Getting Started with Barrd

Barrd gives Claude persistent memory across sessions. Connect it once, and every conversation picks up where you left off.

Setup takes about 2 minutes.

Prerequisites

• Claude Code or Claude.ai with MCP support
• A Barrd account — sign up free

Connect Barrd to Claude

Barrd connects to Claude via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Option 1: One-click connect

1. Log in to your Barrd dashboard
2. Click Connect to Claude
3. Authorize the connection when prompted

That’s it. Claude now has access to your Barrd projects.

Option 2: Manual MCP configuration

If you prefer to configure MCP manually, add Barrd to your Claude MCP settings:

~/.claude/mcp_servers.json

{
  "barrd": {
    "type": "streamable-http",
    "url": "https://barrd.com/mcp",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Get your API key from the dashboard under Settings → API Keys.

Your first session

Once connected, create your first project. You can do this from the dashboard or let Claude do it:

You: Create a new project called "my-app" in Barrd

Claude: Done. Created project "my-app" in Barrd.
I'll track tasks, decisions, and session
state here as we work.

Session memory

At the end of each session, Claude saves a snapshot of:

• Working memory — what you’re currently focused on, what phase you’re in
• Current task & plan — task ID, plan ID, and status
• Context snapshot — files modified, decisions made, next steps

When you start a new session, Claude loads this automatically:

↳ Loading session state from Barrd...
✓ Resuming from Mar 8: Auth implementation
✓ Current task: MY-APP-12 — Add password reset flow
✓ 3 decisions loaded, 2 tasks remaining

Ready to continue where you left off.

How often does it save?

Claude saves at natural breakpoints: task completed, decision made, or session ended. You can also trigger a save manually.

Working with tasks

Barrd includes built-in task tracking that Claude can read and write. Tasks are created automatically as you work, or you can create them explicitly.

You: Let's add authentication to the app

Claude: I'll create a task to track this.
Created MY-APP-5: "Add authentication"

Let me start with the registration endpoint...

Tasks have statuses (todo, in_progress, blocked, done), can be linked to plans, and carry progress logs with file paths.

Task IDs

Every task gets an auto-generated ID in PROJECT-NUMBER format (e.g., MY-APP-5). Reference these in conversation and Claude will look them up.

Plans & decisions

Plans

When work involves 3 or more related tasks, Claude creates a plan with a goal, approach, and success criteria.

Plan: Add authentication system
Status: in_progress (2/4 tasks done)

✓ MY-APP-5  Register + personal org
✓ MY-APP-6  Login + JWT tokens
○ MY-APP-7  Password reset flow
○ MY-APP-8  Two-factor auth

Decisions

Every architectural decision gets logged: what was chosen, why, and what alternatives were considered.

Note

Example: “Chose JWT with refresh token rotation over session cookies because the API serves both web and MCP clients. Stateless auth simplifies the MCP flow.”

Bootstrap your project with CLAUDE.md

The Barrd MCP server includes a CLAUDE.md template that teaches Claude (or OpenCode) how to use Barrd in your project.

Generate it with one tool call:

You: Get the CLAUDE.md template from Barrd and
   set it up for this project

Claude: ↳ get_template({name: "claude_md"})

Got it. I'll customize the template for your
project and save it as CLAUDE.md.

The template includes:

• Session start/end workflows — load and save context automatically
• The 3-task rule — when to create a plan vs. a single task
• Code intelligence setup — AST parsing and LSP integration
• Plan quality guidelines — what makes a good implementation plan
• Test-driven development — write tests first, not after
• Project-specific customization — placeholders for your stack, patterns, and domain terms

A companion setup guide (get_template({name: "template_guide"})) walks through customization: which sections to keep, which to remove, how to adapt examples to your stack.

Works with any MCP client

The template is designed for Claude Code but works with OpenCode or any AI assistant that reads CLAUDE.md.

Teams

On the Team plan, invite your team to share projects, tasks, and context.

• Shared projects — all team members see the same tasks and plans
• Shared context — Claude loads team decisions, not just yours
• Org management — invite members, manage roles, SSO

Team setup is available from the dashboard under your organization settings.

Next steps

Installation Download the MCP server and connect it to Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or any MCP client.

Dashboard Guide Learn how to use the web dashboard to manage tasks, plans, decisions, and sessions.

Best Practices Workflow patterns for getting the most out of Barrd with your AI assistants.

MCP Tools Reference Full list of tools Claude can use — session state, tasks, plans, documents, decisions, and more.