💡imprint turns coding corrections into durable, portable markdown rules that AI agents recall before every edit. Go CLI + MCP for Cursor and other editors; built-in Shelves indexes project docs; Desk UI for audit. You talk normally—the agent maintains the vault.

Listed September 18, 2026

imprint

Portable markdown memory for AI agents

English · 中文

Durable preferences from normal conversation land in .imprint/memory/. You talk normally; the agent maintains the vault — classifies each turn, recalls before the next edit.

	When	Example
ADD	New long-term preference	Naming rule, workflow, architecture boundary
REINFORCE	Same policy again	“Yes, still PascalCase for exports”
SUPERSEDE	Policy changed	Narrow scope, widen scope, replace claim
IGNORE	Task-only turn	One-off refactor, chit-chat, secrets

When the user rejects a stored rule (“don’t record that”), the agent finds and calls forget — not one of the four classifications above. See Memory writes.

Vault stores claim, evidence, and optional doc pointers (sources). Shelves indexes markdown under roots for BM25 recall alongside rules.

Quick start

go install github.com/SteamedBread2333/imprint/cmd/imprint@latest
go install github.com/SteamedBread2333/imprint/cmd/imprint-mcp@latest
cd your-project && imprint init

Merge docs/examples/cursor-mcp.json into .cursor/mcp.json and restart the editor. CLI fallback: imprint --json.

	You	imprint
1	Install + `init`	Writes editor rules (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Trae, Workbuddy)
2	Speak normally	Agent `find` (vault + shelves) → classify → `add`/`reinforce`/… (optional `sources`)
3	Browser audit (optional)	`imprint up` → `imprint desk open`

flowchart TB
  U((User<br/>speaks normally))

  subgraph Agent["Agent · imprint-mcp"]
    direction TB
    F["find(scope, query)"]
    C{"Classify<br/>ADD · REINFORCE · SUPERSEDE · IGNORE"}
    W["add / supersede<br/>optional sources"]
    R["find again before coding · cite [r-id]"]
  end

  subgraph Store["imprint storage"]
    direction LR
    Vault[(".imprint/memory/<br/>claim · evidence · sources")]
    Shelves[(".shelves/.cache/<br/>roots doc BM25")]
  end

  subgraph FindOut["one find call"]
    direction LR
    FR["rules<br/>resolved_sources"]
    FD["documents<br/>snippet"]
    FL["links"]
  end

  subgraph Audit["Optional · human audit"]
    H((You)) --> Desk["desk · show"]
  end

  UP["imprint up"] -.->|host indexes| Shelves

  U -->|speak / task| Agent
  F --> Vault
  F --> Shelves
  Vault --> FR
  Shelves --> FD
  Vault --> FL
  Shelves --> FL
  FR & FD & FL --> C
  C -->|persist| W
  W --> Vault
  R --> F
  Desk --> Vault
  Desk --> Shelves

Before coding (sequence)

sequenceDiagram
  participant U as User
  participant A as Agent
  participant V as vault
  participant S as shelves

  U->>A: new task / continue coding
  A->>V: find(scope, query)
  V->>S: BM25 docs (when shelves on)
  V-->>A: rules · documents · links
  A->>A: code from imprints + excerpts
  Note over A: cite [r-id] and doc path

CLI

Global flags: --vault PATH · --global · --json (machine-readable stdout for agents)

Everyday — vault

Read and write the vault directly from the CLI.

Command	What it does
`imprint init`	Write editor agent rules
`imprint find [--scope a,b] [--query TEXT]`	Recall imprints (scope AND); with query + shelves → also `documents`, `links`
`imprint add CLAIM --scope a,b --text ORIG`	Create an imprint (MCP may include `sources` linking docs)
`imprint reinforce ID [--evidence TEXT]`	Strengthen a rule (+0.1 confidence)
`imprint supersede OLD --claim NEW --scope a,b`	Replace a rule; old → `superseded`
`imprint forget ID`	Delete permanently
`imprint list` · `show` · `get ID`	Browse and inspect
`imprint sweep` · `export`	Decay stale rules · dump JSON

imprint find --scope go,naming --query PascalCase
imprint add "Use snake_case" --scope python,naming --text "user said snake_case"
imprint get r-2026-09-11-001

Local stack

Command	What it does
`imprint up`	Start the local stack (vault API, shelves, enabled desk, …)
`imprint down`	Stop the local stack
`imprint desk open`	Open desk in the browser (requires `up` first)
`imprint status`	Snapshot of running services

imprint up && imprint desk open
# when done:
imprint down

After editing imprint.yaml: run down then up.

Advanced: split host / plugin control (debug)

Command	What it does
`imprint host start` / `host stop`	Host only (includes shelves)
`imprint plugin start` / `plugin stop`	External plugins only
`plugin list` · `enable` · `disable`	Toggle plugins in yaml

Shelves is top-level host config (shelves: in imprint.yaml). See docs/shelves-builtin.md.

Debug & advanced

Command	What it does
`imprint host serve [--listen ADDR]`	Foreground host (Ctrl+C)
`imprint migrate-shards [--dry-run]`	Import legacy `imprint-*.md` into `vault.db` (one-off)
`imprint clear --confirm --yes`	Delete every rule — irreversible
`imprint version`	Print version

Run imprint --help or imprint help <cmd> for full flags.

Vault layout

Default: ./.imprint/memory/ (walk up for .imprint/). --global → ~/.imprint. Override with --vault or IMPRINT_VAULT.

.imprint/
  imprint.yaml          # host + shelves.roots + plugins
  memory/vault.db       # SQLite vault (rules, evidence, edges, sources)
  .shelves/.cache/      # doc index under roots (SQLite, gitignored)
docs/                   # typical root
.cursor/rules/          # typical root

Rules live in memory/vault.db. IDs: r-YYYY-MM-DD-NNN. Status: active | dormant | superseded. supersede marks old rules superseded; sweep decays stale rules to dormant; forget deletes. Interactive rule graph: imprint desk open (host GET /graph).

Shelves & desk

	Where it runs	Config
Shelves	host	`shelves.enabled`, `config.roots` in imprint.yaml
Desk	External plugin	`plugins.desk` + imprint-desk-plugin

Shelves indexes markdown under roots in imprint.yaml (e.g. docs/, .cursor/rules/). Before coding, find(scope, query) returns vault rules, document snippets, and links in one call. Local BM25 index.

roots lists which directories enter the index — scoped recall and fast rebuilds. See docs/shelves-builtin.md.

Linking: Vault sources point rules at doc paths or headings; get r-… returns resolved_sources. Design: docs/imprint-shelves-linking.md.

One MCP mount (imprint-mcp). With shelves on and find + query, the response includes rules, documents, and links.

Install & release

docker pull ghcr.io/steamedbread2333/imprint:latest   # or GitHub Releases binaries
make install          # from clone
make publish V=X.Y.Z  # tag + CI → Release + GHCR

Local builds without a tag print devel.

Documentation

Topic	English	中文
MCP mount	docs/mcp.md	docs/mcp.zh.md
Editor `init`	docs/editors.md	docs/editors.zh.md
Shelves & linking	docs/shelves-builtin.md · docs/imprint-shelves-linking.md	docs/shelves-builtin.zh.md · docs/imprint-shelves-linking.zh.md
Write loop & scenarios	docs/correction.md	docs/correction.zh.md

MCP examples (merge manually): cursor-mcp.json · cursor-mcp-global.json

Go module

import "github.com/SteamedBread2333/imprint/pkg/imprint"

v, _ := imprint.Open("./.imprint/memory")
v.Add("Use gofmt", []string{"go"}, "gofmt", 0.6)
v.Find([]string{"go"}, "", 5)

MIT

This repo does not document an install step we could read. Check the README on GitHub.

Install with your agent

Paste this prompt into your agent. It reads this page and does the setup for you.

prompt

Read https://aiagentslisting.com/mcp/imprint to learn what the "imprint" MCP server does and how to install it. Add it to my coding agent's MCP configuration as documented on that page, then confirm the server connects and list the tools it exposes.

Agents can also browse this directory over MCP at https://aiagentslisting.com/api/mcp

This server doesn't publish a machine-readable tool manifest, and it doesn't expose a public endpoint we could ask. Connect the server locally to see what it exposes.

F18%

18 / 100 pointsGrade F

Required items: 1 / 32 of 9 checks passed

What's missing

Installation methodRequiredThe README documents at least one way to install or connect.
0/15
Exposes toolsRequiredThe server reports at least one tool, from its manifest or a live read.
0/15
Verified liveWe connected to the server and it answered a real MCP handshake.
0/20
Easy installA paste-ready client config (an mcpServers block) is documented.
0/12
Ships promptsThe server exposes at least one prompt template.
0/8
Ships resourcesThe server exposes at least one resource.
0/8
Claimed by ownerThe maintainer proved ownership of this listing.
0/4

All 9 checks (2 passed)

Installation methodRequiredThe README documents at least one way to install or connect.
0/15
Exposes toolsRequiredThe server reports at least one tool, from its manifest or a live read.
0/15
Has a READMERequiredThe repository ships documentation we could read.
10/10
Verified liveWe connected to the server and it answered a real MCP handshake.
0/20
Easy installA paste-ready client config (an mcpServers block) is documented.
0/12
Has a licenseThe repository declares a license.
8/8
Ships promptsThe server exposes at least one prompt template.
0/8
Ships resourcesThe server exposes at least one resource.
0/8
Claimed by ownerThe maintainer proved ownership of this listing.
0/4

Maintain this server? Claiming proves you own the listing and earns the last 4 points.

Claim this listing

Show this grade in your README

Paste this line near the top of your repository's README. The badge always renders the current score.

markdown

[![imprint MCP score on AI Agents Listing](https://aiagentslisting.com/imprint/badge.svg?variant=score)](https://aiagentslisting.com/mcp/imprint)

Alternatives to imprint

Nothing comparable is listed yet.

v1.2.1imprint v1.2.1Sep 18, 2026Release notes
v1.2.0imprint v1.2.0Sep 18, 2026Release notes
v1.1.2imprint v1.1.2Sep 17, 2026Release notes
v1.1.1imprint v1.1.1Sep 16, 2026Release notes
v1.1.0imprint v1.1.0Sep 16, 2026Release notes
v1.0.0imprint v1.0.0Sep 16, 2026Release notes

imprint

imprint

Quick start

CLI

Everyday — vault

Local stack

Debug & advanced

Vault layout

Shelves & desk

Install & release

Documentation

Go module

Install with your agent

What's missing

Show this grade in your README

Alternatives to imprint

Send this prompt to your agent to leave a review

Subscribe to our newsletter

Latest articles