Cairn

Persistent memory for AI agents and developers. AI agents finally get access to professional task management - the kind developers have enjoyed with Jira and GitHub Tasks. Replace messy markdown plans with a structured task system that maintains context across long development sessions, allowing developers and agents to work on tasks together.

⚡ Quick Start

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Install the Cairn CLI: npm install -g @valpet/cairn-cli (or use npx @valpet/cairn-cli init)
3. Initialize Cairn in your project: cairn init
4. Open a workspace and run Cairn: Open Task List from the command palette
5. Create your first task with Cairn: Create New Task

🛠 Features

• Git-Backed Storage: Tasks stored as JSONL in .cairn/. Versioned, branched, and merged like code.
• Agent-Optimized: Native Copilot integration with language model tools for seamless AI collaboration.
• Dependency Graph: Track relationships between tasks (blocks, parent-child, discovered-from).
• Long-Term Memory: Automatic compaction summarizes old tasks to preserve context window.
• Zero Conflict IDs: Hash-based task IDs prevent merge collisions in multi-agent workflows.
• Stealth Mode: Optional gitignoring of .cairn folder for private task management.

📸 Screenshots

Task List View

Task Editor

📖 Essential Commands

Keyboard Shortcuts:

• Ctrl+Shift+T / Cmd+Shift+T: Open Task List
• Ctrl+Shift+N / Cmd+Shift+N: Create New Task

🔗 Task Hierarchy & Workflow

Cairn supports hierarchical task relationships:

• Blocks: Task A must be completed before Task B can start
• Parent-Child: Break down epics into manageable subtasks
• Related: Connect loosely related work items
• Discovered-From: Track new work found during development

Stealth Mode: Tasks stored locally without committing to git. Perfect for personal use on shared projects.

🤖 AI Agent Integration

Cairn provides native language model tools for GitHub Copilot:

• cairn_create: Create tasks with full configuration
• cairn_list_ready: Get unblocked tasks ready for work
• cairn_update: Update task status
• cairn_dep_add: Add dependencies between tasks

⭐ Reviews & Support

If Cairn helps streamline your development workflow, please consider:

• Leaving a review on the VS Code Marketplace ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Starring the repository on GitHub 🌟

I make tools. I learn things. I make more tools. It's a cycle I cannot escape. If you like what I build, consider buying me a coffee ☕

📦 Installation

Install from the VS Code Marketplace or download the .vsix file and install manually.

Requirements: VS Code 1.90.0 or later

📝 Documentation

This extension is part of the Cairn monorepo. See the main repository for development setup and contribution guidelines.

License

MIT