Knowledge Graph Memory MCP server

The Knowledge Graph Memory Server enables Claude to remember information about users across conversations by storing data in a local knowledge graph. It creates persistent memory for AI assistants through entities, relations, and observations.

Installation Options

Docker Installation

To use the Memory Server with Claude Desktop, add this configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "-i", "-v", "claude-memory:/app/dist", "--rm", "mcp/memory"]
    }
  }
}

NPX Installation

Alternatively, you can use NPX to run the server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Custom Configuration

You can configure the server using environment variables:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MEMORY_FILE_PATH": "/path/to/custom/memory.jsonl"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available environment variables:

• MEMORY_FILE_PATH: Custom path for memory storage (default: memory.jsonl in the server directory)

VS Code Integration

Manual Configuration

Method 1: User Configuration (Recommended)

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P)
2. Run MCP: Open User Configuration
3. Add one of the following configurations:

For NPX:

{
  "servers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

For Docker:

{
  "servers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "-v",
        "claude-memory:/app/dist",
        "--rm",
        "mcp/memory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Method 2: Workspace Configuration Create a file at .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace with the same configuration as above.

Using the Memory Server

Core Data Structure

The knowledge graph uses three main components:

1. Entities: Primary nodes representing people, organizations, or events
2. Relations: Connections between entities
3. Observations: Discrete facts about entities

Example System Prompt

Here's an example prompt for enabling personalized chat with memory. You can add this to the "Custom Instructions" field in a Claude.ai Project:

Follow these steps for each interaction:

1. User Identification:
   - You should assume that you are interacting with default_user
   - If you have not identified default_user, proactively try to do so.

2. Memory Retrieval:
   - Always begin your chat by saying only "Remembering..." and retrieve all relevant information from your knowledge graph
   - Always refer to your knowledge graph as your "memory"

3. Memory
   - While conversing with the user, be attentive to any new information that falls into these categories:
     a) Basic Identity (age, gender, location, job title, education level, etc.)
     b) Behaviors (interests, habits, etc.)
     c) Preferences (communication style, preferred language, etc.)
     d) Goals (goals, targets, aspirations, etc.)
     e) Relationships (personal and professional relationships up to 3 degrees of separation)

4. Memory Update:
   - If any new information was gathered during the interaction, update your memory as follows:
     a) Create entities for recurring organizations, people, and significant events
     b) Connect them to the current entities using relations
     c) Store facts about them as observations

API Tools

The MCP server provides several tools for managing the knowledge graph:

Creating and Managing Entities

• create_entities: Add new entities to the graph
• delete_entities: Remove entities and their relations

Managing Relations

• create_relations: Create connections between entities
• delete_relations: Remove specific relations

Working with Observations

• add_observations: Add new facts to existing entities
• delete_observations: Remove specific observations

Querying the Graph

• read_graph: Retrieve the entire knowledge graph
• search_nodes: Find entities based on a text query
• open_nodes: Get specific entities by name

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 "memory" '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]}'

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": {
        "memory": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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": {
        "memory": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect