Basic Memory MCP server

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

Installation

Using UV (Recommended)

Install Basic Memory using UV:

uv tool install basic-memory

Alternative Installation via Smithery

You can also use Smithery to automatically configure Basic Memory for Claude Desktop:

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

This method doesn't require manual edits to the Claude Desktop configuration file.

Configuration

Claude Desktop Configuration

To use Basic Memory with Claude Desktop, edit your Claude configuration file:

1. Open ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
2. Add the following to your config:

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

VS Code Configuration

To use Basic Memory with VS Code, add this to your User Settings (JSON):

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

Alternatively, you can add it to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

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

Usage

Syncing Your Knowledge Base

Before using Basic Memory, you should sync your knowledge base:

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

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

Using with Claude Desktop

Once configured, you can use these commands in Claude:

• Write notes: "Create a note about coffee brewing methods"
• Read notes: "What do I know about pour over coffee?"
• Search: "Find information about Ethiopian beans"

Available Tools

Basic Memory provides the following tools to LLMs:

write_note(title, content, folder, tags) - Create or update notes
read_note(identifier, page, page_size) - Read notes by title or permalink
build_context(url, depth, timeframe) - Navigate knowledge graph via memory:// URLs
search(query, page, page_size) - Search across your knowledge base
recent_activity(type, depth, timeframe) - Find recently updated information
canvas(nodes, edges, title, folder) - Generate knowledge visualizations

Example Prompts

Try these prompts with your configured LLM:

• "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?"

Working with Multiple Projects

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

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

File Format

Basic Memory uses a simple Markdown format with special markup:

Frontmatter

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

Observations

Observations are 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

Relations are links to other topics:

- relation_type [[WikiLink]] (optional context)

Examples:

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

By default, all files are stored in ~/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