WindTools MCP Server

Your own codebase tools like code semantic search

Local serverstdioPython

What is the WindTools MCP server?

Your own codebase tools like code semantic search. Exposed over MCP by the windtools mcp server, that capability becomes something an assistant can invoke while it works, not something you go and do afterwards.

What it actually does

MCP Server for the WindTools code assistant, providing document embedding and retrieval capabilities using ChromaDB and sentence transformers.

  • Semantic Code Search — Uses sentence transformers for embedding code snippets and retrieval
  • Code Repository Indexing — Automatically indexes code files from specified directories
  • Persistent Storage — Saves code embeddings in ChromaDB for persistent retrieval
  • Directory Exploration — Built-in tools for navigating and exploring codebases
  • Background Initialization — Loads resources asynchronously to minimize startup time
  • Environment Configuration — Configurable through environment variables

Adding it to your client

The server ships on npm as @modelcontextprotocol/inspector, so your MCP client can launch it on demand — there is no separate build step. Add the server block to your client's configuration, restart it, and the tools register themselves.

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

  • Inputs — - directory_path (string): Path to list contents of, should be absolute path to a directory
  • Returns — JSON string containing directory information including file types and sizes
  • Installation — The Installation tool exposed by this server
  • Requirements — The Requirements tool exposed by this server
  • Inspector — The Inspector tool exposed by this server

Configuration

You will need 3 environment variables: DATA_ROOT, CHROMA_DB_FOLDER_NAME, SENTENCE_TRANSFORMER_PATH. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

  • Python 3.11 - Dependencies listed in pyproject.toml

Caveats

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the windtools mcp server does with a few real requests.

When to reach for it

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. WindTools's toolset — Inputs, Returns, Installation and 2 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by ZahidGalea; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
Inputs- directory_path (string): Path to list contents of, should be absolute path to a directory
ReturnsJSON string containing directory information including file types and sizes
InstallationThe Installation tool exposed by this server.
RequirementsThe Requirements tool exposed by this server.
InspectorThe Inspector tool exposed by this server.

How to install the WindTools MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "windtools": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "-p",
        "3.11",
        "-U",
        "windtools-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATA_ROOT": "/Users/<user>/windtools_data",
        "CHROMA_DB_FOLDER_NAME": "chromadb",
        "SENTENCE_TRANSFORMER_PATH": "jinaai/jina-embeddings-v2-base-code"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

  • Python 3.11 - Dependencies listed in pyproject.toml
VariableDescriptionRequired
DATA_ROOTConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
CHROMA_DB_FOLDER_NAMEConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
SENTENCE_TRANSFORMER_PATHFilesystem location the server is allowed to use.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use WindTools to Inputs.
  • Use WindTools to Returns.
  • Use WindTools to Installation.

Frequently asked questions

WindTools MCP Server requires Python 3.11, as ChromaDB has compatibility issues with newer Python versions.