# claude-checkpoint-mcp [Health: Active]

**Category:** 💰 Finance & Fintech  
**Repository:** https://github.com/tenlean/claude-checkpoint-mcp  
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**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/claude-checkpoint-mcp

## Description
MCP server that checkpoints Claude Code session context to survive crashes and token limits

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **save_session_checkpoint** — Writes `<projectRoot>/.claude-checkpoint`.
- **load_session_checkpoint** — Read-only. Reads the checkpoint, checks for drift, and returns the brief.

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "claude-checkpoint-mcp": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","claude-checkpoint-mcp"],
    "env": {
      "CHECKPOINT_PROJECT_ROOT": ""
    }
  }
}
```

**Requires environment variables:** `CHECKPOINT_PROJECT_ROOT` — the values above are empty placeholders; fill in real credentials before running (see the repository for what each one is for).

## Documentation

## What claude-checkpoint-mcp MCP server does

The claude-checkpoint-mcp MCP server preserves working context for coding sessions that may not finish in one conversation. It writes checkpoint data to `.claude-checkpoint` inside the selected project and can later turn that data into a short markdown brief for a new session.

The saved state can include the current goal, completed and pending tasks, progress notes, next actions, decisions, failed approaches, important files, and relevant commands. This gives a new session a structured starting point instead of requiring Claude to rediscover the project state by rereading files and repeating exploration.

The checkpoint is local. The README states that session data is not sent elsewhere. Checkpoint files should be excluded from version control with an entry such as `.claude-checkpoint*` in `.gitignore`.

## How it works

`save_session_checkpoint` writes or updates the checkpoint for the project. Claude supplies the interpretation of the work, while the server records repository facts when Git is available: the branch, current HEAD, dirty and untracked files, timestamps, and content hashes for files with uncommitted changes. The server also redacts secrets before storing checkpoint information.

`load_session_checkpoint` reads the checkpoint without modifying it. It produces a compact resume brief and compares saved file hashes with the current working tree. Files whose contents changed after the checkpoint are reported as changed since the save, allowing Claude to focus follow-up inspection on those files. Git is optional, but drift detection is unavailable without it.

The server includes instructions that guide Claude to load a checkpoint at the start of a session and save after milestones, before risky operations, or when the conversation becomes long. Users can also request these actions directly.

## Setup and configuration

The project requires Node.js 20 or newer. Git is recommended for drift detection. To build from source, clone the repository, run `npm install`, and run `npm run build`; the resulting entry point is `dist/index.js`.

Claude Code users can install the repository as a Claude Code plugin, register the built entry point with `claude mcp add`, or add it to a project `.mcp.json`. A user-scoped configuration should use an absolute path because Claude Code may launch the server from different project directories.

Claude Desktop requires an entry in `claude_desktop_config.json` and an absolute path to the built server. Set `CHECKPOINT_PROJECT_ROOT` when Claude Desktop should use a fixed project, since Desktop does not provide a current-project context. Alternatively, the client can provide `projectRoot` when calling a tool. Restart Claude Desktop after changing its configuration.

## Tools and capabilities

- `save_session_checkpoint`: Stores the current session state in the project checkpoint file.
- `load_session_checkpoint`: Reads the checkpoint and returns a resume brief with drift information.
- Git branch and HEAD capture when the project is a Git repository.
- File-content hashing for changed, uncommitted files.
- A previous checkpoint backup is maintained as `.claude-checkpoint.prev`.
- Stdio transport for use with MCP clients that support local stdio servers.

## Limitations and notes

The claude-checkpoint-mcp MCP server does not replace version control or commit project changes. It records session context and repository facts, not a complete project backup. Git is optional, but using the server without Git removes its file-drift checks.

Claude Desktop needs an explicit project root or a `projectRoot` supplied in tool calls. The checkpoint files contain session information, so they should be kept out of the repository and handled according to the sensitivity of the work being recorded. The server runs locally and requires Node.js 20 or newer for the documented setup.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/claude-checkpoint-mcp/readme_