LienLocal-First Semantic Code Search

Quick Start ​

1. Install Lien:

npm install -g @liendev/lien

2. Configure your editor:

lien init

This writes the correct MCP config for your editor (Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, OpenCode, Kilo Code, or Antigravity).

3. Restart your editor and start asking questions about your codebase!

That's it—no configuration files needed. Lien auto-detects your project structure and indexes on first use.

How It Works ​

1. Index: Lien scans your codebase, chunks code into manageable pieces, and generates embeddings using a local ML model
2. Store: Embeddings are stored in a local vector database in ~/.lien/indices/
3. Search: When you query through Cursor, Lien finds the most semantically similar code chunks
4. Context: Results are returned to Cursor, providing better, context-aware responses

Use Cases ​

• Understand New Codebases: "Show me how authentication works"
• Find Implementations: "Where are API endpoints defined?"
• Locate Patterns: "Find similar error handling code"
• Discover Related Code: "What tests cover this module?"
• Tech Debt Analysis: "What are the most complex functions?"
• Impact Analysis: "What depends on this file?"

Privacy First ​

Lien is built with privacy as a core principle:

• All code analysis happens on your machine
• No data is sent to external servers
• No telemetry or usage tracking
• Open source and auditable

Free & Open Source ​

Lien is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and free forever for local use. The license ensures:

• ✅ Use Lien locally without restrictions
• ✅ Modify and distribute freely
• ✅ Improvements benefit the community
• ✅ Sustainable long-term development

Questions about licensing? Contact alf@lien.dev