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Getting Started

This tutorial walks you through installing Distill, connecting it to Claude Code, and storing your first team memory.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.11+
  • Ollama installed and running
  • Claude Code CLI

Step 1: Install Distill

pip install distill-mcp

Or from source:

git clone https://github.com/5queezer/distill.git
cd distill
uv sync

Step 2: Pull the required Ollama models

Distill needs two models — one for distillation (turning your raw text into anonymous facts) and one for embeddings (enabling semantic search):

ollama pull gemma3:4b          # distillation
ollama pull nomic-embed-text   # embeddings (768-dim vectors)

Step 3: Register with Claude Code

claude mcp add distill -- python -m distill_mcp

Or if running from source:

claude mcp add distill -- uv run python -m distill_mcp

Step 4: Set up the auto-observe hook

Distill captures knowledge automatically from your Claude Code tool calls. Add the PostToolUse hook to your Claude Code settings:

claude hooks add PostToolUse \
  'curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:21746/observe \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d @- <<< "$CLAUDE_HOOK_PAYLOAD" &'

Now every tool call (Read, Bash, Edit, etc.) is automatically captured in the background — zero latency impact on Claude.

Step 5: Use Claude Code normally

There's nothing special to do. Work as you normally would:

You:    "Let's use gRPC instead of REST for inter-service communication
         because of streaming support and type safety."

Claude: [edits code, runs tests, etc.]

Behind the scenes, Distill's background worker distills each tool call into anonymous, factual knowledge and stores it in the team database.

Step 6: Search your memories

You:    "How do our services communicate?"

Claude: [searches team memory]
        Based on your team's knowledge base, inter-service communication
        uses gRPC, chosen for streaming support and type safety.

What you've learned

  • How to install Distill and its Ollama dependencies
  • How to register the MCP server with Claude Code
  • How to set up the auto-observe hook for automatic knowledge capture
  • How search retrieves stored team knowledge

Next steps