Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Mantra is a local-first desktop application for replaying, searching, and managing AI coding sessions. It supports Claude Code, Cursor, and Gemini CLI on macOS, Windows, and Linux. All local features are free forever.

About Mantra

What is Mantra?

Mantra is a local-first AI coding companion built around three core pillars: Replay · Control · Secure. It helps developers:

• Replay: Review every step of AI programming — replay sessions and time-travel through historical code states
• Control: Unify MCP services and Skills management — configure once, share across all AI tools
• Secure: Detect sensitive information in AI-generated content — prevent keys and credentials from leaking

Mantra currently supports Claude Code (Anthropic), Cursor, and Gemini CLI. Support for OpenAI Codex and Antigravity is coming soon.

Which AI coding tools does Mantra support?

Mantra supports the following AI coding tools:

Tool	Format	Status
Claude Code (Anthropic)	JSONL sessions	Supported
Cursor	SQLite .vscdb files	Supported
Gemini CLI	Session logs	Supported
OpenAI Codex	—	Coming soon
Antigravity	—	Coming soon

Mantra automatically discovers sessions from these tools during import — no manual file selection required.

What platforms does Mantra support?

Mantra currently supports:

• macOS: Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
• Windows: Windows 10 and Windows 11
• Linux: Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 36+, and other modern distributions

Download Mantra from mantra.gonewx.com/download.

Is Mantra free?

All local features are free forever with no limitations — unlimited sessions and projects, MCP Hub, Git time travel, full-text search, and the local redaction engine are all included.

Optional add-on services are also available:

• Sync (from $4/month): Cross-device session sync with end-to-end encryption
• Publish (from $8/month/site): One-click web replay links with custom domain support

See the Pricing page for details.

Is Mantra open source?

Mantra's core desktop application is not open source. However, all local features are free forever with no limitations. The project maintains an open-source releases repository at github.com/mantra-hq/mantra-releases for issue tracking, feature requests, and release notes.

Features

What is the "Time Travel" feature?

Mantra's Time Travel feature lets you drag the timeline to replay every moment of your AI coding session while viewing the exact code state at that point. Think of it like scrubbing through a video of your entire coding conversation. This helps you:

• Understand the context behind code changes
• Review the AI's reasoning process step by step
• Trace which prompt led to which file modification
• Learn and extract reusable coding patterns

How does Mantra compare to reading raw session logs?

Without Mantra, reviewing AI sessions means manually parsing JSONL files (Claude Code), querying SQLite databases (Cursor), or scrolling through unformatted logs. Mantra replaces this with:

• A visual timeline you can scrub through like a video player
• Full-text search across all sessions from all AI tools
• Content filtering to focus on code changes, tool calls, or explanations
• Context causality showing which prompts led to which code changes
• Sensitive data detection to catch leaked credentials

What is the MCP Hub?

MCP Hub is Mantra's unified control plane for Model Context Protocol (MCP) services. Instead of configuring MCP servers separately for each AI coding tool, you configure them once in Mantra and share the configuration across Claude Code, Cursor, and other tools. MCP Hub includes:

• Centralized MCP server management
• Built-in MCP Inspector for testing and debugging
• One-click deployment to supported AI tools
• Configuration conflict detection and resolution

How does full-text search work?

Mantra builds a local search index of all imported sessions. You can search across:

• All projects and sessions simultaneously
• Content from multiple AI tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini)
• Prompts, AI responses, tool calls, and code changes

Results include real-time preview with highlighted matching content.

What types of sensitive information can Mantra detect?

Mantra's local Rust-based redaction engine detects:

• API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS, Google Cloud, etc.)
• Database passwords and connection strings
• Access tokens (GitHub, GitLab, npm, etc.)
• Private key files (SSH, PGP, certificates)
• Sensitive values in environment variables
• Cloud credentials (AWS access keys, GCP service accounts)

All detection happens locally on your device — sensitive data is never transmitted anywhere.

How do I import my existing AI coding sessions?

Mantra's Import Wizard makes importing sessions simple:

1. Open Mantra and click "Import" or use the Import Wizard
2. Mantra automatically scans for Claude Code, Cursor, and Gemini sessions on your machine
3. Select which sessions to import (or import all)
4. Mantra parses and indexes them for instant search and replay

The import process runs entirely locally. Session files are read from their original locations — Mantra does not move or modify your original session data.

Can I use Mantra for team code reviews?

Yes. Mantra enhances code reviews by showing not just the final code diff, but the entire AI conversation that produced it. With the optional Publish feature:

• Share session replays as web links
• Reviewers can see prompts, AI reasoning, and alternatives discussed
• Built-in redaction removes sensitive data before sharing
• Custom domain support for enterprise teams

How does Mantra handle multiple AI tools at once?

Mantra aggregates sessions from Claude Code, Cursor, and Gemini into a single unified timeline. This means you can:

• Search across all tools simultaneously
• Compare sessions from different tools side by side
• See your complete AI coding history in one place
• Switch between sessions regardless of which tool created them

This is particularly valuable for developers who use Claude Code for complex refactoring, Cursor for quick edits, and Gemini for documentation.

Data & Privacy

Where is my data stored?

All data is stored on your local device. Specific locations (v0.11.0+):

Configuration files:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.gonewx.mantra/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\com.gonewx.mantra\
• Linux: ~/.config/com.gonewx.mantra/

Application data (database, Skills, backups, etc.):

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.gonewx.mantra/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\com.gonewx.mantra\
• Linux: ~/.local/share/com.gonewx.mantra/

Cache:

• macOS: ~/Library/Caches/com.gonewx.mantra/
• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\com.gonewx.mantra\cache\
• Linux: ~/.cache/com.gonewx.mantra/

If upgrading from an older version, Mantra automatically migrates data from ~/.mantra/ to the new paths.

Does Mantra upload my code or conversations?

No. Mantra never uploads your code or session content. Mantra is a local-first application:

• All session data, MCP configurations, and Skills are saved locally
• Anonymous usage statistics are on by default (can be disabled in Settings)
• Mantra never collects code, session content, or personal information

All core features (session replay, MCP Hub, Skills Hub, sensitive information detection) work entirely on your device.

Where is Sync and Publish data stored?

Sync and Publish data is stored encrypted with your chosen storage or hosting provider. Mantra uses end-to-end encryption — we cannot decrypt or access your synced data. You always retain full control.

How do I delete my data?

You can delete data by:

1. Using the "Clear Data" feature in the app
2. Directly deleting the data directory listed above
3. Selecting "Delete all data" when uninstalling

Pricing

Do I need to pay for commercial use?

Mantra does not require payment for commercial use. A commercial license is optional, but if your organization uses Mantra, purchasing one supports continued independent development. The commercial license costs $50/user/year and includes priority email support and invoicing.

What is BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)?

BYOK stands for Bring Your Own Key. Mantra lets you use your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI services. Keys are stored locally on your machine and never transmitted to Mantra's servers. This gives you full control over your AI service costs and usage.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. Mantra offers the following refund windows:

• Sync / Publish: Full refund within 7 days of purchase
• Pioneer / Commercial licenses: Full refund within 14 days of purchase

Contact mantra@gonewx.com for refund requests.

Technical Support

How do I report a bug?

You can report issues through:

• GitHub Issues (Recommended): mantra-hq/mantra-releases/issues
• Email: mantra@gonewx.com
• Discord: Join Community
• Twitter: @decker502

How do I request a new feature?

We welcome feature suggestions! Please contact us through GitHub Issues, Discord, or email.

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Last Updated: March 2026