Aura MCP — the Model Context Protocol server for git-native version control
A 29-tool MCP server that lets Claude Code, Cursor and any MCP client read AST graphs, log signed intent, snapshot files and prove behaviour.
Aura MCP is the Model Context Protocol server that ships inside the aura CLI. It exposes 29 tools that any MCP client (Claude Code, Cursor, Zed, Continue, custom agents) can call to interrogate, mutate, and verify a Git-native semantic graph of your repository.
How to install
# 1. Install the Aura CLI (macOS / Linux)
curl -fsSL https://auravcs.com/install.sh | bash
# 2. Add Aura to your MCP client config
# Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"aura": {
"command": "aura",
"args": ["mcp"]
}
}
}
# 3. Restart the client. Tools appear under aura_*.The 29 tools, grouped
- State & planning ·
aura_status,aura_plan_discover,aura_plan_lock,aura_plan_next,aura_prove. - Intent & provenance ·
aura_log_intent,aura_attest_verify,aura_attest_list,aura_handover. - Safety & recovery ·
aura_snapshot,aura_snapshot_list,aura_rewind,aura_pr_review,aura_suggest_edit,aura_doctor. - Live collaboration ·
aura_live_impacts,aura_live_resolve,aura_live_sync_push,aura_live_sync_pull,aura_live_sync_status. - Multi-agent + sentinel ·
aura_msg_send,aura_msg_list,aura_sentinel_inbox,aura_sentinel_send,aura_sentinel_status,aura_sentinel_agents,aura_sentinel_release,aura_orchestrate_status. - Memory & session ·
aura_memory_read,aura_memory_write,aura_memory_compact,aura_memory_forget,aura_session_resume,aura_session_summarize.
Why MCP and not a custom protocol
MCP is the agent-side equivalent of LSP for editors. By speaking it natively, Aura works with every current and future MCP-aware client without bespoke integrations. The agent doesn't need to know your repo is Aura-instrumented. It just calls aura_log_intent the same way it would call any other tool, and gets a signed block + sigstore receipt back.
Token-Oriented Object Notation (TOON)
MCP tool responses are encoded in TOON: Aura's compact serialisation format that uses 30–60% fewer tokens than equivalent JSON for structured data. That matters when an agent calls aura_pr_review on a 200-file diff and needs the response to fit inside a single context window.
What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol — a standard interface for exposing tools to an AI client. A server declares what it can do, and any MCP-speaking client can call it. It is how an agent gets abilities beyond reading and writing files.
How do you add an MCP server to Claude Code?
Add an entry under mcpServers in the client config naming the command to run, then restart the client. The server’s tools then appear to the agent by name and are called like any other tool.
What can an MCP server do that a CLI cannot?
Be discovered. A CLI has to be described in a prompt and invoked through a shell; an MCP server advertises its tools, arguments and types to the client directly, so the agent knows what exists without being told and gets structured results back.
Aura Crew vs Claude Code Loops: the autonomous work-loop, compared
Claude Code names four loop types: turn-based, goal, time, proactive. Aura Crew is the same idea with proof, collision-safety and any agent you like.
Autonomous coding agent loops, explained: turn-based, goal, time, and proactive
An agent repeating cycles of work until a stop condition is met. The four loop types explained, when to use each, and how to keep the quality up.
How to run multiple coding agents in parallel without merge conflicts
Several AI agents at once collide on shared files. The fix: a worktree per agent, a live team radar, and zone claims so no two ever touch one symbol.
Goal-based agent loops: giving a coding agent a definition of done
A goal-based loop iterates until a success criterion is met. The trick is a deterministic definition of done — tests, a score, a proof — not a guess.