Docs / Connect / Goose

Connect ModelBrain to Goose

Goose calls MCP servers extensions, and it can write the entry for you, so connecting ModelBrain does not require editing a file.

Goose has its own walkthrough for adding a command line extension, and using it is safer than editing YAML by hand, where one wrong indent breaks the whole file.

Where the program lives

This client needs the full path to ModelBrain's mcp_server program. The commands and snippets on this page show the macOS path; on Windows or Linux, put the path for your system in the same place. Write the full path rather than a variable such as %LOCALAPPDATA% or ~, because a client may not expand it.

macOS

/Applications/ModelBrain.app/Contents/MacOS/mcp_server

Windows

C:\Users\you\AppData\Local\Programs\ModelBrain\mcp_server.exe (that is %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\ModelBrain\mcp_server.exe, with your own user name). Inside JSON, TOML or a quoted YAML string, double each backslash.

Linux

/home/you/.local/lib/modelbrain/mcp_server, with your own home folder. The install script puts ModelBrain in ~/.local/lib/modelbrain.

Steps

Install ModelBrain if you haven't yet (macOS, Windows or Linux).
Run the walkthrough. In a terminal run goose configure, choose Add Extension, then Command-line Extension.
Answer the prompts. Name it ModelBrain, give the command /Applications/ModelBrain.app/Contents/MacOS/mcp_server, accept or set a timeout such as 300 seconds, and answer no when it asks about environment variables.
Or use the desktop app. Open the sidebar, choose Extensions, then Add custom extension. Set the type to Standard IO, enter a name and the same command, and click Add.
Or edit the file yourself. Goose's file is ~/.config/goose/config.yaml. Add this under the top-level extensions: key, lined up with the entries already there, using spaces and not tabs.
```
  modelbrain:
    name: ModelBrain
    cmd: /Applications/ModelBrain.app/Contents/MacOS/mcp_server
    args: []
    enabled: true
    type: stdio
    timeout: 300
```
Check it is connected. Start a new Goose session, ask it to remember something, then recall it in another session.

Questions

Why cmd and not command?

Goose's own format calls the field cmd. The walkthrough fills it in for you, which is one reason to use it.

Does ModelBrain need environment variables?

No. Leave them empty.

How do I undo it?

Remove the extension in the desktop app, or delete the entry from config.yaml. Your memories are not stored in that file.

Has this been tested?

We have tested this configuration against sample files and the ModelBrain setup code, but not yet by hand on a real install of Goose. If ModelBrain does not appear in Goose after you follow these steps, tell us through the Support page and we will fix this guide.

Not installed yet?

Start with the install guide.

Install ModelBrain →

Then

A 10-minute walkthrough: add a folder, ask something that needs two notes, see the citation.

Quickstart →