Design decisions, remembered by SQL — an MCP server for AI agents

Every AI coding session starts from scratch. Your agent doesn't remember that you chose PostgreSQL over MongoDB last week, or that the team agreed on a specific API versioning strategy. Without persistent memory, agents repeat mistakes, contradict earlier decisions, and waste tokens re-discovering context.

sqlew stores your architectural decisions in a structured SQL database. When a new session starts, the AI agent queries past decisions in milliseconds — not by reading through scattered Markdown files, but through efficient SQL lookups with metadata, tags, and similarity detection.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Before sqlew                 │  After sqlew                │
│───────────────────────────────│─────────────────────────────│
│  Session 1: "Use PostgreSQL"  │  Session 1: "Use PostgreSQL"│
│  Session 2: "Use MongoDB?"    │    → decision recorded      │
│  Session 3: "Use PostgreSQL"  │  Session 2: query → got it  │
│  (same debate, every time)    │  Session 3: query → got it  │
│                               │    (instant recall)         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

sqlew is built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), so it works with any MCP-compatible AI coding tool.

This software does not send any data to external networks. We NEVER collect any data or usage statistics.

npm install -g sqlew

Choose the setup that matches your environment:

claude plugin marketplace add sqlew-io/sqlew-plugin
claude plugin install sqlew

The plugin automatically configures MCP server, Skills (Plan Mode guidance), and Hooks (automatic decision capture).

See sqlew-codex for Codex CLI integration.

Add to .mcp.json in your project root:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "sqlew": {
            "command": "sqlew"
        }
    }
}

The database (~/.config/sqlew/sqlew-shared.db) and config are auto-created on first run. See Shared Database for details.

That's it. Every time you create a plan and get user approval, your architectural decisions are automatically recorded.

No special commands needed — just plan your work normally, and sqlew captures the decisions in the background.

• Structured Records — Decisions stored as relational data with metadata, tags, layers, and version history
• Fast Queries — 2-50ms retrieval via SQL, even with thousands of decisions
• Duplicate Detection — Three-tier similarity scoring (0-100) prevents redundant decisions
• Constraint Tracking — Architectural rules and principles as first-class entities
• Auto-Capture — Hooks automatically record decisions from Plan Mode (Claude Code plugin)
• Multi-Database — SQLite (default), PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, or Cloud
• Git Worktree Ready — Each worktree shares the same context database

Connect to sqlew.io for team-shared decisions:

Step 1: Get your API key

Visit sqlew.io and save your API key:

# ~/.config/sqlew/.sqlew.env (shared across all projects)
SQLEW_API_KEY=your-api-key

Step 2: Configure each project

# .sqlew/config.toml
[database]
type = "cloud"

[project]
name = "your-project-name"

Benefits:

• All team members share the same decision database
• Works seamlessly with Git worktree workflows
• No local database setup required

• Architecture Evolution — Document major decisions with full context and alternatives considered
• Pattern Standardization — Establish coding patterns as constraints, enforce via AI code generation
• Cross-Session Continuity — AI maintains context across days/weeks without re-reading docs
• Multi-Agent Coordination — Multiple AI agents share architectural understanding
• Onboarding Acceleration — New AI sessions instantly understand project history

• Migrating to SaaS — Export local data to sqlew.io cloud

7 action-based tools: decision, constraint, suggest, help, example, use_case, queue

All tools support action: "help" for documentation.

Support development via GitHub Sponsors.

Current version: 5.0.8

See CHANGELOG.md for release history.

What's New in v5.0.8:

• PR ADR enforcement — PreToolUse Hook blocks gh pr create without ADR markers, file-grouped format
• Codex CLI support — Works beyond Claude Code via sqlew-codex
• Plugin-first architecture — Simplified setup via sqlew-plugin
• Cloud backend — Connect to sqlew.io for team-shared decisions

Apache License 2.0 — Free for commercial and personal use. See LICENSE for details.

• npm package
• GitHub
• Issues
• Model Context Protocol

Built with MCP SDK, better-sqlite3, and TypeScript.