Getting Started

April 7, 2026 · View on GitHub

This guide walks you through installing SLM Mesh and sending your first message between two AI coding sessions.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 20 or later
  • An MCP-compatible AI coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Aider, or Codex)

Step 1: Install

npm install -g slm-mesh

Or use without installing:

npx slm-mesh

Step 2: Add to Your AI Agent

Claude Code

claude mcp add --scope user slm-mesh -- npx slm-mesh

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slm-mesh": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["slm-mesh"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code / Windsurf / Other MCP Agents

Add to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slm-mesh": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["slm-mesh"]
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Open Two Sessions

Open two terminal windows with your AI coding agent. Both sessions automatically:

  1. Start the SLM Mesh broker (if not already running)
  2. Register as a peer with the broker
  3. Get 8 MCP tools for inter-session communication

Step 4: Discover Peers

In Session A, ask your agent:

"Use mesh_peers to see who else is working on this machine."

The agent will call mesh_peers with scope machine and show you Session B.

Step 5: Send a Message

In Session A:

"Use mesh_send to tell the other session that I just refactored the auth module."

Session B receives the message in real-time via Unix Domain Socket push. The agent can check with mesh_inbox.

Step 6: Share State

In Session A:

"Use mesh_state to set the database_version to 42."

In Session B:

"Use mesh_state to get the database_version."

Both sessions share a key-value scratchpad, namespaced by project.

Step 7: Lock a File

Before editing a shared file:

"Use mesh_lock to lock src/auth.ts before I start refactoring it."

Other sessions will see the lock and know not to edit that file.

What Happens Under the Hood

  1. The first MCP server to start checks if a broker is running on localhost:7899.
  2. If not, it spawns the broker as a detached background process.
  3. The broker creates a SQLite database at ~/.slm-mesh/mesh.db and generates a bearer token at ~/.slm-mesh/broker.token.
  4. Each MCP server registers with the broker and opens a Unix Domain Socket for real-time push notifications.
  5. When a session ends, the MCP server unregisters. The broker cleans up locks and notifies other peers.
  6. When no peers remain for 60 seconds, the broker auto-shuts down.

Using the CLI

You can also interact with the mesh from the command line:

slm-mesh status             # Check broker health
slm-mesh peers              # List active sessions
slm-mesh send <id> "hello"  # Send a message
slm-mesh broadcast "alert"  # Broadcast to all
slm-mesh state set key val  # Set shared state
slm-mesh lock list           # Show active locks
slm-mesh events              # Show recent events

Add --json to any command for machine-readable output.

Next Steps