What is Pensieve?
Pensieve is a local context tool for developers who use AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor. It connects agent sessions with related branches, pull requests, tickets, and optional Slack messages, then makes that information available through MCP. A default Threads mode works without an index or model; Developer mode adds local code search and features for exploring repository knowledge. Pensieve is free, open source, and designed to run on a Mac.
Pensieve Features:
MCP Agent Context: In Developer mode, a coding agent can ask Pensieve for relevant passages from indexed code, with file and line references; Threads mode provides access to thread information.
Linked Work Threads: Pensieve brings an agent session together with its branch, pull requests, tickets, and related information in a single thread.
Tracker And Slack: Connect Jira, Linear, or Asana to turn tickets into to-dos, and optionally connect read-only Slack so messages mentioning a thread's ticket, pull request, or branch appear with it.
Branch Grouping: Sessions for the same branch are grouped together, with the session that contributed most to the branch holding it, and new sessions can start from the group.
Local Code Search: Developer mode indexes files, folders, and repositories you choose, including uncommitted changes and worktrees, and runs its search model locally.
Guided Closeout: Ship and Discard show remaining steps based on Git, GitHub, and your tracker, while the agent asks for approval before actions such as pushing, merging, or deleting.
Thread Handoffs: You can share a thread with a coworker so they can pick up the work, while shared threads leave out direct messages and private channels.
Pensieve Benefits:
Less Context Switching: Related coding work is easier to follow without piecing together the latest state from separate sessions, tickets, pull requests, and messages.
Faster Code Orientation: Agents can get focused code passages instead of relying on broad searches, which can mean less grepping and fewer tokens.
Fewer Forgotten Tasks: Keeping quiet work visible alongside its open tickets and pull requests makes unfinished changes easier to notice before they get lost.
More Controlled Actions: Approval prompts give developers a chance to review consequential steps before an agent acts beyond the Mac.
Safer Local Context: Local indexing and search help keep selected code and session context on the developer's Mac rather than sending them to Pensieve's cloud.
Use Cases:
Resume Interrupted Work: Return to a coding task after a break by checking its session, branch, ticket, pull request, and related discussion in one thread.
Start From A Ticket: Begin a development task from an issue by starting an agent session in a worktree and branch created from the ticket.
Prepare A Merge: Check which steps remain to commit, get a pull request reviewed, merge it, close its ticket, or remove the finished branch.
Find Relevant Code: Ask a coding agent to locate useful code context before changing a file, using local repository search in Developer mode.
Hand Off A Task: Share an in-progress thread with a teammate who needs to continue the work with its linked coding context.