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Show HN: Retain – A unified knowledge base for all your AI coding conversations
Hey HN! I built Retain as the evolution of claude-reflect (github.com/BayramAnnakov/claude-reflect).
The original problem: I use Claude Code/Codex daily for coding, plus claude.ai and ChatGPT occasionally. Every conversation contains decisions, corrections, and patterns I forget existed weeks later. I kept re-explaining the same preferences.
claude-reflect was a CLI tool that extracted learnings from Claude Code sessions. Retain takes this further with a native macOS app that:
- Aggregates conversations from Claude Code, claude.ai, ChatGPT, and Codex CLI
- Instant full-text search across thousands of conversations (SQLite + FTS5)
It's local-first - all data stays in a local SQLite database. No servers, no telemetry. Web sync uses your browser cookies to fetch conversations directly.
- chux52 8mo agoWould definitely try this out, but am Windows only. Tried to create something like this but the best I got was a bookmarklet to copy the chat text. Ended up just exporting data and using that method for a one time pull.
- nozzlegear 8mo agoI don't use AI coding tools very much, but the conversation aggregation/search feature sounds useful. If anything I'm interested in trying this just as a replacement for Anthropic's own search feature – their electron app is utterly buns, and I've been looking for a native macOS app to use in place of it.
- Bayram 8mo agoPlease try & let me know what you think - thanks
- elemdos 8mo agoThis is really cool, and also feels like it should be built into Claude Code (that’s a compliment btw). I’m gonna try it out this week, thanks.
- altmanaltman 8mo agoI dont get the point of local-first here? Like why would it not be local and why is it a feature? Also isnt the data being pulled from the LLM firms' servers? Like what is the meaning of this? You dont take all my chats and put it on your servers and steal my data? That is what local-first is these days?
- Bayram 8mo agoYes, thats what I meant. Sorry if it is misleading
- xtiansimon 8mo agoCan you please clarify with your comment?
- Bayram 8mo agoI believe i cant edit that comment
- tmaly 8mo agoDo you find any issues with FTS5 where it will miss some semantic detail?
- Bayram 8mo agoNope, at least not yet