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Hi HN, I’m the author. Linggen is a local-first memory layer that gives AI persistent context across repos, docs, and time. It integrates with Cursor / Zed via

by linggen 10mo ago

Hi HN, I’m the author. Linggen is a local-first memory layer that gives AI persistent context across repos, docs, and time. It integrates with Cursor / Zed via MCP and keeps everything on-device. I built this because I kept re-explaining the same context to AI across multiple projects. Happy to answer any questions.

Y_Y 10mo ago
How can it stay on your device if you use Claude?
- linggen 10mo ago
  Good question. Linggen itself always runs locally. When using Claude Desktop, it connects to Linggen via a local MCP server (localhost), so indexing and memory stay on-device. The LLM can query that local context, but Linggen doesn’t push your data to the cloud. Claude’s web UI doesn’t support local MCP today — if it ever does, it would just be a localhost URL.
  - ithkuil 10mo ago
    Of course, parts of the context (as decided by the MCP server, based on the context, no pun intended) are returned to claude which processes them on their servers.
    - linggen 10mo ago
      Yes, that’s correct — the model only sees the retrieved slices that the MCP server explicitly returns, similar to pasting selected context into a prompt. The distinction I’m trying to make is that Linggen itself doesn’t sync or store project data in the cloud; retrieval and indexing stay local, and exposure to the LLM is scoped and intentional.
      - Y_Y 10mo ago
        That's fine, but it's a very different claim to the one you made at first. In particular, I don't know which parts of my data might get sent to Claude, so even if I hope it's only a small fraction, anything could in principle be transmitted.
        linggen 10mo ago
        That’s true — Linggen can’t control the behavior of Claude or any other cloud LLM. What it can control is the retrieval boundary: what gets selected locally and exposed to the model. If nothing is returned, nothing is sent. If a strict zero-exfiltration setup is required, then a fully local model would indeed be the right option.
        linggen 10mo ago
        I do have a local model path (Qwen3-4B) for testing. The tradeoff is simply model quality vs locality, which is why Linggen focuses on controlling retrieval rather than claiming zero data ever leaves the device. Using a local LLM is straightforward if that’s the requirement.

by linggen 10mo ago

Y_Y 10mo ago

How can it stay on your device if you use Claude?

linggen 10mo ago
Good question. Linggen itself always runs locally. When using Claude Desktop, it connects to Linggen via a local MCP server (localhost), so indexing and memory stay on-device. The LLM can query that local context, but Linggen doesn’t push your data to the cloud. Claude’s web UI doesn’t support local MCP today — if it ever does, it would just be a localhost URL.
- ithkuil 10mo ago
  Of course, parts of the context (as decided by the MCP server, based on the context, no pun intended) are returned to claude which processes them on their servers.
  - linggen 10mo ago
    Yes, that’s correct — the model only sees the retrieved slices that the MCP server explicitly returns, similar to pasting selected context into a prompt. The distinction I’m trying to make is that Linggen itself doesn’t sync or store project data in the cloud; retrieval and indexing stay local, and exposure to the LLM is scoped and intentional.
    - Y_Y 10mo ago
      That's fine, but it's a very different claim to the one you made at first. In particular, I don't know which parts of my data might get sent to Claude, so even if I hope it's only a small fraction, anything could in principle be transmitted.
      - linggen 10mo ago
        That’s true — Linggen can’t control the behavior of Claude or any other cloud LLM. What it can control is the retrieval boundary: what gets selected locally and exposed to the model. If nothing is returned, nothing is sent. If a strict zero-exfiltration setup is required, then a fully local model would indeed be the right option.
      - linggen 10mo ago
        I do have a local model path (Qwen3-4B) for testing. The tradeoff is simply model quality vs locality, which is why Linggen focuses on controlling retrieval rather than claiming zero data ever leaves the device. Using a local LLM is straightforward if that’s the requirement.