Project Context Map MCP

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Give your coding agent a map before it starts wandering

Turn a repository into structured project memory for MCP clients like Claude Code, so they can query context, inspect only relevant files, and understand topology before touching code.

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Why This Exists

AI coding tools often begin the same way in a medium or large repo:

• they read too many files
• they spend tokens on unrelated areas
• they rebuild context from scratch every time
• they miss the real dependency chain behind a feature or bug

project-context-map-mcp fixes that by generating a lightweight project memory and exposing it through MCP tools.

Instead of:

scan everything -> guess -> open random files

you get:

index first -> query topology -> read sparse files -> edit with context

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What This Project Does

This package gives you:

• an MCP server for project-aware queries
• a CLI to generate and refresh repository memory
• a readable .project.md with topology highlights and change log
• a machine-readable .project-map.json
• a human-readable .project-map.md
• import/dependency relationships between files
• sparse file access limited to indexed paths
• MCP-assisted writes with automatic logging
• Claude Code setup helpers and skill generation

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At A Glance

Part	Purpose
.project.md	Main readable project memory for humans and agents
.project-map.json	Structured index used by tools
.project-map.md	Lightweight markdown summary
read_project_context	Returns .project.md
query_topology	Finds relevant files from natural-language queries
read_files_sparse	Reads only indexed files
write_and_log	Writes changes and appends to .project.md Change Log

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Installation

Option 1: Global install

Best if you want to use it across many repositories.

npm install -g project-context-map-mcp

Option 2: Local install

Best if you want it only inside one project.

npm install project-context-map-mcp

Requirements

• Node.js 20 or newer
• an MCP-compatible client such as Claude Code

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Quick Start

1. Generate the project memory

Run this from the root of the repo you want to index:

project-context-map-mcp refresh --project-root .

This creates:

• .project.md
• .project-map.json
• .project-map.md

2. Configure Claude Code for that repo

project-context-map-mcp configure-claude --project-root .

This creates or updates:

• .mcp.json
• .claude/skills/project-context-map/SKILL.md

3. Start the MCP server

If your client starts the server from .mcp.json, you usually do not need to run it manually.

If you want to run it yourself:

project-context-map-mcp serve --project-root .

4. Use it from your MCP client

Typical flow:

1. read the project context
2. query topology with a natural-language task
3. read only the matched files
4. make changes
5. refresh the map

Prompt examples:

• See PROMPTS.md for tested starter prompts for Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code Copilot Chat.
• For best results, use prompts that name the feature area, module, or source files you want the agent to inspect.

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MCP Config

If you want to wire the server manually, add this to your MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "project-context-map": {
      "command": "project-context-map-mcp",
      "args": ["serve", "--project-root", "."],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Generate it automatically

project-context-map-mcp print-mcp-config --project-root .

Write it into the repo

project-context-map-mcp configure-claude --project-root .

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CLI Commands

project-context-map-mcp serve --project-root .
project-context-map-mcp refresh --project-root .
project-context-map-mcp install-hooks --project-root .
project-context-map-mcp configure-claude --project-root .
project-context-map-mcp print-mcp-config --project-root .
project-context-map-mcp help

<details> <summary><strong>Command details</strong></summary>

Command	What it does
serve	Starts the MCP server over stdio
refresh	Regenerates .project.md, .project-map.json, and .project-map.md
install-hooks	Installs git hooks to keep the map refreshed
configure-claude	Creates repo-local Claude Code skill and .mcp.json
print-mcp-config	Prints the MCP config JSON without writing files
help	Shows command help

</details>

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MCP Tools

These are the main tools exposed by the server.

Core workflow tools

Tool	Purpose
read_project_context	Returns .project.md content
query_topology	Takes a natural-language query and returns matched file paths from the query index
read_files_sparse	Reads file content only for indexed paths
write_and_log	Writes file changes and appends an entry to .project.md Change Log

Additional tools

Tool	Purpose
get_project_summary	Returns summary, stack, modules, hotspots
refresh_project_map	Regenerates the project memory artifacts
get_module_context	Returns a focused view of one module
find_relevant_files	Legacy ranking-oriented file query
get_recent_git_changes	Summarizes recent git activity
explain_file_role	Explains a file’s role and recent changes

<details> <summary><strong>What each core tool returns</strong></summary>

read_project_context

Returns:

• .project.md path
• full markdown content

query_topology

Returns:

• matched file paths
• confidence score
• match reasons
• per-file dependencies
• per-file usedBy relationships

read_files_sparse

Returns:

• file content for indexed files
• safe errors for files outside the repo or outside the known topology

write_and_log

Returns:

• path written
• bytes written
• appended change log entry

</details>

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Recommended Workflow

flowchart LR
  A[Refresh project map] --> B[Read .project.md]
  B --> C[Query topology]
  C --> D[Read sparse files]
  D --> E[Implement change]
  E --> F[Write and log]
  F --> G[Refresh project map]

Example task flow

User asks:

Fix the login bug where session expires after refresh

Recommended agent behavior:

1. call read_project_context
2. call query_topology with the task
3. call read_files_sparse with the matched file paths
4. inspect only those files first
5. edit code
6. call write_and_log if using MCP-managed writes
7. call refresh_project_map

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Topology & Visual Graph

The project map is not only a file list. It also extracts internal relationships such as:

• JavaScript and TypeScript imports
• CommonJS require(...) usage
• basic Python import detection
• reverse usage information with used_by

That data is written into:

• .project-map.json
• .project.md

.project.md includes a Mermaid graph so markdown viewers that support Mermaid can render a visual dependency map.

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What It Generates

.project.md

The main working document. It includes:

• project summary
• key modules
• query index preview
• topology highlights
• Mermaid dependency graph
• running change log

.project-map.json

The structured source of truth. It includes fields such as:

• project_summary
• tech_stack
• modules
• files
• topology
• entrypoints
• dependencies
• recent_changes
• hotspots

.project-map.md

A shorter human-readable summary.

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Claude Code Setup

After running:

project-context-map-mcp configure-claude --project-root .

your repo will contain:

.mcp.json
.claude/skills/project-context-map/SKILL.md

The generated skill tells Claude Code to:

• consult project memory first
• avoid broad repo scans
• query relevant files before opening source
• refresh the project map after edits

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Git Hooks

If you want the map to stay fresh automatically:

project-context-map-mcp install-hooks --project-root .

This installs:

• post-commit
• post-merge
• post-push

Each hook refreshes the project memory after repository activity.

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Interactive Setup Guide

<details open> <summary><strong>I just installed it. What should I do next?</strong></summary>

1. Go to your repo root.
2. Run project-context-map-mcp refresh --project-root .
3. Run project-context-map-mcp configure-claude --project-root .
4. Open the repo in Claude Code.
5. Approve the MCP server from .mcp.json.
6. Ask the agent to use read_project_context and query_topology first.

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>I want to use my own MCP config instead of the generated one</strong></summary>

Use:

project-context-map-mcp print-mcp-config --project-root .

Then copy the JSON into your own MCP config file and adjust:

• server name
• command path
• working project root

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>I only want the package inside one repo</strong></summary>

Install locally:

npm install project-context-map-mcp

Then run through npx:

npx project-context-map-mcp refresh --project-root .
npx project-context-map-mcp configure-claude --project-root .

</details>

<details> <summary><strong>How do I know it is working?</strong></summary>

You should see:

• .project.md
• .project-map.json
• .project-map.md
• .mcp.json after Claude setup

You can also run:

project-context-map-mcp help
project-context-map-mcp refresh --project-root .

</details>

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Example Prompts For Your MCP Client

Tested prompt templates now live in PROMPTS.md.

Quick examples:

• Use the project context map first, then find the files involved in session refresh logic.
• Use query_topology to locate the files related to npm publishing, package configuration, and release safety checks.
• Use get_module_context for src and explain how the CLI and MCP server fit together.
• Find the files that control authentication and prefer source files over docs.

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Best Fit Repositories

• Node.js applications
• React apps
• Next.js projects
• mixed frontend/backend repos
• Python services
• large internal tools where AI agents are used often

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Local Development

npm install
npm run check
node src/cli.js refresh --project-root .
node src/cli.js serve --project-root .

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Current Limitations

• topology detection is strongest for JS, TS, and simple Python import patterns
• visual graph output is Mermaid markdown, not a full interactive web app
• natural-language ranking quality depends on file names, summaries, tags, and recent changes

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License

MIT