LeanCTX
Verified Oct 2, 2026 ActiveLocal context gateway that picks, filters and logs what files and tool output reach your AI coding agent or app.
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Paid options from
- $9/mo
- Billing
- Monthly
The Apache-licensed engine is free to run locally. Pro is $9/month or $90/year after a 14-day trial and adds Personal Cloud sync, backup and a 1 GB hosted index. Enterprise and SDK/OEM embedding rights are sold by agreement; model and infrastructure costs are separate.
Use tool ↗About LeanCTX
LeanCTX is a Rust-based gateway that sits between an AI tool and the files, repositories and tool results it reads. It selects task-relevant content, applies access and masking rules before delivery, caches and remembers context, and records usage and delivery evidence so you can see what the model was given. The open-source engine runs locally through a CLI, MCP, hooks or a proxy, and there is an SDK for embedding it in your own app. Made by Thinkery AG of Switzerland; a paid Pro tier adds cloud sync and an enterprise tier adds shared policy.
- API
- Yes
- Last verified
- Oct 2, 2026
Verified sources
- Product overview: context gateway between AI and the systems it readsleanctx.com ↗
- Pricing: Community free, Pro $9/month or $90/year, Enterprise and SDK by agreementleanctx.com ↗
- Imprint: developed by Thinkery AG, Canton of Zurich; core under Apache License 2.0leanctx.com ↗
- Open-source repository, Apache-2.0, created March 2026github.com ↗
Is LeanCTX legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- Last checked
- Oct 2, 2026The site answered
- On the market since
- 2026The vendor's own material, read by us
- Operated by
- Thinkery AG, SwitzerlandOur research, card verified Oct 2, 2026
Pros & cons of LeanCTX
Worth a look if you run coding agents against sensitive repos and want rules on what they can read, plus a record of what they were actually sent. It is a young project with fast-moving docs, so expect to read the setup pages and test it on a small repo first.
Pros
- Free Apache-licensed engine that works fully local
- Access, masking and budget rules applied before content reaches the model
- Several entry points: CLI, MCP, hooks, proxy and an SDK
- Delivery records and usage accounting show what was sent
Cons
- Very new, with the repository created in 2026 and wording still changing
- SDK and OEM use need a separate licence and a signed agreement
- The marketing site is abstract and light on concrete setup steps
Best for
- Developers using coding agents who want to cap and audit the context they send
- Security-minded teams that need masking and source-access rules before text reaches a model
- Builders who want to embed a context layer through the SDK
Not for
- Anyone looking for a hosted chat assistant or a point-and-click app
- Teams that need production embedding rights without a signed commercial agreement
Watch out: The engine and the SDK carry different licences, so embedding or redistributing LeanCTX in a product is not covered by the Apache terms and needs a written agreement.
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