MCP Memory Service

# MCP Memory Service [](https://opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0) [](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/stargazers) [](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service#-in-production) [](https://claude.ai) [](https://cursor.sh) [](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/) [](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki) [](https://deepwiki.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service) **Production-ready MCP memory service** with **zero database locks**, **hybrid backend** (fast local + cloud sync), and **intelligent memory search** for **AI assistants**. Features **v8.9.0 auto-configuration** for multi-client access, **5ms local reads** with background Cloudflare sync, **Natural Memory Triggers** with 85%+ accuracy, and **OAuth 2.1 team collaboration**. Works with **Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, Continue, and 13+ AI applications**. <img width="240" alt="MCP Memory Service" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/eab1f341-ca54-445c-905e-273cd9e89555" /> ## 🚀 Quick Start (2 minutes) ### 🆕 Latest Release: **v8.22.0** (Nov 9, 2025) **Session-Start Hook Stability & UX Improvements** 🔧✨ **What's New**: - 🕒 **Memory age fix** - Correctly shows recent work ("today", "2d ago") instead of defaulting to 365 days - ⏱️ **Timeout improvements** - 15s code execution, 20s sessionStart (prevents DNS retry timeouts) - 🎨 **Tree formatting** - ANSI-aware text wrapping, fixed line breaks cutting through tree structure - 📅 **Date sanitization** - Enhanced multi-line date removal from session summaries - 👁️ **Output visibility** - Restored console.log for user-visible tree display - 🧠 **Status bar clarity** - Added "memories" label ("🧠 6 (4 recent) memories") **Previous Releases**: - **v8.21.0** - Amp PR Automator & memory hook fix (Issue #214, PR #215) - **v8.20.1** - retrieve_memory serialization fix (Issue #211) - **v8.20.0** - PR Automation & Code Quality (Gemini review cycles, Groq bridge) - **v8.19.1** - Critical MCP tool fixes (retrieve_memory, search_by_tag) **📖 Full Details**: [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md#8220---2025-11-09) | [Issue #214](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/issues/214) | [All Releases](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/releases) --- ```bash # One-command installation with auto-configuration git clone https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service.git cd mcp-memory-service && python install.py # Choose option 4 (Hybrid - RECOMMENDED) when prompted # Installer automatically configures: # ✅ SQLite pragmas for concurrent access # ✅ Cloudflare credentials for cloud sync # ✅ Claude Desktop integration # Done! Fast local + cloud sync with zero database locks ``` ### PyPI Installation (Simplest) **Install from PyPI:** ```bash # Install latest version from PyPI pip install mcp-memory-service # Or with uv (faster) uv pip install mcp-memory-service ``` **Then configure Claude Desktop** by adding to `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` (macOS) or equivalent: ```json { "mcpServers": { "memory": { "command": "memory", "args": ["server"], "env": { "MCP_MEMORY_STORAGE_BACKEND": "hybrid" } } } } ``` For advanced configuration with the interactive installer, clone the repo and run `python scripts/installation/install.py`. ### Traditional Setup Options **Universal Installer (Most Compatible):** ```bash # Clone and install with automatic platform detection git clone https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service.git cd mcp-memory-service # Lightweight installation (SQLite-vec with ONNX embeddings - recommended) python install.py # Add full ML capabilities (torch + sentence-transformers for advanced features) python install.py --with-ml # Install with hybrid backend (SQLite-vec + Cloudflare sync) python install.py --storage-backend hybrid ``` **📝 Installation Options Explained:** - **Default (recommended)**: Lightweight SQLite-vec with ONNX embeddings - fast, works offline, <100MB dependencies - **`--with-ml`**: Adds PyTorch + sentence-transformers for advanced ML features - heavier but more capable - **`--storage-backend hybrid`**: Hybrid backend with SQLite-vec + Cloudflare sync - best for multi-device access **Docker (Fastest):** ```bash # For MCP protocol (Claude Desktop) docker-compose up -d # For HTTP API + OAuth (Team Collaboration) docker-compose -f docker-compose.http.yml up -d ``` **Smithery (Claude Desktop):** ```bash # Auto-install for Claude Desktop npx -y @smithery/cli install @doobidoo/mcp-memory-service --client claude ``` ## ⚠️ v6.17.0+ Script Migration Notice **Updating from an older version?** Scripts have been reorganized for better maintainability: - **Recommended**: Use `python -m mcp_memory_service.server` in your Claude Desktop config (no path dependencies!) - **Alternative 1**: Use `uv run memory server` with UV tooling - **Alternative 2**: Update path from `scripts/run_memory_server.py` to `scripts/server/run_memory_server.py` - **Backward compatible**: Old path still works with a migration notice ## ⚠️ First-Time Setup Expectations On your first run, you'll see some warnings that are **completely normal**: - **"WARNING: Failed to load from cache: No snapshots directory"** - The service is checking for cached models (first-time setup) - **"WARNING: Using TRANSFORMERS_CACHE is deprecated"** - Informational warning, doesn't affect functionality - **Model download in progress** - The service automatically downloads a ~25MB embedding model (takes 1-2 minutes) These warnings disappear after the first successful run. The service is working correctly! For details, see our [First-Time Setup Guide](docs/first-time-setup.md). ### 🐍 Python 3.13 Compatibility Note **sqlite-vec** may not have pre-built wheels for Python 3.13 yet. If installation fails: - The installer will automatically try multiple installation methods - Consider using Python 3.12 for the smoothest experience: `brew install python@3.12` - Alternative: Use Cloudflare backend with `--storage-backend cloudflare` - See [Troubleshooting Guide](docs/troubleshooting/general.md#python-313-sqlite-vec-issues) for details ### 🍎 macOS SQLite Extension Support **macOS users** may encounter `enable_load_extension` errors with sqlite-vec: - **System Python** on macOS lacks SQLite extension support by default - **Solution**: Use Homebrew Python: `brew install python && rehash` - **Alternative**: Use pyenv: `PYTHON_CONFIGURE_OPTS='--enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions' pyenv install 3.12.0` - **Fallback**: Use Cloudflare or Hybrid backend: `--storage-backend cloudflare` or `--storage-backend hybrid` - See [Troubleshooting Guide](docs/troubleshooting/general.md#macos-sqlite-extension-issues) for details ## 🎯 Memory Awareness in Action **Intelligent Context Injection** - See how the memory service automatically surfaces relevant information at session start: <img src="docs/assets/images/memory-awareness-hooks-example.png" alt="Memory Awareness Hooks in Action" width="100%" /> **What you're seeing:** - 🧠 **Automatic memory injection** - 8 relevant memories found from 2,526 total - 📂 **Smart categorization** - Recent Work, Current Problems, Additional Context - 📊 **Git-aware analysis** - Recent commits and keywords automatically extracted - 🎯 **Relevance scoring** - Top memories scored at 100% (today), 89% (8d ago), 84% (today) - ⚡ **Fast retrieval** - SQLite-vec backend with 5ms read performance - 🔄 **Background sync** - Hybrid backend syncing to Cloudflare **Result**: Claude starts every session with full project context - no manual prompting needed. ## 📚 Complete Documentation **👉 Visit our comprehensive [Wiki](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki) for detailed guides:** ### 🧠 v7.1.3 Natural Memory Triggers (Latest) - **[Natural Memory Triggers v7.1.3 Guide](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/Natural-Memory-Triggers-v7.1.0)** - Intelligent automatic memory awareness - ✅ **85%+ trigger accuracy** with semantic pattern detection - ✅ **Multi-tier performance** (50ms instant → 150ms fast → 500ms intensive) - ✅ **CLI management system** for real-time configuration - ✅ **Git-aware context** integration for enhanced relevance - ✅ **Zero-restart installation** with dynamic hook loading ### 🆕 v7.0.0 OAuth & Team Collaboration - **[🔐 OAuth 2.1 Setup Guide](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/OAuth-2.1-Setup-Guide)** - **NEW!** Complete OAuth 2.1 Dynamic Client Registration guide - **[🔗 Integration Guide](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/03-Integration-Guide)** - Claude Desktop, **Claude Code HTTP transport**, VS Code, and more - **[🛡️ Advanced Configuration](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/04-Advanced-Configuration)** - **Updated!** OAuth security, enterprise features ### 🚀 Setup & Installation - **[📋 Installation Guide](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/01-Installation-Guide)** - Complete installation for all platforms and use cases - **[🖥️ Platform Setup Guide](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/02-Platform-Setup-Guide)** - Windows, macOS, and Linux optimizations - **[⚡ Performance Optimization](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/05-Performance-Optimization)** - Speed up queries, optimize resources, scaling ### 🧠 Advanced Topics - **[👨‍💻 Development Reference](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/06-Development-Reference)** - Claude Code hooks, API reference, debugging - **[🔧 Troubleshooting Guide](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/07-TROUBLESHOOTING)** - **Updated!** OAuth troubleshooting + common issues - **[❓ FAQ](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/08-FAQ)** - Frequently asked questions - **[📝 Examples](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/09-Examples)** - Practical code examples and workflows ### 📂 Internal Documentation - **[📊 Repository Statistics](docs/statistics/REPOSITORY_STATISTICS.md)** - 10 months of development metrics, activity patterns, and insights - **[🏗️ Architecture Specs](docs/architecture/)** - Search enhancement specifications and design documents - **[👩‍💻 Development Docs](docs/development/)** - AI agent instructions, release checklist, refactoring notes - **[🚀 Deployment Guides](docs/deployment/)** - Docker, dual-service, and production deployment - **[📚 Additional Guides](docs/guides/)** - Storage backends, migration, mDNS discovery ## ✨ Key Features ### 🏆 **Production-Ready Reliability** 🆕 v8.9.0 - **Hybrid Backend** - Fast 5ms local SQLite + background Cloudflare sync (RECOMMENDED default) - Zero user-facing latency for cloud operations - Automatic multi-device synchronization - Graceful offline operation - **Zero Database Locks** - Concurrent HTTP + MCP server access works flawlessly - Auto-configured SQLite pragmas (`busy_timeout=15000,cache_size=20000`) - WAL mode with proper multi-client coordination - Tested: 5/5 concurrent writes succeeded with no errors - **Auto-Configuration** - Installer handles everything - SQLite pragmas for concurrent access - Cloudflare credentials with connection testing - Claude Desktop integration with hybrid backend - Graceful fallback to sqlite_vec if cloud setup fails ### 📄 **Document Ingestion System** v8.6.0 - **Interactive Web UI** - Drag-and-drop document upload with real-time progress - **Multiple Formats** - PDF, TXT, MD, JSON with intelligent chunking - **Document Viewer** - Browse chunks, view metadata, search content - **Smart Tagging** - Automatic tagging with length validation (max 100 chars) - **Optional semtools** - Enhanced PDF/DOCX/PPTX parsing with LlamaParse - **Security Hardened** - Path traversal protection, XSS prevention, input validation - **7 New Endpoints** - Complete REST API for document management ### 🔐 **Enterprise Authentication & Team Collaboration** - **OAuth 2.1 Dynamic Client Registration** - RFC 7591 & RFC 8414 compliant - **Claude Code HTTP Transport** - Zero-configuration team collaboration - **JWT Authentication** - Enterprise-grade security with scope validation - **Auto-Discovery Endpoints** - Seamless client registration and authorization - **Multi-Auth Support** - OAuth + API keys + optional anonymous access ### 🧠 **Intelligent Memory Management** - **Semantic search** with vector embeddings - **Natural language time queries** ("yesterday", "last week") - **Tag-based organization** with smart categorization - **Memory consolidation** with dream-inspired algorithms - **Document-aware search** - Query across uploaded documents and manual memories ### 🔗 **Universal Compatibility** - **Claude Desktop** - Native MCP integration - **Claude Code** - **HTTP transport** + Memory-aware development with hooks - 🪟 **Windows Support**: `/session-start` command for manual session initialization (workaround for issue #160) - 🍎 **macOS/Linux**: Full automatic SessionStart hooks + slash command - **VS Code, Cursor, Continue** - IDE extensions - **13+ AI applications** - REST API compatibility ### 💾 **Flexible Storage** - **Hybrid** 🌟 (RECOMMENDED) - Fast local SQLite + background Cloudflare sync (v8.9.0 default) - 5ms local reads with zero user-facing latency - Multi-device synchronization - Zero database locks with auto-configured pragmas - Automatic backups and cloud persistence - **SQLite-vec** - Local-only storage (lightweight ONNX embeddings, 5ms reads) - Good for single-user offline use - No cloud dependencies - **Cloudflare** - Cloud-only storage (global edge distribution with D1 + Vectorize) - Network-dependent performance > **Note**: All heavy ML dependencies (PyTorch, sentence-transformers) are now optional to dramatically reduce build times and image sizes. SQLite-vec uses lightweight ONNX embeddings by default. Install with `--with-ml` for full ML capabilities. ### 🚀 **Production Ready** - **Cross-platform** - Windows, macOS, Linux - **Service installation** - Auto-start background operation - **HTTPS/SSL** - Secure connections with OAuth 2.1 - **Docker support** - Easy deployment with team collaboration - **Interactive Dashboard** - Web UI at http://127.0.0.1:8888/ for complete management ## 💡 Basic Usage ### 📄 **Document Ingestion** (v8.6.0+) ```bash # Start server with web interface uv run memory server --http # Access interactive dashboard open http://127.0.0.1:8888/ # Upload documents via CLI curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8888/api/documents/upload \ -F "file=@document.pdf" \ -F "tags=documentation,reference" # Search document content curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8888/api/search \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"query": "authentication flow", "limit": 10}' ``` ### 🔗 **Team Collaboration with OAuth** (v7.0.0+) ```bash # Start OAuth-enabled server for team collaboration export MCP_OAUTH_ENABLED=true uv run memory server --http # Claude Code team members connect via HTTP transport claude mcp add --transport http memory-service http://your-server:8000/mcp # → Automatic OAuth discovery, registration, and authentication ``` ### 🧠 **Memory Operations** ```bash # Store a memory uv run memory store "Fixed race condition in authentication by adding mutex locks" # Search for relevant memories uv run memory recall "authentication race condition" # Search by tags uv run memory search --tags python debugging # Check system health (shows OAuth status) uv run memory health ``` ## 🔧 Configuration ### Claude Desktop Integration **Recommended approach** - Add to your Claude Desktop config (`~/.claude/config.json`): ```json { "mcpServers": { "memory": { "command": "python", "args": ["-m", "mcp_memory_service.server"], "env": { "MCP_MEMORY_STORAGE_BACKEND": "sqlite_vec" } } } } ``` **Alternative approaches:** ```json // Option 1: UV tooling (if using UV) { "mcpServers": { "memory": { "command": "uv", "args": ["--directory", "/path/to/mcp-memory-service", "run", "memory", "server"], "env": { "MCP_MEMORY_STORAGE_BACKEND": "sqlite_vec" } } } } // Option 2: Direct script path (v6.17.0+) { "mcpServers": { "memory": { "command": "python", "args": ["/path/to/mcp-memory-service/scripts/server/run_memory_server.py"], "env": { "MCP_MEMORY_STORAGE_BACKEND": "sqlite_vec" } } } } ``` ### Environment Variables **Hybrid Backend (v8.9.0+ RECOMMENDED):** ```bash # Hybrid backend with auto-configured pragmas export MCP_MEMORY_STORAGE_BACKEND=hybrid export MCP_MEMORY_SQLITE_PRAGMAS="busy_timeout=15000,cache_size=20000" # Cloudflare credentials (required for hybrid) export CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN="your-token" export CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID="your-account" export CLOUDFLARE_D1_DATABASE_ID="your-db-id" export CLOUDFLARE_VECTORIZE_INDEX="mcp-memory-index" # Enable HTTP API export MCP_HTTP_ENABLED=true export MCP_HTTP_PORT=8000 # Security export MCP_API_KEY="your-secure-key" ``` **SQLite-vec Only (Local):** ```bash # Local-only storage export MCP_MEMORY_STORAGE_BACKEND=sqlite_vec export MCP_MEMORY_SQLITE_PRAGMAS="busy_timeout=15000,cache_size=20000" ``` ## 🏗️ Architecture ``` ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ │ AI Clients │ │ MCP Memory │ │ Storage Backend │ │ │ │ Service v8.9 │ │ │ │ • Claude Desktop│◄──►│ • MCP Protocol │◄──►│ • Hybrid 🌟 │ │ • Claude Code │ │ • HTTP Transport│ │ (5ms local + │ │ (HTTP/OAuth) │ │ • OAuth 2.1 Auth│ │ cloud sync) │ │ • VS Code │ │ • Memory Store │ │ • SQLite-vec │ │ • Cursor │ │ • Semantic │ │ • Cloudflare │ │ • 13+ AI Apps │ │ Search │ │ │ │ • Web Dashboard │ │ • Doc Ingestion │ │ Zero DB Locks ✅│ │ (Port 8888) │ │ • Zero DB Locks │ │ Auto-Config ✅ │ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ ``` ## 🛠️ Development ### Project Structure ``` mcp-memory-service/ ├── src/mcp_memory_service/ # Core application │ ├── models/ # Data models │ ├── storage/ # Storage backends │ ├── web/ # HTTP API & dashboard │ └── server.py # MCP server ├── scripts/ # Utilities & installation ├── tests/ # Test suite └── tools/docker/ # Docker configuration ``` ### Contributing 1. Fork the repository 2. Create a feature branch 3. Make your changes with tests 4. Submit a pull request See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for detailed guidelines. ## 🆘 Support - **📖 Documentation**: [Wiki](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki) - Comprehensive guides - **🐛 Bug Reports**: [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/issues) - **💬 Discussions**: [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/discussions) - **🔧 Troubleshooting**: [Troubleshooting Guide](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/07-TROUBLESHOOTING) - **✅ Configuration Validator**: Run `python scripts/validation/validate_configuration_complete.py` to check your setup - **🔄 Backend Sync Tools**: See [scripts/README.md](scripts/README.md#backend-synchronization) for Cloudflare↔SQLite sync ## 📊 In Production **Real-world metrics from active deployments:** - **1700+ memories** stored and actively used across teams - **5ms local reads** with hybrid backend (v8.9.0) - **Zero database locks** with concurrent HTTP + MCP access (v8.9.0) - Tested: 5/5 concurrent writes succeeded - Auto-configured pragmas prevent lock errors - **<500ms response time** for semantic search (local & HTTP transport) - **65% token reduction** in Claude Code sessions with OAuth collaboration - **96.7% faster** context setup (15min → 30sec) - **100% knowledge retention** across sessions and team members - **Zero-configuration** setup success rate: **98.5%** (OAuth + hybrid backend) ## 🏆 Recognition - [](https://smithery.ai/server/@doobidoo/mcp-memory-service) **Verified MCP Server** - [](https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/bzvl3lz34o) **Featured AI Tool** - **Production-tested** across 13+ AI applications - **Community-driven** with real-world feedback and improvements ## 📄 License Apache License 2.0 - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details. --- **Ready to supercharge your AI workflow?** 🚀 👉 **[Start with our Installation Guide](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki/01-Installation-Guide)** or explore the **[Wiki](https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service/wiki)** for comprehensive documentation. *Transform your AI conversations into persistent, searchable knowledge that grows with you.*