Configuration

LINZA is configured through environment variables in your MCP client. There is no separate YAML config: point it to a folder, choose an embedding provider, and optionally choose the tool set.

Core Variables

Variable	Meaning
LINZA_VAULT	Absolute path to the working folder or Markdown vault. Required.
LINZA_EMBED_PROVIDER	Embedding provider: lmstudio, ollama, or openai.
LINZA_EMBED_URL	Local or remote embedding endpoint.
LINZA_EMBED_MODEL	Embedding model name.
LINZA_EMBED_KEY	API key, if the provider needs one.
LINZA_TOOL_SURFACE	Tool set: default for normal use, advanced for debugging.

Tool Set

For normal work, keep LINZA_TOOL_SURFACE=default. The agent sees a compact tool set: diagnostics, index, search, map, review cards, teaching, growth, relationship explanation, and context export.

advanced is for development and diagnostics. It exposes lower-level actions for inspecting local database state, and is usually unnecessary for user workflows.

MCP Configuration Example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linza": {
      "command": "linza-mcp",
      "env": {
        "LINZA_VAULT": "/absolute/path/to/your-folder",
        "LINZA_EMBED_PROVIDER": "lmstudio",
        "LINZA_EMBED_URL": "http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1",
        "LINZA_EMBED_MODEL": "your-embedding-model-name",
        "LINZA_TOOL_SURFACE": "default"
      }
    }
  }
}

For VS Code / Copilot MCP the shape is almost the same, but the key is servers:

{
  "servers": {
    "linza": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "linza-mcp",
      "env": {
        "LINZA_VAULT": "/absolute/path/to/your-folder",
        "LINZA_EMBED_PROVIDER": "lmstudio",
        "LINZA_EMBED_URL": "http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1",
        "LINZA_EMBED_MODEL": "your-embedding-model-name"
      }
    }
  }
}

Embeddings

For local work, LM Studio is usually the simplest path: data stays on your machine, while LINZA gets vectors for search, topic maps, and review cards.

If you change provider, model, or embedding dimension, run a full reindex. Vectors from different spaces cannot be compared reliably.