nexo_startupLABSCO SUMMARY
Splitting recent operational context from durable memory is the design decision that makes it usable.
Most memory servers have one store and one retrieval path, so 'what were we doing an hour ago' and 'what rule did we agree months ago' compete in the same index. Here they are separate layers with different lifetimes: hot context expires, durable memory consolidates. The protocol side is opinionated in a way worth knowing before you install — a task closes with an outcome, evidence and the files it touched, and strict mode will block a write when no task is open. That suits people who want the discipline enforced, and will annoy people who do not.
What it is
The local runtime core behind NEXO Desktop: a memory and execution layer that keeps an assistant's context, tasks and learnings on your own machine and shares them across clients.
What you get
- nexo_remember and nexo_memory_recall — durable memory for rules and decisions you want kept
- nexo_consolidate, which turns accumulated memory into a bounded set of insights rather than an ever-growing pile
- A hot context layer separate from long-term memory: nexo_pre_action_context, nexo_recent_context, nexo_recent_context_capture, nexo_recent_context_resolve and nexo_hot_context_list
- A 24-hour freshness window by default, configurable per call up to 168 hours, so an active topic stays live across new chats, different clients, cron ticks and email processing
- Topics carrying an explicit state — active, waiting on you, waiting on a third party, blocked, resolved or abandoned
- nexo_task_open and nexo_task_close, where closing requires an outcome, the evidence and the files changed
- Protocol strictness you choose: lenient warns, strict blocks writes with no open task, learning blocks with an explanation
- nexo_run_workflow for durable multi-step execution with open, update, resume and replay
- nexo_guard_check, nexo_learning_add, nexo_startup and nexo_heartbeat for the runtime around all of it
- Nexo doctor for diagnostics, plus Skills, Watchdog, followups and Deep Sleep
Requirements
Installed with npx from nexo-brain, which sets up the runtime, configures the MCP server and wires the shared brain into supported clients; a Docker path exists for a persistent container. Memory lives in local SQLite on your machine. NEXO Desktop is the supported product surface for downloads, billing and support — this repository is the runtime core it bundles, and the nexo-brain package and binary names remain for install and update compatibility rather than as a separate product.
Setup effort
One command — npx nexo-brain init
USE CASES
01
Picking up where you left off in a new chat
Pull the recent context bundle before acting — live topics, recent events and the reminders attached to them.
02
Keeping a rule the assistant should not forget
Store it as durable memory, then recall it by meaning rather than remembering where you wrote it.
03
Making sure work does not get called done without proof
Close the task with the outcome, the evidence and the files changed, rather than an assertion that it worked.
04
Knowing whether a topic is waiting on you or on someone else
Hot contexts carry a state, so blocked and waiting threads are visible instead of forgotten.
05
Running a multi-step job that survives an interruption
Open the workflow with its steps, then resume or replay it rather than starting over.
06
Stopping memory turning into noise
Consolidate periodically so what is kept is a set of insights rather than every note ever taken.
32 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
nexo_heartbeatnexo_remembernexo_memory_recallnexo_consolidatenexo_pre_action_contextnexo_recent_contextnexo_recent_context_capturenexo_recent_context_resolvenexo_hot_context_listnexo_task_opennexo_task_closenexo_guard_checknexo_learning_addnexo_learning_searchnexo_run_workflownexo_workflow_opennexo_workflow_updatenexo_workflow_getnexo_workflow_resumenexo_workflow_replaynexo_workflow_handoffnexo_transcript_searchnexo_transcript_readnexo_transcript_recentnexo_system_catalognexo_tool_explainnexo_entity_createnexo_entity_updatenexo_plugin_loadnexo_plugin_listnexo_schedule_statusBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
32 tools named in the project's documentation.
Requires
npx on PATH
Where it runs
The documented client runs the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
npx nexo-brain initMCP Clients
Cursor
CURSOR · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"nexo": {
"command": "python3",
"args": [
"/Users/<YOUR_USERNAME>/.nexo/server.py"
],
"env": {
"NEXO_HOME": "/Users/<YOUR_USERNAME>/.nexo"
}
}
}
}In Cursor's mcp.json, /Users/YOU is your own home directory: in installed setups the server entrypoint is ~/.nexo/server.py, and NEXO_HOME defaults to ~/.nexo.
