Get started¶

Install¶

curl -fsSL https://chatstrata.sprawlcommons.com/install.sh | sh

Linux x86-64/arm64 and Apple-silicon macOS are supported by downloadable releases. Add ~/.local/bin to PATH if prompted. The installer needs curl or wget, tar, and sha256sum or shasum. No sudo, Python, or Go compiler is needed.

To pin a release, download the script first or pass the variable to sh:

curl -fsSL https://chatstrata.sprawlcommons.com/install.sh | CHATSTRATA_VERSION=v2.0.0 sh

Intel Macs and Windows build from source with Go and a C compiler:

go install github.com/brandonbosch/chatstrata/v2/cmd/chatstrata@latest
chatstrata reindex --install-fts

Collect and connect¶

chatstrata ingest --auto
chatstrata stats
chatstrata search "migration"
chatstrata schedule install
chatstrata mcp config codex

Choose claude-code or claude-desktop instead of codex for those clients. Follow the printed instructions, then reconnect/restart the client so it sees the MCP tools. Ask the agent to call get_schema before writing queries.

Upgrade¶

Re-run the installer, then chatstrata schedule install to restart the daemon on the new binary. chatstrata version prints the installed version.

Import an old Python archive¶

Before replacing the Python command, run chatstrata schedule uninstall to remove its scheduled ingest. After installing Go:

chatstrata import-legacy
chatstrata ingest --auto
chatstrata schedule install

import-legacy /path/to/old.duckdb chooses another archive. The command reads raw events using SQL and does not require Python. It leaves the old file intact. Keep that file as a backup. Old labels and embeddings are not migrated; a conversation without raw events cannot be recovered by legacy import.

Check collection¶

chatstrata doctor reports source-format problems and local changes awaiting collection. chatstrata schedule status shows the daemon and its log location. Close direct DuckDB connections in idle analysis/notebook sessions: they block collection even when opened read-only. Use MCP or chatstrata query instead.