Basic Memory MCP server

Basic Memory is a tool that lets you build persistent knowledge through natural conversations with Large Language Models (LLMs) like Claude. It stores everything in simple Markdown files on your computer and uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to enable any compatible LLM to read and write to your local knowledge base.

Installation

Installing with uv (Recommended)

# Install with uv
uv tool install basic-memory

Configuring Claude Desktop

Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file (typically located at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "basic-memory": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "basic-memory",
        "mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Alternative Installation via Smithery

npx -y @smithery/cli install @basicmachines-co/basic-memory --client claude

This installs and configures Basic Memory without requiring manual edits to the Claude Desktop configuration file.

Setting Up VS Code Integration

Add the following to your VS Code User Settings (JSON):

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "basic-memory": {
        "command": "uvx",
        "args": ["basic-memory", "mcp"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternatively, create a file at .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

{
  "servers": {
    "basic-memory": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["basic-memory", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Usage

Basic Commands

# One-time sync of local knowledge updates
basic-memory sync

# Run realtime sync process (recommended)
basic-memory sync --watch

Cloud Features (Requires Subscription)

# Authenticate with cloud
basic-memory cloud login

# Bidirectional sync with cloud
basic-memory cloud sync

# Verify cloud integrity
basic-memory cloud check

# Mount cloud storage
basic-memory cloud mount

Using with Specific Projects

To use Basic Memory with a specific project, update your Claude Desktop config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "basic-memory": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "basic-memory",
        "mcp",
        "--project",
        "your-project-name"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools in Claude

Once configured, you can use these functions within Claude:

Content Management

• write_note(title, content, folder, tags) - Create or update notes
• read_note(identifier, page, page_size) - Read notes by title or permalink
• read_content(path) - Read raw file content
• view_note(identifier) - View notes as formatted artifacts
• edit_note(identifier, operation, content) - Edit notes incrementally
• move_note(identifier, destination_path) - Move notes with database consistency
• delete_note(identifier) - Delete notes from knowledge base

Knowledge Graph Navigation

• build_context(url, depth, timeframe) - Navigate knowledge graph via memory:// URLs
• recent_activity(type, depth, timeframe) - Find recently updated information
• list_directory(dir_name, depth) - Browse directory contents with filtering

Search & Discovery

• search(query, page, page_size) - Search across your knowledge base

Project Management

• list_memory_projects() - List all available projects
• create_memory_project(project_name, project_path) - Create new projects
• get_current_project() - Show current project stats
• sync_status() - Check synchronization status

Visualization

• canvas(nodes, edges, title, folder) - Generate knowledge visualizations

Example Prompts

Try these prompts in Claude Desktop:

• "Create a note about our project architecture decisions"
• "Find information about JWT authentication in my notes"
• "Create a canvas visualization of my project components"
• "Read my notes on the authentication system"
• "What have I been working on in the past week?"

How It Works

Basic Memory stores knowledge in structured Markdown files:

Frontmatter

---
title: <Entity title>
type: <The type of Entity> (e.g. note)
permalink: <a uri slug>
tags:
- <optional tags>
---

Observations (Facts About a Topic)

- [category] content #tag (optional context)

Examples:

- [method] Pour over extracts more floral notes than French press
- [tip] Grind size should be medium-fine for pour over #brewing
- [preference] Ethiopian beans have bright, fruity flavors (especially from Yirgacheffe)

Relations (Links to Other Topics)

- relation_type [[WikiLink]] (optional context)

Examples:

- pairs_well_with [[Chocolate Desserts]]
- grown_in [[Ethiopia]]
- requires [[Burr Grinder]]

All files are stored locally in your Basic Memory directory (default: ~/basic-memory).

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "basic-memory" '{"command":"uvx","args":["basic-memory","mcp"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "basic-memory": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "basic-memory",
                "mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "basic-memory": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "basic-memory",
                "mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect