local-memory-mcp

Persistent local memory for Claude, Cursor & Codex. 13 tools. No cloud. No API keys.

Your AI assistant forgets everything when you close the chat. This fixes that.

Learnings, decisions, people, projects -- stored in a single SQLite file on your machine that never leaves your computer. Built-in Knowledge Graph, duplicate detection, and full-text search.

Quick Start

Claude Code

claude mcp add memory -- npx -y @studiomeyer/local-memory-mcp

Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json (Settings > Developer > Edit Config):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@studiomeyer/local-memory-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor / VS Code

Add to .cursor/mcp.json or .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@studiomeyer/local-memory-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Codex

# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.memory]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@studiomeyer/local-memory-mcp"]

Automatic session tracking

You can make session tracking fully automatic so you never have to think about it.

Claude Code (CLAUDE.md): Add this line to your project's CLAUDE.md:

Always call memory_session_start at the beginning of each conversation and memory_session_end when done.

Claude Code (Hook): For a system-wide setup, add a SessionStart hook in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "SessionStart": [{
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "echo '{\"hookSpecificOutput\":{\"additionalContext\":\"Call memory_session_start now.\"}}'",
        "timeout": 5
      }]
    }]
  }
}

Both approaches make Claude call memory_session_start automatically. The CLAUDE.md way is simpler, the hook way works across all projects.

What it does

When you start a conversation, the server loads context from your last sessions so the AI knows what you were working on.

During the conversation, the AI stores patterns, insights, and mistakes via memory_learn. It records facts about people, projects, and tools via memory_entity_observe -- building a knowledge graph over time.

When you search, FTS5 full-text search with bm25 ranking finds relevant memories instantly. The duplicate gatekeeper prevents storing the same information twice.

Tools (13)

Sessions

memory_session_start -- Call this first in every conversation. Loads context from your last 3 sessions (summaries, recent learnings) so your AI knows what you were working on. Optional project parameter to scope sessions by project.

memory_session_end -- Call at the end to save a summary. Pass a summary string describing what was accomplished. The next session auto-loads this. Without arguments it closes the active session.

Learnings

memory_learn -- The core tool. Stores a piece of knowledge with a category and content. Categories: pattern (recurring success), mistake (what went wrong), insight (strategic realization), research (external knowledge), architecture, infrastructure, tool, workflow, performance, security. The duplicate gatekeeper checks if something similar already exists. If it finds a match, it bumps the usage counter instead of creating a duplicate. Optional: tags, confidence (0-1), project, memoryType (episodic or semantic, auto-classified if omitted).

memory_recall -- Quick search on learnings only. Pass a query string for keyword search, or omit it to get the most recent learnings. Good for "what did I learn about X" questions. Use limit to control how many results come back (default 10).

memory_search -- Unified search across everything: learnings, decisions, entities, and observations. Uses FTS5 with bm25 ranking. Multi-word queries match any of the words and rank by relevance. Use types array to filter (e.g. ["learning", "decision"]). This is the broadest search tool.

When to use recall vs search: Use recall when you want learnings specifically. Use search when you want to find anything across all types, including entities and decisions.

Decisions

memory_decide -- Records a decision with structured context. Parameters: title (what was decided), decision (the choice made), reasoning (why), alternatives (what else was considered). Optional: confidence, project, tags. This is useful for looking back at past decisions months later and understanding why you chose something.

Knowledge Graph

memory_entity_observe -- Record a fact about a person, project, company, tool, or any other entity. If the entity does not exist yet it gets created automatically. Parameters: entityName, entityType (person, project, company, tool, concept, etc.), content (the fact). Observations are bi-temporal, meaning they can be superseded over time without losing history.

memory_entity_search -- Fuzzy search across entity names and their observations. Finds "Claude" even if you search for "claude ai". Optional entityType filter to narrow results.

memory_entity_open -- Load a full entity view: the entity itself, all its current observations, and all its relations to other entities. Search by name or id. This is the deep-dive tool when you want everything about one entity.

memory_entity_relate -- Create a typed, directed edge between two entities. Parameters: fromEntityId, toEntityId, relationType (e.g. "works_at", "uses", "created", "depends_on"). Optional weight (0-1). Build a graph of how things connect.

Recommended entity types: person, project, company, tool, concept, service, team. Use whatever makes sense for your domain.

Reflection

memory_insights -- Overview stats: how many days of memory, total sessions, learnings, decisions, entities. Category breakdown and entity type breakdown. Good for "what does Claude know about me" moments. Optional project filter.

memory_profile -- Store personal info locally. Use set to store fields (name, role, preferences, language, timezone), use get to retrieve them. Your AI can read this at session start to personalize its behavior.

memory_guide -- Built-in help. Topics: quickstart (how to get started), session (session workflow), search (how search works), entities (knowledge graph explained), learn (learning categories), privacy (where data lives, what is collected).

Tips

• Start with sessions and learnings. Just calling memory_session_start at the beginning and memory_learn when something important comes up already gives you 80% of the value.
• Use entities for people and projects. When you mention a colleague, client, or project repeatedly, create an entity. Over time you build a knowledge graph that your AI can traverse.
• Decisions are underrated. Three months from now you will not remember why you chose Postgres over SQLite for that project. memory_decide captures the reasoning.
• Let your AI drive. Once the tools are available, your AI will naturally start using them. You do not need to call tools manually. Say "remember this" and it calls memory_learn. Say "what do you know about Sarah" and it calls memory_entity_search.
• Back up your SQLite file. It is a single file. Copy it to a USB drive, Dropbox, wherever. You can also open it with any SQLite browser to inspect what your AI has learned.

Features

• Knowledge Graph -- not just flat text. Entities, bi-temporal observations, typed relations.
• Duplicate Guard -- FTS5 similarity check prevents storing the same thing twice. Usage counter instead.
• Session Context -- auto-loads last 3 sessions on start. Your AI picks up where you left off.
• Decision Tracking -- log decisions with reasoning and alternatives. Unique among memory servers.
• Full-Text Search -- FTS5 with bm25 ranking across learnings, decisions, entities, observations.
• Single SQLite File -- one file, portable, backupable, deletable. WAL mode for concurrent access.
• Zero Config -- npx and done. No Docker, no Postgres, no Redis, no API keys.

Where your data lives

Everything in one SQLite file. Back it up, move it, delete it -- it's yours.

OS	Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/local-memory-mcp/memory.sqlite
Linux	~/.local/share/local-memory-mcp/memory.sqlite
Windows	%APPDATA%\local-memory-mcp\memory.sqlite

Override: MEMORY_DB_PATH=/your/preferred/path.sqlite

Privacy

• Your data never leaves your machine
• No telemetry, no phone-home, no analytics
• No account required, no API keys needed
• Open source -- read every line of code

Comparison

Feature	local-memory-mcp	Official MCP Memory	MemPalace	Mem0	Zep
Local-first	Yes	Yes	Yes	No (cloud)	No (cloud)
Knowledge Graph	Yes (entities + relations)	Yes (triples)	No	Paid tier	No
Duplicate Guard	Yes (FTS5 similarity)	No	No	Unknown	Unknown
Decision Tracking	Yes	No	No	No	No
Session Context	Yes (auto-load)	No	No	No	No
Full-Text Search	FTS5 + bm25	No	No (vector only)	Vector	Vector
Tools	13	5	29	API	API
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript	Python	Python	Python
Storage	SQLite	JSON file	ChromaDB	Cloud	Cloud
Install	npx	npx	pip + venv	Sign up	Sign up
Price	Free forever	Free	Free	$0-249/mo	$0-499/mo

local-memory-mcp vs. StudioMeyer Memory

Two products, same team, different use cases:

	local-memory-mcp (this repo)	StudioMeyer Memory (hosted)
Where	Your machine (SQLite)	Cloud (Supabase EU Frankfurt)
Tools	13	53
Search	FTS5 keyword	FTS5 + pgvector semantic + reranking
Multi-device	No	Yes
Multi-agent	No	Yes
Price	Free forever	Free tier / $29 Pro / $49 Team
Install	npx	memory.studiomeyer.io
Repo	local-memory-mcp	studiomeyer-memory (docs)

Start local. Upgrade when you need teams or semantic search.

Also by StudioMeyer

Server	What it does	Link
StudioMeyer Memory	Hosted AI memory with 53 tools, semantic search, multi-agent	memory.studiomeyer.io
StudioMeyer CRM	AI-native CRM -- 33 tools, pipeline, leads, revenue	crm.studiomeyer.io
StudioMeyer GEO	AI visibility monitoring -- 23 tools, 8 LLM platforms	geo.studiomeyer.io
MCP Crew	Agent personas for Claude -- 10 tools, 8 roles, 3 workflows	crew.studiomeyer.io

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT

---

Built by StudioMeyer -- AI-first web studio from Mallorca.