Show HN: ChunkHound, a local-first tool for understanding large codebases

Summary

Local first codebase intelligence Your AI assistant searches code but doesn't understand it. ChunkHound researches your codebase—extracting architecture, patterns, and institutional knowledge at any scale. Integrates via MCP. Features cAST Algorithm - Research-backed semantic code chunking - Research-backed semantic code chunking Multi-Hop Semantic Search - Discovers interconnected code relationships beyond direct matches - Discovers interconnected code relationships beyond direct matches Semantic search - Natural language queries like "find authentication code" - Natural language queries like "find authentication code" Regex search - Pattern matching without API keys - Pattern matching without API keys Local-first - Your code stays on your machine - Your code stays on your machine 30 languages with structured parsing Programming (via Tree-sitter): Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, TSX, Java, Kotlin, Groovy, C, C++, C#, Go, Rust, Haskell, Swift, Bash, MATLAB, Makefile, Objective-C, PHP, Vue, Svelte, Zig Configuration : JSON, YAML, TOML, HCL, Markdown Text-based (custom parsers): Text files, PDF with structured parsing MCP integration - Works with Claude, VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, etc - Works with Claude, VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, etc Real-time indexing - Automatic file watching, smart diffs, seamless branch switching Documentation Visit chunkhound.github.io for complete guides: Requirements Installation # Install uv if needed curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh # Install ChunkHound uv tool install chunkhound Quick Start Create .chunkhound.json in project root { "embedding" : { "provider" : " voyageai " , "api_key" : " your-voyageai-key " }, "llm" : { "provider" : " claude-code-cli " } } Note: Use "codex-cli" instead if you prefer Codex. Both work equally well and require no API key. Index your codebase chunkhound index For configuration, IDE setup, and advanced usage, see the documentation. Why ChunkHound? Approach Capability Scale Mainten...