ctx

Context is a system, not a prompt.

A lightweight, file-based system that enables AI coding assistants to persist, structure, and rehydrate project context across sessions.

ctx works with any AI tool that can read files; no model or vendor lock-in.

Full documentation: ctx.ist

Most LLM-driven development fails not because models are weak: They fail because context is ephemeral. Every new session starts near zero:

• You re-explain architecture
• The AI repeats past mistakes
• Decisions get rediscovered instead of remembered

ctx treats context as infrastructure:

• Persist: Tasks, decisions, learnings survive session boundaries
• Reuse: Decisions don't get rediscovered; lessons stay learned
• Align: Context structure mirrors how engineers actually think
• Integrate: Works with any AI tool that can read files

Here's what that looks like in practice:

❯ "Do you remember?"
●くろまる Yes. The PreToolUse hook runs ctx agent, and CLAUDE.md tells me to
 read the context files. I have context.
❯ "What have we been working on recently?"
●くろまる Yes. I can run ctx recall list and review recent activity:
 - 2025年01月20日: The meta-experiment that started it all
 - 2025年01月21日: The ctx rename + Claude hooks session

That's the whole point: Temporal continuity across sessions.

Download pre-built binaries from the releases page, or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/ActiveMemory/ctx.git
cd ctx
CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o ctx ./cmd/ctx
sudo mv ctx /usr/local/bin/

See installation docs for platform-specific instructions.

# Initialize context directory in your project
ctx init
# Check context status
ctx status
# Get an AI-ready context packet
ctx agent --budget 4000
# Add tasks, decisions, learnings
ctx add task "Implement user authentication"
ctx add decision "Use PostgreSQL for primary database"
ctx add learning "Mock functions must be hoisted in Jest"

Creation, not code. Context, not prompts. Verification, not vibes.

ctx is infrastructure for preserving intent under scale. Without durable context, intelligence resets. With ctx, creation compounds.

Read the full Manifesto | ctx.ist/manifesto

Contributions welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

All commits must be signed off (git commit -s) to certify the DCO.

Open source is better together.

Join the community to ask questions, share feedback, and connect with other users:

Join #ctx on irc.libera.chat

Apache 2.0