Synapse Template

Tetardtek

Brain Native Desktop App — Tauri v2 + Svelte 5, connects to your self-hosted cognitive brain via MCP

Synapse

Brain Native Desktop App — the bridge between you and your brain.

Synapse is the first native desktop client for a self-hosted cognitive API. It connects to your Brain via direct file access (local) or MCP (remote) — the same data Claude Code reads during sessions.

Not a markdown viewer. Not a web wrapper. A native app that speaks to a cognitive system.

"Cortex visualizes, Synapse connects."

Views

Free tier

View	Description
🪪 Identity	Brain carte d'identite — name, kernel version, tier, features, peers
🏠 Hub	Main dashboard — focus, intentions, todos, session, quick capture, services
🎯 Focus	Current direction from `focus.md`
⏱️ Sessions	Claude Code session history with heatmap (GitHub-style, 90 days)
📊 Overview	Brain metrics — projects, intentions, commits, agents
📦 Projects	All projects with filters (active/cold/has intentions), sort, grid/list, detail view
🧠 Agents	Agent registry with tier badges and locked toggle
📋 Intentions	All intentions with status, project tags, inline editing
📝 Todos	Open/done items from `todo/`
🌌 Cosmos	UMAP 3D spatial visualization of brain embeddings
📖 Guide	Human documentation reader (16 guides)
📚 Wiki	Technical wiki pages
🔧 Settings	Connection profiles, brain path, tier display
❓ Help	FAQ + getting started

Pro / Full tier

View	Description
💡 Pulse	Brain health overview — metrics, alerts, service status
⚙️ Kernel	Kernel config, service controls (start/stop brain-engine, Dolt, embedding)
📈 Analytics	Session heatmap, embeddings stats, brain growth
🏗️ Workflows	Workflow launcher with args, badges, filters
📋 ADR	Architecture Decision Records
🎒 Backlog	Project-grouped backlog with milestones
🔄 Handoffs	Session handoff documents
🗂️ Workspace	Workspace items and live states
🎓 Coach	Metabolism timeline, health score
📅 Content	Content calendar, preview, edit inline, promote pipeline
📚 Learning	Learning tracks with module status, notes, progress

Stack

Layer	Technology	Why
Runtime	Tauri v2	Rust backend, ~8MB .deb, native desktop
Frontend	Svelte 5	Reactive, lightweight, ecosystem-aligned
Backend	Rust (reqwest, tokio, rusqlite)	File I/O, HTTP, SQLite, process management
Protocol	MCP	Streamable HTTP for remote brains
Distribution	.deb, .rpm	Linux-first
License	Apache 2.0	Permissive — the moat is the brain, not the client

Architecture

+--------------------------------------+
|            Svelte 5 UI               |
|  Welcome -> Hub -> Projects -> ...   |
|  34 components, violet-chaton theme  |
+------------------+-------------------+
                   | Tauri IPC (invoke)
+------------------v-------------------+
|           Rust Backend               |
|  brain.rs  -- local file reader      |
|  mcp.rs   -- MCP client (remote)     |
|  Process manager (brain-engine)      |
|  SQLite (rusqlite bundled)           |
+------------------+-------------------+
                   |
         +---------+---------+
         |                   |
    Local brain         Remote brain
    (direct I/O)        (MCP HTTP)
    focus.md            brain_focus()
    intentions/         brain_search()
    projets/            brain_workflows()
    agents/             brain_write()

Getting Started

Install from .deb (recommended)

Download the latest .deb from Releases:

sudo dpkg -i Synapse_0.9.1_amd64.deb

Prerequisites for a brain

You need a brain to connect to. Get the Cortex template:

git clone https://github.com/Tetardtek/Cortex-Template.git my-brain
cd my-brain

Then launch Synapse, select "Local", and point it to your brain directory.

Build from source

# Dependencies (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libgtk-3-dev

# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/Tetardtek/synapse-template.git synapse
cd synapse
npm install
npm run tauri build

Output: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/deb/Synapse_0.9.1_amd64.deb

Connection Modes

Mode	How it works	Use case
Local	Direct file I/O on brain directory	Owner desktop — instant, no server needed
Remote	MCP Streamable HTTP to VPS	Access brain from another machine
Demo	Read-only MCP to showcase instance	Onboarding, evaluation

Auto-detection: Synapse scans $BRAIN_ROOT, ~/.config/brain-path, ~/Dev/Brain for brain-compose.yml.

Ecosystem

Brain (the system)
|-- Cortex    -> brain template (the kernel you fork)
|-- Cosmos    -> UMAP spatial visualization (embedded in Synapse)
|-- Synapse   -> native desktop client (this)

Synapse reads the same data Claude Code reads during sessions. Same brain, different interface.

Decisions

Architecture decisions are tracked in decisions/:

ADR	Topic	Status
001	Kernel version gate + tier enforcement	identified
002	Granular project states in dashboard	identified
003	Project-scoped ADRs	accepted

Roadmap

34 components, 25+ views
Tier gate UI (free/pro/full with locked views)
Cosmos 3D (UMAP embeddings visualization)
Content calendar with inline editing
Learning tracks with module progress
Service controls (brain-engine, embedding, Ollama)
Session heatmap (GitHub-style, 90 days)
SQLite bundled (no external DB required)
Setup wizard (guided brain configuration)
Notifications desktop (service down, claim expired)
OAuth 2.1 PKCE via SuperOAuth (multi-user BaaS)
Auto-update (tauri-updater)
CI/CD cross-platform (GitHub Actions)

License

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