Memory MCP Server for Claude

Content

Memory is one of the official Model Context Protocol reference servers. It gives Claude a persistent store that survives across sessions by maintaining a knowledge graph: entities (things worth remembering), relations (how they connect), and observations (facts attached to them). Instead of forgetting context when a conversation ends, Claude can record durable information and recall it later. Everything is kept in a local file on your own machine, so the memory stays under your control and the server makes no external calls.

Features

• Persistent memory backed by a local knowledge graph of entities, relations, and observations.
• Recall of stored information across separate Claude sessions.
• Create, update, and query the graph as a normal part of conversation.
• Storage in a local file whose path you can set with MEMORY_FILE_PATH.
• Runs locally as a standard stdio MCP server with no external network calls.
• Maintained as part of the official Model Context Protocol reference servers.

Use Cases

• Remember durable project facts, preferences, or decisions between sessions.
• Build up context about a codebase or domain over time.
• Keep track of people, components, or systems and how they relate.
• Give an assistant workflow continuity without re-explaining background each time.
• Maintain a private, local memory store you fully control.

Installation

Claude Code

1. Make sure Node.js 18+ is installed (verify with npx --version).
2. Run: claude mcp add memory -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory
3. Verify the server is registered: claude mcp list
4. Ask Claude to remember a fact, then start a new session and ask it to recall.

Claude Desktop

1. Open your Claude Desktop configuration file.
2. Add the Memory server to the mcpServers section using the configuration below.
3. Optionally set MEMORY_FILE_PATH to choose where the memory file is stored.
4. Restart Claude Desktop and confirm the server appears.

Configuration

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

To control where memory is stored, add an env block with MEMORY_FILE_PATH pointing to a writable file path.

Examples

Remember a durable fact

Ask Claude to store something for later.

"Remember that this project uses pnpm workspaces and deploys to Cloudflare."

Recall in a later session

Start fresh and ask Claude to use its memory.

"What do you remember about how this project is built and deployed?"

Relate entities

Build connections in the knowledge graph.

"Remember that the billing service depends on the auth service, and note why."

Security

• The server writes remembered information to a local file. Treat that file as data storage: know where it lives, and back it up or clear it as appropriate.
• It runs locally as an stdio process and does not send the knowledge graph to any external service.
• Because it can retain personal or project details across sessions, review what is stored if the environment should not keep sensitive data.
• Use MEMORY_FILE_PATH to place the memory file in a location with appropriate access controls.

Troubleshooting

npx cannot resolve the package

Verify Node.js 18+ and npx are installed (npx --version). Networks that block the npm registry will prevent npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory from resolving.

Memory does not persist between sessions

Confirm the process can write to the memory file location. If you set MEMORY_FILE_PATH, make sure the path is writable and consistent across runs so the same file is reused.

Server not listed in Claude Code

Re-run claude mcp add memory -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory, then claude mcp list. Confirm it was added to the scope (project versus user) you are running in.

Claude does not store or recall information

Prompt it explicitly, for example "remember this" or "use your memory". The model decides when to call the tools, so a clear instruction helps it write to or read from the graph.

• Source repositorygithub.com 2026-07-18T11:38:32+00:00
• Documentationnpmjs.com
• Submitted by glorydavid030232026-06-03