Semble: A Local MCP Server for Claude Code with 98% Token Reduction
Semble is an MCP server that lets Claude Code search local codebases efficiently, returning only relevant code chunks instead of full files. It uses a hybrid of static embeddings, BM25, and a code-optimized reranking stack, all running locally on CPU — no API keys, no GPU, no heavy dependencies.
Installation
Install via uvx:
claude mcp add semble -s user -- uvx --from "semble[mcp]" sembleOnce installed, Claude Code can search any repo — local or remote — directly.
Key Details
- Token reduction: Uses ~98% fewer tokens than the typical grep+read approach.
- Performance: Indexes any repo in ~250ms, answers queries in ~1.5ms (all on CPU).
- Quality: Reaches NDCG@10 of 0.854 — 99% of the best transformer hybrid tested, while being ~200x faster.
- Benchmarked against: grepai, probe, colgrep, and other existing methods.
- Open source: Available on GitHub under the MinishLab organization.
Who It's For
Developers using Claude Code on large codebases who want to reduce token burn and latency while getting high-quality code search results without external API calls.
📖 Read the full source: r/ClaudeAI
👀 See Also
Introducing operate.txt: A YAML spec for AI agents navigating SaaS products
A developer created operate.txt, a YAML file hosted at yourdomain.com/operate.txt that documents screen details, loading states, irreversible actions, and step-by-step paths for AI agents using computer use features. The spec addresses issues like Claude asking 'is this broken?' during legitimate loading screens.
How Clawdbot Coordinates 6 AI Agents with a Production-Stable Work Queue
Clawdbot's team built a work queue system to coordinate 6 AI agents (design, code, marketing, ops) for their AI-operated store. The system features atomic task claiming, a state machine, retry logic with backoff, task chains, heartbeat tracking, and a daemon orchestrator.
Project Ledger: Human-in-the-Loop Memory System for AI Coding Agents
A GitHub project introduces a YAML-based ledger system where humans curate what AI agents remember about codebases. It includes a /ledger skill, UserPromptSubmit hook for automatic context injection, and Haiku auditor review.
Vibeyard IDE adds embedded browser for direct web UI editing with AI agents
Vibeyard, an open-source IDE for AI coding agents, now includes a browser tab session type that lets users click elements in a web UI and instruct an AI agent to edit them directly, eliminating selector guessing and component hunting.