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Index Server

Indexes governed AI instructions over MCP with search, CRUD, validation, versioning, audit trails, and optional semantic search.

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Install Index Server

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "index-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@jagilber-org/index-server@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Install not yet sandbox-tested— we haven't run this command through our automated sandbox yet. Not a red flag; we're working through the catalog.

Overview

The index-server MCP server gives AI agents access to a persistent, governed knowledge base for instructions and reusable guidance. It supports searching, reading, adding, updating, deleting, validating, and promoting indexed content across sessions and repositories, with versioning, audit trails, and approval workflows. Run it locally with npx, from source, or in Docker; enable the optional dashboard for monitoring and semantic search when agents need shared, durable knowledge.

Use cases

  • Search shared instructions across repositories
  • Validate guidance before adding it to the catalog
  • Promote reusable repository knowledge
  • Monitor catalog health and usage
  • Enable semantic search for related instructions

Key features

  • MCP-based instruction search and retrieval
  • CRUD operations for indexed knowledge
  • Validation and approval workflows
  • Versioning and audit trails
  • Optional dashboard with drift detection
  • Optional embedding-based semantic search

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked Today

Recent health check succeeded.

7/7 checks healthy over the last 41d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 14d ago via OSV.dev · @jagilber-org/index-server@latest (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

npm downloads205Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit1mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.

How Index Server works

What index-server does

The index-server MCP server provides AI agents with a persistent catalog of instructions and reusable knowledge. Agents can search and read entries, contribute new content, modify or remove existing records, and validate material before it is used. The catalog is intended to support governance across sessions and repositories rather than keeping guidance only in a single chat or project.

Entries can carry version history and audit information, and the server supports approval workflows. Repository-specific knowledge can be promoted into the shared catalog with promote_from_repo.

An optional administrative dashboard exposes catalog health, usage analytics, and drift detection. It can run over HTTP or HTTPS, including with a generated self-signed certificate.

How it works

Agents connect through the Model Context Protocol. A typical workflow searches first with index_search, then retrieves a selected instruction using index_dispatch with action="get". Reusable knowledge can be added with index_add, or promoted from a repository with promote_from_repo after local validation.

The server stores its data in a configured instruction directory. Set INDEX_SERVER_DIR to a stable location outside editor and MCP configuration paths so the catalog can be backed up independently. Searches use normal indexing by default. Setting INDEX_SERVER_SEMANTIC_ENABLED to 1 enables embedding-based similarity search; the first search downloads an approximately 90 MB model, after which searches use semantic mode automatically.

MCP clients can also discover read-only prompts and resources for setup, configuration, and verification. The available prompts are setup_index_server, configure_index_server, and verify_index_server. Guide resources include quickstart, client configuration, and verification documentation.

Setup and configuration

Node.js 22 or newer is required for the npx and source installation methods. The quickest setup uses the published package:

Terminal
npx -y @jagilber-org/index-server@latest --setup

The setup wizard can generate configuration for supported clients. To start the server with the dashboard, use --dashboard. Docker Compose is also available, with HTTP on port 8787 and a TLS profile that creates self-signed certificates. Source installation requires cloning the repository, running npm install, and building with npm run build.

The dashboard can create certificates with --init-cert, but openssl must be available on PATH. The README provides VS Code, Copilot CLI, and Claude Desktop configuration examples using stdio transport. The index-server MCP server can also be configured manually in an MCP client configuration file.

Tools and capabilities

The documented tool surface includes:

  • index_search for finding relevant indexed guidance
  • index_dispatch for retrieving an instruction by ID and dispatching actions
  • index_add for contributing knowledge
  • promote_from_repo for promoting repository content
  • CRUD and validation operations exposed through the broader MCP tool set
  • Prompts and resources for setup, configuration, and verification

Limitations and notes

Semantic search is optional and downloads a model on first use. HTTPS certificate generation requires an external openssl executable. The dashboard's generated certificates are self-signed, so deployment security and trust configuration require additional consideration.

The server requires Node.js 22 or newer for npx and source-based installation. GitHub Packages installation requires authentication with a suitable GITHUB_TOKEN, while the public npx path is presented as the recommended local option. The index-server MCP server should be treated as a governed snapshot catalog: agents should prefer current repository files over indexed content when both exist.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions about Index Server

index-server is an MCP server that connects AI agents to a persistent, governed knowledge base for instructions across sessions and repositories. Its main tools include index_search for finding guidance, index_dispatch for retrieval and actions, index_add for contributions, and promote_from_repo for promoting repository knowledge.

Install it with Node.js 22 or newer by running `npx -y @jagilber-org/index-server@latest --setup`. The wizard can generate MCP client configuration. You can also install from source after cloning and building the repository, or run it with Docker Compose.

Set `INDEX_SERVER_SEMANTIC_ENABLED` to `1` in the MCP server environment. The first search downloads an approximately 90 MB embedding model, and subsequent searches automatically use semantic mode without code changes.

Yes. The README includes stdio configuration examples for Claude Desktop and VS Code, and the setup wizard can generate client configuration. Copilot CLI configuration is also documented.

Set `INDEX_SERVER_DIR` to a stable instruction-data folder, such as `~/.index-server/instructions` or `C:/mcp/index-data/instructions`. Keeping it outside editor and MCP configuration paths helps preserve the catalog during backups and reinstalls.

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