Basic Memory

Name: Basic Memory
Author: basicmachines-co

by basicmachines-coversion 1.0.0i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.basicmachines-co/basic-memory

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Local-first knowledge management with bi-directional LLM sync via Markdown files.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Search & AI memory

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
The registry lists no key to fill in.

You need

PyPIPython’s uv installed (for the uvx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

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

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add basic-memory -- uvx basic-memory

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

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

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

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

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 6, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account basicmachines-co, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Search & AI memoryi

More stars than 0% of the other 7241 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 83% of the other 7241 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 7241 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Basic Memory safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (1.0.0) reached the registry 7 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Python (uv) on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Context7, Codebase Memory, Exa

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Context7

by upstash

Feeds AI the latest docs for libraries and frameworks before it answers, so code it writes does not use outdated, removed functions.

Computer or cloud★ 64,224MITUpdated 3 days ago

Install

Codebase Memory

by DeusData

Codebase knowledge graph for AI agents — 162 languages, sub-ms queries, 99% fewer tokens.

Runs on your computer★ 48,148MITUpdated 20 days ago

Install

Exa

by exa-labs

Connect AI agents to Exa for web search, content fetching, and multi-step research.

Runs in the cloud★ 5,213MITUpdated 44 days ago

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Skip the install — try Basic Memory in the cloud

Claude, Codex, or Cursor connected in 30 seconds. No Python, no JSON, no terminal. $15.00/mo locked in for life (12.50/mo yearly pricing). 7-day free trial — cancel any time before day 7 if it's not for you. Beta pricing — sign up now and your rate never goes up. OSS users: code BMFOSS takes another 20% off for 3 months.

Start free trial →

Basic Memory Teams is now available!

Give your team a single, shared cloud workspace. Knowledge isn't confined to one person — anything a teammate writes is immediately available to everyone else and to their AI assistants. Edit a note together in real time, hand work off between humans and agents, and build one connected knowledge base instead of scattered copies. Same pricing - start with one user and add more as needed.

Basic Memory

Your AI never forgets again.

Pick up right where you left off — in Claude, Codex, Cursor, ChatGPT, or anything that speaks MCP. Your knowledge lives as Markdown files that both you and your AI can read, write, and search.

Local-first. Plain text on your disk. Forever.
Two-way. AI and humans write to the same files; sync keeps them in step.
A real knowledge graph. Observations and wikilinks compound into context.
Semantic search. Find notes by meaning, not just keywords, with optional cross-encoder reranking for higher-quality vector and hybrid results.
MCP-native. Works with every major AI client and IDE.
Progressive tool discovery. Every tool is tagged with behavior hints (read-only, destructive, idempotent) so agents pick the right tool on demand — no wasted context trying things to see what they do.
Cloud, optional. Sync across devices when you want — never required.

Get started

Pick the path that fits you. Both run the same product on the same Markdown.

☁️ Cloud 💻 Local install

30 seconds. Sign up, connect your AI client, done.

Works in any browser
Mobile, web, desktop
Cross-device sync built in
We handle hosting, backups, snapshots

$15.00/mo locked for life · 7-day free trial · cancel any time

Start free trial →

2 minutes. Install, configure your AI client, run.

Free forever (AGPL-3.0)
All data on your disk
Air-gapped friendly
Requires Python via uv

uv tool install basic-memory --prerelease=allow

--prerelease=allow is required: Basic Memory 0.23 depends on a FastMCP 4 pre-release, and uv only accepts pre-releases of transitive dependencies when told to — without the flag it silently installs an older release. The same flag goes on every uvx / uv tool upgrade command below.

For Postgres deployments that store semantic vectors in Milvus, install the first-party optional extra instead:

uv tool install "basic-memory[milvus]" --prerelease=allow

Configure your client ↓

What people are saying

Basic Memory changed my whole relationship with LLMs. I switched from GPT

and Gemini to exclusively Claude and Claude Code because of this

integration and am completely revamping all our company's processes around

a Basic Memory workflow.

— Alex, TrainerDay

Basic Memory is the missing 'wow' factor in AI chatbots. Now I can't

imagine Claude or Claude Code without it.

— Caleb, Caleb Picker Consulting

I don't code without Basic Memory anymore. It's such a time saver to be

able to refer to projects I don't currently have active and keep a running

log of all my learnings and ProTips.

— @groksrc, Developer

Basic Memory Cloud

The hosted version of Basic Memory. Same product, same Markdown files, same MCP tools — we just host the database, run the sync, and put it on your phone.

What you get

Every device, same brain. Your knowledge graph on web, mobile, and desktop. No copy-paste between machines.
Connect any MCP client. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, ChatGPT (Custom GPTs), VS Code — one-click connect from the web app.
Bidirectional sync to local. Edit on your phone, see it in Obsidian on your laptop. rclone-powered with conflict resolution.
Snapshots and backups. Point-in-time restore. Browse history. Never lose a note.
No lock-in. Your notes are plain Markdown. Export to local Markdown any time — same files, same format, same wikilinks. Cancel anytime, your data stays yours.

Built on WorkOS AuthKit, Neon Postgres, and Tigris S3.

Pricing

$15.00/mo, locked in for the life of your subscription (regular price $19). Sign up during beta and the rate never goes up — as long as you stay subscribed, you keep the price. One plan, no tiers, no surprise upgrades. Unlimited notes, unlimited projects, every feature.

7-day free trial. Cancel any time before day 7 if it's not for you.
Cancel anytime after that too — export your notes whenever you want.
OSS users: code BMFOSS for another 20% off for 3 months (~$11.40/mo).

Start your 7-day free trial →

Cloud vs. local

	Cloud	Local
Setup time	30 seconds	2 minutes (requires Python)
Cost	$15.00/mo, locked for life (7-day trial)	Free
Storage	We host (Tigris S3)	Your disk
Cross-device sync	Built in	Manual (Git, Syncthing, etc.)
Mobile access	Yes (web + app)	No
Air-gapped	No	Yes
Your data stays yours	Yes — export anytime	Yes — already there
Source code	AGPL-3.0	AGPL-3.0
Snapshots & backups	Built in	Roll your own

Both paths use the same OSS engine and the same Markdown files. There's no lock-in either way — flip between them when your needs change.

Works with the tools you already use

Client	Transport	Notes
Cloud web app	https	Sign in at basicmemory.com — no install
Claude Desktop	stdio/https	macOS / Windows / Linux
Claude Code	stdio/https	`claude mcp add`
Codex	stdio/https	OpenAI's coding agent
Cursor	stdio/https	`.cursor/mcp.json`
VS Code	stdio/https	Native MCP support
ChatGPT	https	Custom GPT actions (`search` / `fetch`)
Obsidian	—	Reads/writes the same Markdown directly
Anything MCP	stdio/https	If it speaks MCP, it works

Official agent packages

This repository is also the canonical home for Basic Memory's host-native agent packages. The core Python package, Claude Code plugin, shared skills, Hermes plugin, and OpenClaw plugin all ship from the same source tree.

Maintainers can verify the whole consolidated surface from the repo root:

just package-check

Package-local justfiles are also available when working inside one host:

just package-check-claude-code

just package-check-skills just package-check-hermes just package-check-openclaw

Claude Code plugin

The Claude Code plugin is the bridge between Claude's working memory and Basic Memory — session-start briefings, pre-compaction checkpoints, an opt-in capture output style, and /basic-memory:bm-setup · :remember · :share · :status.

Connect the Basic Memory MCP server first — see Connect your AI client. The plugin's hooks and skills call it, so it's a hard prerequisite. Then install the plugin:

bm install claude-code

That registers the marketplace and installs the plugin through Claude Code. Add --scope project to declare both in the repository's settings for a team, or --dry-run to see the underlying claude plugin commands without running them.

Source: plugins/claude-code.

Shared skills

Framework-agnostic SKILL.md files live in skills/. If your Skills CLI supports repository subdirectory sources:

npx skills add basicmachines-co/basic-memory/skills -g

For Claude and ChatGPT, upload basic-memory.zip or basic-memory-chatgpt.zip from the skills-latest release; see skills/README.md.

If your installed Skills CLI cannot load that source, update the CLI or copy the memory-* directories from skills/ into your agent's skills directory.

Hermes

Hermes keeps its native plugin shape under integrations/hermes:

hermes plugins install basicmachines-co/basic-memory/integrations/hermes

Hermes does not install a plugin's Python dependencies, so also add the mcp package to the Hermes venv — see the plugin README for that step and the supported Hermes releases.

OpenClaw

OpenClaw stays package-native and publishes from integrations/openclaw:

openclaw plugins install @basicmemory/openclaw-basic-memory

Pick up where you left off

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/a55d8238-8dd0-454a-be4c-8860dbbd0ddc

Connect your AI client

If you went the Cloud route, the web app walks you through client connect. The snippets below are for local installs.

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

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

Restart Claude Desktop. Notes live in ~/basic-memory by default.

Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT, Obsidian

Claude Code

claude mcp add basic-memory -- uvx --prerelease=allow basic-memory mcp

For the full memory bridge — session briefings, pre-compaction checkpoints, and the /basic-memory:* commands — also install the Claude Code plugin on top of this.

Codex CLI

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.basic-memory]

command = "uvx" args = ["--prerelease=allow", "basic-memory", "mcp"]

Codex can keep its default MCP approval behavior, or you can pre-approve eligible Basic Memory tools by adding this server-scoped setting to the same table:

[mcp_servers.basic-mem

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Basic Memory

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Search & AI memoryi

Common questions

Alternatives

Context7

Codebase Memory

Exa

README from the maker

Skip the install — try Basic Memory in the cloud

Basic Memory Teams is now available!

Basic Memory

Your AI never forgets again.

Get started

What people are saying

Basic Memory Cloud

What you get

Pricing

Cloud vs. local

Works with the tools you already use

Official agent packages

Claude Code plugin

Shared skills

Hermes

OpenClaw

Pick up where you left off

Connect your AI client

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Codex CLI