apex-memory

Persistent memory for AI coding agents.

Give your AI coding agent memory that survives across sessions. apex-memory is an MCP server that lets agents save decisions, patterns, bugs, and context — then recall them exactly when needed.

• One install, works everywhere — MCP-native, works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible editor

• Ultra-lightweight — 26.6 kB package, starts in milliseconds, no ML models or vector databases

• Zero infrastructure — local SQLite database, no servers, no accounts

• Built for coding agents — categories like decision, architecture, bug, pattern designed for real development workflows

• Smart memory management — importance scoring (1-5), access tracking, and auto-decay keep your memory store relevant

• Full-text search — find any memory instantly with FTS5-powered search

• Knowledge graph — link memories with directional relationships (related, depends_on, supersedes, contradicts, extends)

• Dedup detection — automatic duplicate warnings on save, Jaccard similarity scanning, and one-click merge

• Cloud sync — sync memories across machines with the Pro tier

Quick Start

Claude Code

claude mcp add apex-memory -- npx apex-memory

That's it. Your agent now has persistent memory.

Cursor

Add to your MCP settings (.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apex-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["apex-memory"]
    }
  }
}

See the Cursor setup guide for full details and troubleshooting.

Windsurf

Open ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json (via Cmd+Shift+P → "Windsurf: Open MCP Config") and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apex-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["apex-memory"]
    }
  }
}

See the Windsurf setup guide for full details and troubleshooting.

VS Code + GitHub Copilot

In your project root, create .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "apex-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["apex-memory"]
    }
  }
}

See the VS Code setup guide for full details and troubleshooting.

Cline

Open the MCP Servers panel in Cline's sidebar → Edit MCP Settings, then add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apex-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["apex-memory"],
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

See the Cline setup guide for full details and troubleshooting.

Other MCP Clients

apex-memory works with any MCP-compatible client. Point it at:

npx apex-memory

The server communicates over stdio using the standard MCP protocol. See the generic MCP setup guide for examples with VS Code, Continue.dev, and custom clients.

New to apex-memory?

Follow the Getting Started tutorial — install, configure, and save your first memory in under 2 minutes. Includes a CLAUDE.md integration snippet and copy-paste editor configs in docs/editors/.

Related MCP server: GitMem

Tools

apex-memory gives your agent 30 tools:

How It Works

When your agent encounters something worth remembering — an architectural decision, a tricky bug fix, a user preference — it calls save_memory:

save_memory({
  content: "User prefers functional components over class components in React",
  category: "preference",
  tags: ["react", "components"],
  project: "frontend-app"
})

Next session, the agent recalls context before starting work:

recall({ project: "frontend-app" })

Or searches for something specific:

search_memories({ query: "authentication AND JWT" })

Categories

Organize memories by what they represent:

Sessions

Track coding sessions to group related memories:

start_session({ project: "api-server" })
// ... agent works, saves memories with the session_id ...
end_session({ session_id: "...", summary: "Refactored auth middleware to use JWT" })

Memory Linking

Connect related memories into a knowledge graph:

link_memories({
  source_id: "decision-about-jwt",
  target_id: "bug-with-token-expiry",
  link_type: "related"
})

Five link types: related, depends_on, supersedes, contradicts, extends. Query connections with get_linked_memories, scan for duplicates with find_duplicate_groups, and merge them with merge_memories.

Cloud Sync (Pro)

Sync memories across machines with a Pro subscription ($9/workspace/month).

1. Register and get a Pro upgrade link:

apex_memory_login({
  server_url: "https://apex-memory-sync.your-account.workers.dev",
  email: "you@example.com"
})

This registers your workspace, stores an API key locally, and returns a checkout URL to activate Pro.

2. Check your sync status:

apex_memory_status()

Shows workspace ID, subscription tier, and last sync timestamp.

3. Sync manually at any time:

apex_memory_sync()

Pushes local changes to the cloud and pulls remote changes. Memories are merged across machines.

Auto-sync also runs on agent startup when Pro is active — no manual trigger needed.

Auto-Capture

Auto-capture saves session context automatically at the end of every coding session — no manual save_memory calls needed.

apex_memory_auto_capture({
  project: "api-server",
  summary: "Refactored auth middleware to use JWT refresh tokens",
  session_id: "...",
  decisions: ["Use RS256 signing for cross-service token validation"],
  files_worked_on: ["src/auth/middleware.ts", "src/auth/tokens.ts"],
  errors_encountered: ["JWT expired during refresh cycle"],
  solutions_found: ["Added 30s clock skew tolerance to token validation"]
})

At the start of your next session, use session_summary to recall what was captured:

session_summary({ session_id: "..." })

Auto-capture is enabled by default. To disable, set auto_capture.enabled = false in ~/.apex-memory/config.json.

Storage

All data is stored locally in ~/.apex-memory/memory.db — a SQLite database with WAL mode and FTS5 full-text search. No data leaves your machine.

Pricing

Free and open source. The core MCP server is MIT-licensed and fully functional — local storage, unlimited memories, unlimited sessions, no restrictions.

Pro tier — $9/workspace/month. Everything in Free, plus:

• Sync across machines in under 1 second — memories are always current wherever you work

• Automatic cloud backup — your memory store is continuously backed up, zero maintenance

• Access from any editor on any machine — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, all sharing one memory store

Pricing details · Upgrade guide

Support the project. If apex-memory is useful to you, consider sponsoring on GitHub.

Why apex-memory?

vs. MCP memory servers

apex-memory is 32x smaller than the next smallest competitor and starts in milliseconds. No ML models, no vector databases, no bloat — just fast, reliable memory backed by SQLite FTS5.

vs. general-purpose memory

apex-memory is purpose-built for the coding agent workflow. It's not a general-purpose memory layer — it's the memory system your AI coding agent should have had from day one.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT