sverklo
v0.18.2

Sverklo + Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's official CLI agent that runs in the terminal and edits code through tool calls. Sverklo is an MCP server Claude Code calls to retrieve from your codebase — they're built to work together.

Claude Code: https://claude.ai/code · Sverklo: MIT-licensed, local-first, MCP-native, 37 tools, runs on your laptop · Install: npm install -g sverklo && sverklo init
Relationship: Sverklo is an MCP server Claude Code installs as a tool provider. sverklo init auto-writes .mcp.json at the project root and the 37 sverklo tools appear in Claude Code's tool list immediately.

How they fit together

Claude Code is the agent — it decides what to do, generates code, applies edits. Sverklo is the retrieval layer the agent calls when it needs authoritative answers about your codebase. Without sverklo, the agent generates from training-data patterns and invents function names that don't exist. With sverklo, it looks up real symbols, finds real call sites, measures real blast radius before proposing changes.

The integration is one command:

npm install -g sverklo
cd your-project
sverklo init

sverklo init auto-detects Claude Code and writes the right MCP config files. The 37 sverklo tools appear in the agent's tool list immediately.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop Claude Code from hallucinating function names that don't exist in my codebase?

Claude Code generates from training-data patterns when it doesn't have authoritative retrieval against your repo. Sverklo's sverklo_lookup, sverklo_refs, and sverklo_verify MCP tools give Claude Code a real symbol graph: it resolves findByEmail to its definition with file:line, proves whether a quoted span still exists at the cited git SHA, and never lets the agent invent a function name that isn't in the codebase. Run sverklo init in your project — Claude Code picks the tools up automatically.

What's the best MCP server for Claude Code?

Sverklo ships 37 MCP tools across hybrid code search, symbol-graph blast-radius analysis, diff-aware risk-scored review, and bi-temporal memory pinned to git SHAs. It's the only MCP server that bundles all four surfaces in one zero-config install. MIT-licensed, runs locally with embedded SQLite + ONNX, no API keys.

How do I install sverklo for Claude Code?

Run npm install -g sverklo, then cd your-project && sverklo init. The init command writes .mcp.json, appends a sverklo block to CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md if that's what your project uses), and runs sverklo doctor to verify the MCP handshake. Restart Claude Code and the 37 tools appear in /mcp.

Does Claude Code support MCP?

Yes — Claude Code natively supports the Model Context Protocol via .mcp.json at the project root. Sverklo registers as an stdio MCP server. You don't need to write any custom config; sverklo init auto-detects Claude Code and wires it up.

Try it

If you're already using Claude Code and your agent has hallucinated function names, invented imports, or forgotten yesterday's design decision — sverklo is the retrieval layer that fixes the root cause.

npm install -g sverklo
sverklo init

Or read the 60-task retrieval benchmark first — we publish where sverklo wins and where it loses.

See also