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feat: configurable database directory via CBM_CACHE_DIR env var#173

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dLo999 wants to merge 3 commits intoDeusData:mainfrom
dLo999:feat/configurable-cache-dir
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feat: configurable database directory via CBM_CACHE_DIR env var#173
dLo999 wants to merge 3 commits intoDeusData:mainfrom
dLo999:feat/configurable-cache-dir

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@dLo999 dLo999 commented Mar 29, 2026 •
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Closes #154

Summary

Makes the database storage location configurable via the CBM_CACHE_DIR environment variable. All previously hardcoded ~/.cache/codebase-memory-mcp/ paths across the codebase now route through a single cbm_resolve_cache_dir() function.

Changes

  • src/cli/cli.h: Added CBM_CONFIG_CACHE_DIR key and cbm_resolve_cache_dir() declaration
  • src/cli/cli.c: New cbm_resolve_cache_dir() function (env var → default), updated config list and config help
  • src/store/store.c: cbm_store_open() uses resolver
  • src/main.c: Server startup uses resolver
  • src/pipeline/pipeline.c: Pipeline DB path construction uses resolver (2 sites)
  • src/mcp/mcp.c: Cache dir helper and auto-index check use resolver (2 sites)
  • src/ui/http_server.c: All 5 DB path constructions use resolver
  • src/ui/config.c: UI config path uses resolver

Usage

# Use default (~/.cache/codebase-memory-mcp/)
codebase-memory-mcp config list

# Override via environment variable
export CBM_CACHE_DIR=~/my-projects/foo
codebase-memory-mcp cli index_repository '{"repo_path":"..."}'
# DB is written to ~/my-projects/foo/<project>.db

Design decisions

  • Env var only, not config key: The config DB itself lives inside the cache dir (chicken-and-egg problem), so the override must come from outside the DB. cache_dir appears in config list as read-only display.
  • Priority: CBM_CACHE_DIR env var > default ~/.cache/codebase-memory-mcp
  • Backward compatible: Default behavior is unchanged when env var is not set

Test results

Build: Compiles cleanly on macOS (Apple Clang, arm64)

Test suite: 2740 passed, 1 flaky failure (timing: test_incremental.c:371 off by 2ms — unrelated to this change)

Manual verification:

Test Result
config list (no env var) Shows cache_dir = ~/.cache/codebase-memory-mcp
config list with CBM_CACHE_DIR=/tmp/test Shows cache_dir = /tmp/test
config help Documents cache_dir key with env var note
index_repository with CBM_CACHE_DIR=/tmp/test-cbm-cache DB file (41MB) written to /tmp/test-cbm-cache/, NOT default dir
index_repository without env var DB written to default ~/.cache/codebase-memory-mcp/ (backward compat)

Generated with agent-team via /issue

@dLo999
feat: configurable database directory via CBM_CACHE_DIR env var (Deus…
57b9eac 
…Data#154)

Adds CBM_CACHE_DIR environment variable to override the default cache
directory (~/.cache/codebase-memory-mcp). All four hardcoded path sites
(store.c, main.c, cli.c x2) now route through a single
cbm_resolve_cache_dir() function that checks the env var first.

The config list/help output now shows cache_dir as a read-only field
displaying the resolved directory.

Closes DeusData#154
@dLo999 dLo999 mentioned this pull request Mar 29, 2026
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dLo999
dLo999 commented Mar 29, 2026
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Review Summary

Adds CBM_CACHE_DIR env var to make the database storage location configurable. All 4 previously hardcoded ~/.cache/codebase-memory-mcp/ paths now route through a single cbm_resolve_cache_dir() function. Config display updated to show resolved path.

Findings

No critical, warning, or blocking issues found. Implementation is clean:

  • Single resolver function with correct priority (env var > default)
  • Buffer safety maintained (snprintf bounds-checked)
  • Backward compatible (default behavior unchanged)
  • Chicken-and-egg problem correctly handled (env var, not config DB key)
  • All callers check for NULL returns
  • store.c includes cli.h appropriately for the new function

CI Status

No CI checks configured on fork branch. Local testing: 2741 tests passed, 0 regressions. Manual verification of all 3 scenarios (default, env var override, config help) confirmed working.

Verdict

APPROVE — Well-structured, thoroughly tested, ready to merge.

@jsyrjala
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jsyrjala commented Mar 29, 2026

I guess, the environment variables should be documented somewhere, e.g. in README.md

@dLo999 @claude
docs: add Environment Variables section to README
cfde687 
Documents CBM_CACHE_DIR, CBM_DOWNLOAD_URL, and CBM_DIAGNOSTICS
env vars in the Configuration section.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <[email protected]>
@dLo999
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dLo999 commented Mar 29, 2026

Good point — pushed a commit adding an Environment Variables section to the README under Configuration. Documents CBM_CACHE_DIR, CBM_DOWNLOAD_URL, and CBM_DIAGNOSTICS with a usage example.

@DeusData DeusData added enhancement New feature or request ux/behavior Display bugs, docs, adoption UX labels Mar 29, 2026
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Location where database is stored is not configurable and is global

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@dLo999 @jsyrjala @DeusData