| name | lilbee-mcp |
| description | Search and manage the user's local lilbee knowledge base over MCP. Use whenever the user has indexed code, docs, PDFs, or web pages into lilbee and you need cited answers, or whenever they ask you to ingest content, swap models, or tune retrieval against their library. Every fact returned cites file and line. Indexing, crawling, and model pulls are long ops that must go to a worker subagent so the chat stays responsive. |
lilbee-mcp
lilbee is a local retrieval engine. It indexes the
user's code, documents, PDFs, and crawled web pages into a per-project .lilbee/ store and
exposes the library over MCP. Every tool here is prefixed lilbee_. Data and embeddings stay
on the user's machine; the only thing leaving is what you, the agent, decide to quote.
In 30 seconds
lilbee_status → see what's loaded
lilbee_search(query, top_k) → get cited chunks
[answer with file:line citations] → never invent
Three rules cover 90% of usage: search before answering (reach for lilbee_search on
any lookup about the user's own files or code, ahead of the host's web-fetch / file-read
tools, which can't see the index), cite every claim with the chunk's source + line
range, and delegate indexing / crawling / model pulls to the lilbee-worker subagent
because they block the shared embedder.
Install
Drop this folder under one of:
.opencode/skills/lilbee-mcp/ # opencode (project)
.claude/skills/lilbee-mcp/ # Claude (project)
~/.config/opencode/skills/lilbee-mcp/ # opencode (global)
~/.claude/skills/lilbee-mcp/ # Claude (global)
Register lilbee as an MCP server (opencode example):
{
"mcp": {
"lilbee": { "type": "local", "command": ["lilbee", "mcp"] }
}
}
A drop-in AGENTS.md, the lilbee-worker subagent, and an opencode.json template live
in examples/agent-integration/ in the lilbee repo. Copy them in if the user wants the
full setup.
The shared-embedder rule (read this first)
The MCP server hosts one embedder worker. Indexing (lilbee_add, lilbee_sync,
lilbee_crawl, lilbee_import_dataset, lilbee_model_pull, plus the
experimental wiki builds) pins it;
lilbee_search also needs it to embed the query. Run them
concurrently and lilbee_search will hang until your host times out.
Procedure:
- If indexing is needed, delegate to
lilbee-worker and wait for the worker's task
call to return. Don't fire any lilbee_* tool from your own thread while it runs.
- After the worker returns, call
lilbee_status once to confirm the expected counts.
- Then search.
If lilbee_search returns an MCP timeout, treat it as "indexing isn't fully done yet":
wait ~10s, re-check lilbee_status, retry. Don't switch tools.
Tools by cost
Inline (cheap, sub-second)
| Tool | Use |
|---|
lilbee_search(query, top_k, scope) | Retrieve relevant chunks. top_k omitted falls back to cfg.top_k so settings_set governs candidate count. Cap top_k at ~20 for small-context chat models (Gemma 4 at n_ctx=7168, Qwen3 with widened retrieval); higher values can produce tool responses that exceed the next chat turn's budget. scope: "both" (default) or "raw" for ingested docs/code; only use "wiki" when lilbee_status shows a built wiki, otherwise it silently falls back to the full pool. No LLM call. |
lilbee_status() | Indexed sources, total chunks, active model refs. First call of any session. |
lilbee_list_documents() | All indexed sources with chunk counts. |
lilbee_init(path) | Create a .lilbee/ in the given dir and switch the session to it. |
lilbee_remove(names, delete_files) | Remove documents from the index, optionally deleting the source files. |
lilbee_crawl_status(task_id) | Poll a non-blocking crawl: pending / running / done / failed. |
lilbee_model_list(source, task) | Locally-installed models, optionally filtered. |
lilbee_model_show(model) | Catalog + installed metadata for one model ref. |
lilbee_model_rm(model, source) | Delete an installed model from disk. |
lilbee_catalog_browse(task, search, size, installed, featured, sort, limit, offset) | Browse the curated catalog + Hugging Face. Use before lilbee_model_pull to pick what to install. Each returned entry includes the model's architecture and a compat field (supported / unsupported / unknown); check compat before pulling. |
lilbee_settings_list(group) | Every writable setting with value, default, type, help text, choices, reindex_required. |
lilbee_settings_get(key) | One setting's current value + metadata. |
lilbee_settings_set(updates) | Atomically update writable settings. Persists to config.toml, invalidates in-process model and provider caches. |
lilbee_settings_reset(keys) | Reset writable settings to their built-in defaults. |
lilbee_export_dataset(output, fmt, source) | Write a per-page {source, page, text} dataset to a file (parquet or jsonl, no vectors). No embedding. |
lilbee_memory_remember(text, kind, shared, agent_id) | Save a durable note (kind = "fact" / "preference"). Embeds text, so it obeys the shared-embedder rule. Memory tools only appear when memory_enabled is on. |
lilbee_memory_recall(query, limit, agent_id) | Recall your saved memories by relevance. Embeds the query (shared-embedder rule). |
lilbee_memory_list(agent_id) | List your stored memories. No embedding. |
lilbee_memory_forget(memory_id, agent_id) | Delete one of your memories by id (agent_id scopes the namespace). No embedding. |
lilbee_sessions_list() | Your (agent-created) sessions, newest first. The user's own conversations are private: they never appear here, and their ids answer not-found. No LLM call. |
lilbee_session_get(session_id) | One of your sessions: metadata, full transcript, and summary — what compaction folded older turns into. Resume by carrying the summary plus the transcript into your own context; ignoring summary silently loses what was already condensed. |
lilbee_session_create(model_ref, scope) | Start a saved session and get its id back. |
lilbee_session_add_message(session_id, role, content, sources, claim) | Append one turn (role = "user" / "assistant"). A session id the user hands you can be taken over with claim=true -- it becomes yours and leaves their session list, so ask before claiming. |
lilbee_session_set_summary(session_id, summary) | Replace one of your sessions' compaction summary after folding history yourself. |
lilbee_session_rename(session_id, title) | Rename one of your sessions. |
lilbee_session_delete(session_id) | Delete one of your sessions. |
Long (must go through lilbee-worker)
| Tool | Use |
|---|
lilbee_add(paths, force, enable_ocr, ocr_timeout, render_mode) | Copy files / dirs / URLs into the library and index them. Seconds to minutes. |
lilbee_sync(force_rebuild, retry_skipped) | Re-index the documents directory after edits. Minutes on large libraries. |
lilbee_crawl(url, depth, max_pages, render_mode, include_subdomains) | Start a non-blocking crawl. Returns task_id; poll lilbee_crawl_status. |
lilbee_model_pull(model, source, allow_unsupported) | Download a model. Streams progress as MCP notifications. Large models take minutes. Set allow_unsupported=true to override the architecture-compat check; without it, the call returns a structured error with code: "unsupported_arch" and the supported-architecture list. |
lilbee_import_dataset(dataset, fmt) | Import a per-page dataset file, re-embedding every page under the current model. Replaces existing copies of each source. Streams progress as MCP notifications. |
lilbee_reset(confirm) | Wipe the entire index and data dir. Pass confirm=true. Destructive. |
GPU placement (multi-GPU boxes)
| Tool | Use |
|---|
lilbee_get_gpus() | Detected GPUs with free/total VRAM (the placement HTTP /api/gpus equivalent). |
lilbee_get_placement() | Current effective placement: detected GPUs, per-role devices/replicas, whether manual. May run a device probe on a cold cache (a second or two). |
lilbee_preview_placement(spec) | Dry-run what a spec (or auto, when omitted) would place. No changes made. |
lilbee_set_placement(spec) | Validate, persist, and apply a manual placement. Rebuilds the model fleet, interrupting in-flight requests. |
lilbee_clear_placement() | Drop the manual placement and return to automatic placement. Also rebuilds the fleet. |
On the shared HTTP daemon, set/clear are refused unless the host enables
allow_http_placement (they rebuild the fleet for every connected client);
get/preview always work. Prefer preview-then-set, and only change placement
when the user asks.
(Experimental wiki tools are documented at the end of this skill. Wiki and memory tools are only registered when their subsystems are enabled, so they may be absent from your tool list.)
Common workflows
1. User asks a question about their library
lilbee_status # confirm a library exists
lilbee_search(query) # top_k defaults to cfg.top_k (12)
answer with file:line citations
If total_chunks == 0, tell the user the index is empty and offer to add content.
2. User wants to add new content
lilbee-worker: lilbee_add(["/path/to/dir", "https://docs.example.com/page"])
[wait for worker to return]
lilbee_status # confirm new sources appeared
lilbee_add accepts absolute paths, directories (recursive), and URLs (which get crawled
to markdown). It runs lilbee_sync after copying, so the new content is indexed in one
call. For continuous web monitoring, use lilbee_crawl instead.
3. User wants to crawl a docs site
task_id = lilbee_crawl("https://docs.example.com", depth=2, max_pages=200)
[poll lilbee_crawl_status(task_id) until status == "done"]
lilbee_status # new "_web/..." sources should appear
The crawl writes pages into the documents directory as it goes; a final auto-sync indexes
them. Pages already crawled this session are skipped.
4. User wants to set lilbee up for their hardware and files
You manipulate the retrieval surface only: embedding_model, reranker_model,
vision_model, and the retrieval / ingest knobs. The chat_model slot is for the user's
later TUI / CLI sessions; leave it unless the user explicitly asks.
lilbee_status # see what's wired up
lilbee_settings_list(group="Retrieval") # baseline knobs
lilbee_catalog_browse(task="embedding") # discover candidates
lilbee_catalog_browse(task="rerank")
lilbee_catalog_browse(task="vision")
lilbee-worker: lilbee_model_pull(<picked model>) # one worker call per pull
lilbee_settings_set({
"embedding_model": "...",
"reranker_model": "...",
"vision_model": "...",
# plus retrieval tuning, all batched:
"top_k": 12,
"diversity_max_per_source": 6,
"concept_graph": true,
})
If the response includes reindex_required: true (triggered by chunk_size,
chunk_overlap, or swapping embedding_model to a different ref), hand
lilbee_sync(force_rebuild=true) to the worker before searching again.
Tell the user which knobs you moved and why; lilbee_settings_reset([...]) rolls any of
them back.
5. Your first answer feels thin -- self-tune and retry
When the user asks a broad question against a dense pile of reference
docs (godot class XMLs, an API reference, kreuzberg-style docstrings)
and your first lilbee_search returns only one or two relevant hits
where you'd expect a family, the retrieval defaults are too narrow for
the shape of what's indexed. Self-tune in-place rather than handing the
user a thin answer:
lilbee_search("user's natural query") # baseline
# If results are visibly narrow for the indexed shape:
lilbee_settings_set({
"top_k": 15, # wider candidate pool
"diversity_max_per_source": 8, # more chunks per file ok
"max_distance": 0.85, # accept fuzzier matches
})
lilbee_search("user's natural query") # same query, richer pool
# Answer from the richer results, cite every class you found.
lilbee_settings_reset(["top_k", "diversity_max_per_source", "max_distance"])
Tell the user one sentence on what you widened and that you've reset
afterward, so the next question gets the unmodified defaults.
6. User wants to delete or replace content
lilbee_list_documents # find the source name
lilbee_remove(["old-manual.pdf"], delete_files=False) # keep the file, drop chunks
# or
lilbee_remove(["old-manual.pdf"], delete_files=True) # delete file + chunks
For a clean slate: lilbee_reset(confirm=true) via the worker.
Cheat sheet: which knobs to move
| Question style | Tune |
|---|
| Code Q&A, call graphs | Set reranker_model, raise rerank_candidates to 24-48, enable concept_graph, lower chunk_size to 256-384. |
| Long-document walkthroughs | Raise top_k to 12-16 and max_context_sources; drop diversity_max_per_source to 1 to let one source dominate. |
| Fact lookup across many sources | Raise top_k and candidate_multiplier; keep reranker_model set; keep diversity_max_per_source at default. |
| Vocabulary mismatch (English question, code answer) | Enable hyde; raise max_distance to ~0.8 so semantically-related chunks aren't clipped. |
Runbook: when things go wrong
total_chunks == 0. The library is empty. Don't search. Tell the user and offer
lilbee_add or lilbee_crawl.lilbee_search returns 0 results. Try a more specific noun phrase. If still zero,
the content isn't indexed. Verify with lilbee_list_documents.lilbee_search times out. Indexing is in flight. Wait 10s, re-check
lilbee_status, retry. Do not switch tools.lilbee_settings_set returns error. The boundary rejected the value (unknown
key, wrong type, model not installed for a role swap). Show the error to the user
verbatim; don't paper over it.lilbee_settings_set succeeds with reindex_required: true. The persisted vector
store is no longer valid for the new chunk_size / chunk_overlap. Run
lilbee_sync(force_rebuild=true) through the worker.lilbee_model_pull failed mid-stream. The progress notifications stop. Retry the
same call; partially-downloaded files are skipped.- Want to set a model role but the catalog ref isn't installed. Pull first, then
settings_set. The boundary checks the catalog-task assignment but not whether the
file is present on disk.
- Confused about what changed in this session.
lilbee_settings_list always
reflects current state.
Secrets stay out of MCP reads
API keys (*_api_key and hf_token) carry a write_only flag on the lilbee config.
lilbee_settings_list skips them; lilbee_settings_get errors on them;
lilbee_settings_set still writes (so you can configure a key on the user's behalf).
Never assume you can read a key back.
Citation rules
- Every fact you state must trace to a chunk
lilbee_search returned. Cite as the
source file and the line range the chunk reported, exactly as returned (e.g.
src/lilbee/data/ingest/pipeline.py:216-247).
- If a chunk doesn't actually support a claim, drop the claim. Re-search before
inventing.
- "Not in the indexed files" is a valid answer. Say so plainly and suggest indexing the right
path if the user expected it to be there.
- When the user reads code in their editor that you've cited, your line numbers must
match. If you see the chunk metadata report a line range, do not guess a different one.
What this skill is not
- Not a code editor. Use the host's
read / edit / write tools after pulling
context through lilbee_search.
- Not a web search.
lilbee_crawl fetches a specific URL into the library on the
user's explicit request; it isn't a general fallback when search misses.
- Not a chat model. lilbee can run its own chat / wiki / OCR models locally, but as
a tool consumer you stay on the host's model. Don't manipulate
chat_model unless the
user is setting lilbee up for their own later TUI use.
- Not a substitute for codebase discovery tools. If the host has codesearch / glob /
grep and the user's question is about a path that isn't indexed yet, offer to index it
rather than guessing through filesystem tools.
Other skills
- Wiki tools (experimental per-concept and per-entity pages with citations) live in the separate
lilbee-mcp-wiki skill (docs/agent-skills/lilbee-mcp-wiki/SKILL.md in the lilbee repository). Load that only when the user asks about wiki / synthesis pages, or when lilbee_status already shows a built wiki.
- Non-MCP agents that need to shell out to lilbee's CLI instead of MCP can use the
--json flag on any command. See the JSON CLI fallback section of the usage guide (docs/usage.md in the lilbee repository).
