elen

Elen is an open-source MCP server that records the decisions your coding agent makes, with the limits that bound them, and marks old decisions as superseded. It installs with one npx line, works with Cursor, Claude Code and any MCP client, and keeps decisions in a local SQLite file.

Install

npx -y @learningnodes/[email protected]

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport stdio elen -- npx -y @learningnodes/[email protected]

VS Code

Open this link to install:

vscode:mcp/install?%7B%22name%22%3A%22elen%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22npx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22-y%22%2C%22%40learningnodes%2Felen-mcp%400.3.1%22%5D%7D

Cursor

Add this to .cursor/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elen": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@learningnodes/[email protected]"]
    }
  }
}

Gemini CLI

Add this to settings.json (~/.gemini/settings.json, or .gemini/settings.json in your project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elen": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@learningnodes/[email protected]"]
    }
  }
}

Any other MCP client

Use the same mcpServers entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elen": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@learningnodes/[email protected]"]
    }
  }
}

Tested with

Client	Status
Claude Code	Run by the maintainer
Cursor	Configuration follows the client's documentation. Not yet recorded as tested.
VS Code	Configuration follows the client's documentation. Not yet recorded as tested.
Gemini CLI	Configuration follows the client's documentation. Not yet recorded as tested.
Other MCP clients	Configuration follows the client's documentation. Not yet recorded as tested.

Make your agent use it

The tools alone give an agent no habit: it sees what each tool does, but it does not stop mid-task to ask whether a precedent exists. Add the block below to your rules file or system prompt so that searching before a decision and committing after one become part of every session.

# Epistemic Decision Memory Protocol

You must adhere to the Minimal Token Protocol for decisions:

1. Pointer-First Retrieval: Before making a technical decision, ALWAYS use elen_suggest to retrieve Top-K minimal pointers.
2. On-Demand Expansion: If a pointer looks relevant, you MUST call elen_expand on that specific ID. Do not hallucinate constraints.
3. Commiting Atoms: When deciding, use elen_commit. Summarize constraints into plain-text arrays (e.g. "budget < 500ms").
4. Graph Revision: If a decision invalidates a precedent, you MUST use elen_supersede to advance the graph state.

What it stores

In local mode decisions stay in a SQLite file on your machine (default ~/.elen/decisions.db). Connected mode is optional, needs elen login and an API key, and is in beta.

Tools

Tool	What it does
elen_commit	Commits a new decision to the graph, with its constraints as a plain-text list.
elen_get_competency	Shows the competency profile for this agent, built from its validated decision history.
elen_consolidate	Suggests clusters and duplicate or stale candidates without changing the graph.
elen_get_context	Gives an overview of active decision threads grouped by domain, for the start of a session.
elen_expand	Expands a decision ID into its full constraints and text.
elen_incoming	Lists decisions other people have shared into your workspace. Connected mode, beta.
elen_log_decision	Creates a validated Decision Record from constraints, evidence and an answer.
elen_search_precedents	Searches validated decisions for precedents.
elen_status	Returns the agent, project, database path and counts, to check the namespace before committing.
elen_suggest	Retrieves short pointers to prior decisions before you make a new one.
elen_supersede	Revises an older decision and marks it superseded by a new one.
elen_team_search	Searches team and human decisions visible to your workspace for a topic. Connected mode, beta.

Links

• Repository: https://github.com/LearningNodes/Elen
• Issues: https://github.com/LearningNodes/Elen/issues
• Discord: https://discord.gg/zJG6n2WGzM
• Licence: AGPL-3.0

Elen is the open-source part of Learning Nodes, the DecisionOps workspace. For the business decisions behind the code: https://workstation.learningnodes.com?utm_source=elen-readme&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=npm-page