@vemdev/mcp-server

Official VEM MCP Server — gives AI agents (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, etc.) durable project memory via the Model Context Protocol.

Agents can read tasks, record decisions, search context, and sync snapshots to the cloud — all through structured MCP tools.

---

Quick start

npx @vemdev/mcp-server@latest --api-key <your-api-key>

Get your API key from app.vem.dev → Settings → API Keys.

---

MCP host configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@vemdev/mcp-server@latest", "--api-key", "nk_your_key_here"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor / VS Code

Add to your MCP settings:

{
  "vem": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["@vemdev/mcp-server@latest", "--api-key", "nk_your_key_here"]
  }
}

---

Authentication

There are three ways to provide your API key, in priority order:

1. --api-key flag (recommended for MCP hosts)

Pass the key directly when starting the server:

npx @vemdev/mcp-server@latest --api-key nk_your_key_here

The key is saved to ~/.vem/config.json on first run, so subsequent starts without the flag will reuse it automatically.

2. VEM_API_KEY environment variable

Useful in CI or when you prefer not to store the key on disk:

VEM_API_KEY=nk_your_key_here npx @vemdev/mcp-server@latest

Or in your MCP host config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@vemdev/mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "VEM_API_KEY": "nk_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. vem login CLI (if you already use the CLI)

If you have the VEM CLI installed and have already logged in, the MCP server picks up the saved key automatically — no extra config needed:

npx @vemdev/cli@latest login nk_your_key_here
npx @vemdev/mcp-server@latest   # key is read from ~/.vem/config.json

---

Getting an API key

1. Go to app.vem.dev and sign in
2. Navigate to Settings → API Keys
3. Click Create key and copy the nk_... token
4. Pass it to the server via any of the methods above

---

Available tools

Tool	Description
get_active_tasks	List all active tasks in the project
add_task	Create a new task
start_task	Transition a task to in-progress
complete_task	Mark a task as done with evidence
update_task	Update task fields (title, status, priority)
delete_task	Delete a task
get_task_details	Get full details of a specific task
get_task_context	Get ephemeral context for a task
update_task_context	Update ephemeral context for a task
get_context	Read CONTEXT.md (project summary)
update_current_state	Update CURRENT_STATE.md
list_decisions	List recorded architectural decisions
add_decision	Record a new architectural decision
search_memory	Semantic search across project memory
ask_question	Ask a question about the project context
get_changelog	Read recent changelog entries
apply_vem_update	Apply a structured vem_update block
sync_push	Push a memory snapshot to the cloud
sync_pull	Pull the latest snapshot from the cloud
get_subtasks	List subtasks of a task
list_agent_sessions	List recorded agent sessions
save_session_stats	Save session stats for a task

---

Environment variables

Variable	Default	Description
VEM_API_KEY	—	API key (alternative to --api-key flag)
VEM_API_URL	https://api.vem.dev	VEM API endpoint
VEM_AGENT_NAME	mcp-agent	Agent name shown in the dashboard

---

License

MIT