anchor-mcp

A portable agent working state server. Any AI coding agent drops anchor here.

Anchor is an MCP server that manages persistent working state for AI coding agents — tasks, plans, scratch notes, learnings, and project rules. It works with Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP-compatible agent.

Why?

Every AI coding tool has its own proprietary state directory (.claude/, .codex/, .opencode/). None of them share state. Anchor gives every agent a shared home base — the same active task, the same plans, the same memory — regardless of which tool you're using.

What it stores

Per git worktree, Anchor manages:

• Active task — what you're working on right now
• Plans — execution blueprints with linked issues and learnings
• Notepads — freeform scratch notes by topic
• Memory — tagged learnings, decisions, and patterns
• Rules — project-specific agent instructions

Quick start

Install

npm install -g anchor-mcp

Configure (Claude Code)

Add to .claude/.mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "anchor": {
      "command": "anchor-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Configure (OpenCode)

Add to ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "anchor": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["anchor-mcp"],
      "enabled": true,
      "environment": {}
    }
  }
}

Configure (Codex CLI)

Add to .codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.anchor]
command = "anchor-mcp"

Configure (Cursor / Windsurf)

Add to your MCP server settings:

{
  "anchor": {
    "command": "anchor-mcp"
  }
}

Tools

Anchor provides 6 grouped tools. Each tool accepts an action parameter:

Tool	Actions	Description
task_manager	get_active, set_active, complete, list	Manage the active task and task list
plan_manager	get, save, list	Manage execution plans with issues and learnings
notepad_manager	get, save, list	Manage freeform scratch notes by topic
memory_manager	add, search, list	Store and retrieve learnings, decisions, patterns
rules_manager	get, save	Manage project-specific agent instructions
promote_learning	(single action)	Promote plan learnings into project rules

Usage examples

Set an active task:

task_manager(action="set_active", description="Implement user authentication")

Save a plan:

plan_manager(action="save", name="auth-flow", content="# Auth Flow Plan\n\n1. Add login endpoint\n2. Add JWT middleware")

Add a memory:

memory_manager(action="add", content="Always use httpOnly cookies for JWT", tags=["auth", "security"])

Search memories:

memory_manager(action="search", query="authentication")

State directory

Anchor stores state in .anchor/ at your project root:

.anchor/
├── state.json              # Active task + task list (gitignored)
├── plans/
│   └── {plan-name}/
│       ├── plan.md
│       ├── issues.md
│       └── learnings.md
├── notepads/
│   └── {topic}.md
├── memory.jsonl
└── rules.md

Plans, notepads, rules, and memory are designed to be committed to git. state.json is machine-specific and should be gitignored.

License

MIT