Chronicle MCP

What is Chronicle MCP?

Chronicle MCP is a production-grade Model Context Protocol server that syncs, cleans, formats, and indexes local artificial intelligence chat transcripts. It allows agents to search, compare, retrieve, and reference past conversation logs while using optimized token-saving heuristics that can reduce context window utilization by up to 40%.

How to use Chronicle MCP?

Install the server and run chronicle to launch the stdio transport for MCP clients. Use chronicle add to configure IDE integrations (Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code, Trae) with automatic path resolution, and chronicle split to break monolithic chat exports into individual files. Customize the storage folder with --chats-folder.

Key features of Chronicle MCP

• Format normalization engine for ChatGPT, Claude, generic JSON, and Markdown.
• Context token optimization with code block summarization and length limiting.
• Six versatile tools: search, read, sync, compile insights, maintain storage.
• Cross-platform path resolution for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
• Native IDE integration with fallback engine for emerging platforms.
• Structural split engine for large conversation JSON exports.

Use cases of Chronicle MCP

• Search and filter local chat transcripts by keyword, semantic similarity, or date range.
• Import and sync conversation exports from ChatGPT or Claude into a local archive.
• Compare two chat transcripts to identify shared and unique terms.
• Extract action items, task lists, and checkboxes from chat logs.
• Compile a project brief by synthesizing multiple chat summaries into one document.

FAQ from Chronicle MCP

Which chat export formats are supported?

Chronicle normalizes exports from ChatGPT (nested mapping nodes), Claude (flat chat_messages lists), and generic JSON or Markdown logs from tools like Cline or Continue.

How does token optimization work?

It automatically replaces verbose code blocks with metadata summaries (language and line count) and truncates extremely long messages at a configurable character threshold.

How can I split a large conversation file?

Use the chronicle split subcommand followed by the path to the JSON file and an output directory, e.g., chronicle split /path/to/conversations.json --out /path/to/output_directory.

How do I configure a custom storage folder?

Run chronicle --chats-folder /path/to/custom/chats to save a custom global folder path in ~/.chronicle_settings.json.

Which IDEs are supported out of the box?

Chronicle directly integrates with Cursor, Claude Code, VS Code (Cline/RooCode/Continue), and Trae, with a dynamic fallback engine for other platforms.