shell hooks for command compression | Agents with shell access (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, ...) | +| **MCP** | All 80 tools via MCP protocol, no shell hooks | Protocol-only agents (JetBrains, VS Code, Zed, ...) | + +### Agent compatibility matrix + +| Agent | Hybrid | MCP | Setup | +|---|:---:|:---:|---| +| Cursor | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent cursor` | +| Claude Code | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent claude` | +| CodeBuddy | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent codebuddy` | +| Augment CLI / VS Code | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent augment` | +| Codex CLI | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent codex` | +| Gemini CLI | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent gemini` | +| Windsurf | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent windsurf` | +| GitHub Copilot | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent copilot` | +| CRUSH | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent crush` | +| Hermes | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent hermes` | +| OpenCode | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent opencode` | +| Pi | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent pi` | +| Qoder | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent qoder` | +| Amp | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent amp` | +| Cline | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent cline` | +| Roo Code | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent roo` | +| Kiro | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent kiro` | +| Antigravity | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent antigravity` | +| Amazon Q | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent amazonq` | +| Qwen | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent qwen` | +| Trae | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent trae` | +| Verdent | ● | | `lean-ctx init --agent verdent` | +| Aider | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent aider` | +| Continue | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent continue` | +| JetBrains IDEs | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent jetbrains` | +| QoderWork | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent qoderwork` | +| VS Code | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent vscode` | +| Zed | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent zed` | +| Neovim | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent neovim` | +| Emacs | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent emacs` | +| Sublime Text | | ● | `lean-ctx init --agent sublime` | + +> **Any MCP-compatible client** works out of the box — the table above shows agents with first-class auto-setup. + +### When to use (and when not to) + +**Great fit if you...** +- use AI coding tools daily and your sessions are shell-heavy (git/tests/builds) +- work in medium/large repos (50+ files / monorepos) +- want a local-first layer with **no telemetry by default** + +**Skip it if you...** +- mostly work in tiny repos and rarely call the shell from your AI tool +- always need raw/unfiltered logs (you can still use `--raw`, but ROI is lower) + +The honest fine print: the payoff depends on three levers — **reach** (own the +window via the proxy/engine, not just the `ctx_*` tool layer), **context +lifetime** (one long-lived session vs. a fresh process per phase), and +**provider pricing** (prompt-cache-priced vs. re-billed every turn). They stack +into a clear win where they line up and net to **break-even** where they don't. +See the [win vs. break-even matrix](docs/reference/14-performance-tuning.md#win-vs-break-even-at-a-glance) +for the full breakdown and how to tune for each case. + + + +## Demo + +Try these in any repo: + +```bash +lean-ctx read rust/src/server/mod.rs -m map +lean-ctx -c "git log -n 5 --oneline" +lean-ctx gain --live +lean-ctx dashboard # Context Manager (browser) +lean-ctx watch # TUI monitor +lean-ctx benchmark report . +``` + +- The repo ships the exact tapes used to render the GIFs in `demo/` +- Regenerate locally: + +```bash +vhs demo/leanctx.tape +vhs demo/gain.tape +vhs demo/benchmark.tape +``` + + + +## Benchmarks + +Real, reproduced numbers — never estimated. Measured on this repo with the GPT-4o +tokenizer (`o200k_base`); a tool that isn't installed is reported as such, never +guessed. + +| Read mode | Compression | Tokens (50 files) | Quality | +|---|---:|---:|---:| +| Raw read | 0% | 533.2K | 100% | +| `map` | **98.1%** | 8.0K | 78% | +| `signatures` | **96.7%** | 14.0K | 96% | +| Cached re-read | ~99.99% | ~13 tok | 100% | + +lean-ctx's **own cost is measured too**: the fixed per-session footprint it +injects (advertised tool schemas + MCP instructions) is ~2.1K tokens and +CI-gated via `lean-ctx doctor overhead --gate`, so it can only shrink. And the +long-lived proxy rail has a deterministic self-verify — +`lean-ctx benchmark dual-arm --json` replays a 15-turn session and prices it per +model (digest `f5ed145e61ce3689`, 99.4% input-side saving on cache-priced rails; +methodology: [bench/agent-task/r2](bench/agent-task/r2/README.md)). + +Accuracy isn't a vibe: the lossy stages are **CI-gated**. A model-free A/B gate +proves the JSON crusher keeps *every* gold answer while cutting tokens, and proxy +rewrites are byte-stable by contract, so Anthropic (90%) / OpenAI (50%) prompt-cache +discounts survive compression. A deterministic **off-vs-on testbench** +(`lean-ctx eval testbench`) extends the proof to *answers*: it runs pinned real repos +through a raw-dump baseline and through lean-ctx at an identical token budget, grades +free-form QA with an LLM judge and code with each repo's own tests, and emits +`FINDINGS.md` (tokens / turns / walltime / quality) plus a regressions file — with a +committed recorded subset that blocks CI on any regression. + +- **Latest snapshot**: [BENCHMARKS.md](BENCHMARKS.md) +- **Reproduce**: `lean-ctx benchmark report .` + +## By the numbers + +- **3,000+ GitHub stars** — and counting +- **280+ forks** — active community contributions +- **200+ releases** — shipped near-daily since launch +- **30+ supported AI coding agents** — broadest MCP compatibility +- **81 MCP tools** — from simple file reads to multi-agent orchestration +- Used in production by teams running Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex daily +- **Live adoption metrics**: [leanctx.com/metrics](https://leanctx.com/metrics/) — installs, stars and savings, updated continuously + +## Docs + +- **Reference (every function, by user journey)**: [docs/reference/](docs/reference/README.md) — 11 journeys + CLI/MCP/config appendices +- **For AI agents / LLMs**: [llms.txt](llms.txt) — a curated, machine-readable map of lean-ctx (per the [llms.txt](https://llmstxt.org) convention) +- Getting started: https://leanctx.com/docs/getting-started +- Tools reference: https://leanctx.com/docs/tools/ +- CLI reference: https://leanctx.com/docs/cli-reference/ +- What is LeanCTX: https://leanctx.com/what-is-leanctx/ +- Comparison (vs RTK, Context+, MemGPT): https://leanctx.com/compare/ +- Pricing & Cloud (local use is free forever): https://leanctx.com/pricing/ +- FAQ: [discord-faq.md](discord-faq.md) +- Feature catalog (SSOT snapshot): [LEANCTX_FEATURE_CATALOG.md](LEANCTX_FEATURE_CATALOG.md) +- Monorepo guide: [docs/guides/monorepo.md](docs/guides/monorepo.md) +- Architecture: [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md) +- Vision: [VISION.md](VISION.md) + +## Privacy & security + +- **No telemetry by default** +- **Optional anonymous stats sharing** (opt-in during setup) +- **Disableable update check** (config `update_check_disabled = true` or `LEAN_CTX_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1`) +- **40+ security hardening fixes** in v3.5.16 (path traversal, injection, CSPRNG, CSP, resource limits — [details](CHANGELOG.md)) +- **Context Governance Benchmark self-assessment**: graded **C2 — Managed** against the 32-control [CGB v1.0-draft](https://github.com/yvgude/context-governance-benchmark) spec, gaps declared — [docs/compliance/cgb-self-assessment.md](docs/compliance/cgb-self-assessment.md) +- Runs locally; your code never leaves your machine unless you explicitly enable cloud sync + +See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md). + +## Uninstall + +One command removes **everything** — it stops all processes, then deletes hooks, +editor configs, rules, autostart (LaunchAgent/systemd), the data dir, **and the +binary itself**: + +```bash +lean-ctx uninstall # full clean removal +lean-ctx uninstall --dry-run # preview every change, write nothing +lean-ctx uninstall --keep-config # keep MCP configs + rules (for reinstall) +lean-ctx-off # or just disable for the current shell session +``` + +No binary on PATH (or you used the curl installer)? Run the same removal from the installer: + +```bash +curl -fsSL https://leanctx.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --uninstall +``` + +If you installed via a package manager, `uninstall` removes everything it wrote and +tells you the one command to finish removing the binary: + +```bash +brew uninstall lean-ctx # Homebrew +cargo uninstall lean-ctx # cargo install +npm uninstall -g lean-ctx-bin # npm +pi uninstall npm:pi-lean-ctx # Pi Coding Agent +``` + +## Star History + + + + + + Star History Chart + + + +## Contributing + +Start with [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md). Easy first PR: propose a new CLI compression pattern via the [issue template](.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/compression_pattern.md). + +## License + +Apache License 2.0 — see [LICENSE](LICENSE). + + +--- lean-ctx: ctx_compose bundles search+read+symbols in one call --- \ No newline at end of file