The memvid-mcp server provides persistent memory management for AI agents with hybrid search, knowledge graphs, and RAG capabilities through 40 tools wrapping the memvid Rust CLI.
Memory Lifecycle: Create, open, verify, and repair .mv2 memory files with SQLite-based storage. View statistics, encrypt/decrypt with AES-256-GCM, and diagnose corrupted indexes.
Content Operations: Ingest content from files, directories, or URLs with optional vector embeddings. Batch import with progress tracking, view/update/delete frames, correct frames with audit trails, and export to JSON/CSV/JSONL.
Search & Retrieval: Hybrid search combining lexical (Tantivy full-text) and vector (semantic) search, vector-only searches, temporal search to find when information was mentioned, timeline views, and RAG for question answering with context.
Knowledge Graph: Extract entities via NER, entity lookup, relationship traversal with configurable hop depth, memory cards for entity tracking, and fact extraction for structured knowledge.
Session Management: Record, replay, list, and manage agent interaction sessions for debugging and analysis. Handle process queues and memory binding operations.
Analysis & Diagnostics: Generate audit reports with citations and snippets, schema inference, debug segment information, view system status and configuration, and list embedding models.
Security: Path traversal protection, system path blocklisting, MCP roots validation, and file encryption for sensitive data.
Integrates with OpenAI's embedding and language models to enable semantic vector search and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) for agent memory.
Click on "Install Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@memvid-mcpsearch for 'API endpoints' in my project-notes.mv2 file"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
memvid-mcp
MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for memvid - a memory layer for AI agents.
This server wraps the memvid Rust CLI, exposing 40 tools for persistent memory management with hybrid search (lexical + vector), temporal indexing, knowledge graphs, and RAG capabilities.
Use Cases
Agent Memory: Give AI agents persistent memory across sessions with semantic search and temporal awareness
Document Intelligence: Ingest documents, code, and web content with automatic entity extraction and fact tracking
Knowledge Base: Build searchable knowledge bases with hybrid lexical/vector search and knowledge graph relationships
Audit & Compliance: Track information sources with citation generation and audit reports
Session Replay: Record and replay agent sessions for debugging and analysis
Prerequisites
Node.js 18+
memvid CLI binary (see memvid for installation)
Optional: Embedder configuration for vector search (embedder.toml)
Optional: LLM configuration for RAG (llm.toml)
Installation
From Source
git clone https://github.com/Tapiocapioca/memvid-mcp.git
cd memvid-mcp
npm install
npm run buildVerify Installation
# Test the server starts
node dist/index.js
# Should output: "memvid-mcp server started"
# Press Ctrl+C to exitConfiguration
Environment Variables
Variable | Default | Description |
|
| Path to the memvid binary |
|
| Log level: |
|
| Set to |
MCP Client Setup
VS Code (Copilot)
Add to your VS Code MCP settings:
{
"servers": {
"memvid": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/memvid-mcp/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"MEMVID_PATH": "/path/to/memvid"
}
}
}
}Claude Desktop
Add to claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"memvid": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/memvid-mcp/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"MEMVID_PATH": "/path/to/memvid"
}
}
}
}Cursor
Add to MCP settings:
{
"memvid": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/memvid-mcp/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"MEMVID_PATH": "/path/to/memvid"
}
}
}OpenCode
Add to opencode.json:
{
"mcp": {
"memvid": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/memvid-mcp/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"MEMVID_PATH": "/path/to/memvid"
}
}
}
}Security Considerations
Path Validation
The server implements multiple layers of path security:
Path Traversal Protection: Blocks
..patternsSystem Path Blocklist: Prevents access to sensitive directories (
/etc/,/proc/,\windows\, etc.)MCP Roots Validation: Respects client-provided roots boundaries (when supported by client)
Encryption
Memory files can be encrypted using AES-256-GCM:
memvid_lock { "file": "data.mv2", "output": "data.mv2e", "password": "secret" }
memvid_unlock { "file": "data.mv2e", "output": "data.mv2", "password": "secret" }Recommendations
Store memory files in dedicated directories
Use encrypted files (
.mv2e) for sensitive dataConfigure MCP roots in your client to restrict file access
Use separate memory files per project/context
Available Tools (40)
Lifecycle (5 tools)
Tool | Description | Annotations |
| Create a new .mv2 memory file | write |
| Open and display file metadata | read-only |
| Show detailed statistics (frame count, index sizes) | read-only |
| Verify file integrity with optional deep check | read-only |
| Diagnose and repair corrupted indexes | destructive |
Content Management (7 tools)
Tool | Description | Annotations |
| Add content from file/directory with optional embeddings | write |
| Batch add with progress tracking | write |
| View frame content by ID | read-only |
| Replace frame content | destructive |
| Delete a frame | destructive |
| Amend frame with audit trail | write |
| Fetch URL content and add to memory | network |
Search (5 tools)
Tool | Description | Annotations |
| Hybrid/lexical/vector search | read-only |
| Vector-only semantic search | read-only |
| RAG question answering | read-only |
| Chronological frame view | read-only |
| Temporal search (find when something was mentioned) | read-only |
Analysis (6 tools)
Tool | Description | Annotations |
| Generate audit report with citations | read-only |
| Debug internal index segments | read-only |
| Export to JSON/CSV/JSONL | write |
| List internal SQLite tables | read-only |
| Schema inference and summary | read-only |
| List available embedding models | read-only |
Knowledge Graph (6 tools)
Tool | Description | Annotations |
| NER entity extraction | write |
| Memory card operations | read-only |
| Show current memory state | read-only |
| Fact extraction and listing | read-only |
| Traverse entity relationships | read-only |
| Entity lookup | read-only |
Session Management (5 tools)
Tool | Description | Annotations |
| Start/stop/list/replay sessions | write |
| Memory binding operations | destructive |
| System status (version, model status) | read-only |
| SimHash sketch operations | write |
| Trigger background processing | write |
Encryption (2 tools)
Tool | Description | Annotations |
| Encrypt memory file (AES-256-GCM) | write |
| Decrypt memory file | write |
Utility (4 tools)
Tool | Description | Annotations |
| Process pending operations | write |
| Verify single frame integrity | read-only |
| Show current configuration | read-only |
| Print version information | read-only |
Example Workflows
Basic Memory Setup
# 1. Create a new memory file
memvid_create { "file": "project.mv2" }
# 2. Ingest documentation
memvid_put {
"file": "project.mv2",
"input": "./docs",
"recursive": true,
"embed": true # Generate vector embeddings
}
# 3. Check statistics
memvid_stats { "file": "project.mv2" }Search and Retrieval
# Hybrid search (lexical + vector)
memvid_find {
"file": "project.mv2",
"query": "authentication flow",
"mode": "hybrid",
"limit": 5
}
# Semantic search only
memvid_vec_search {
"file": "project.mv2",
"query": "how to handle user sessions"
}
# RAG question answering
memvid_ask {
"file": "project.mv2",
"question": "What authentication methods are supported?"
}Knowledge Graph Operations
# Extract entities from all frames
memvid_enrich { "file": "project.mv2", "all": true }
# Look up an entity
memvid_who { "file": "project.mv2", "query": "OAuth" }
# Follow entity relationships
memvid_follow {
"file": "project.mv2",
"entity": "AuthService",
"hops": 2
}Audit and Export
# Generate audit report with sources
memvid_audit {
"file": "project.mv2",
"query": "security requirements",
"include_snippets": true
}
# Export for backup
memvid_export {
"file": "project.mv2",
"output": "backup.json",
"format": "json"
}Session Recording
# Start recording a session
memvid_session { "file": "project.mv2", "start": "debug-session-1" }
# ... agent interactions ...
# Stop recording
memvid_session { "file": "project.mv2", "stop": true }
# Replay later
memvid_session { "file": "project.mv2", "replay": "debug-session-1" }Embedder Configuration
For vector search capabilities, create ~/.config/memvid/embedder.toml:
[embedder]
provider = "openai"
model = "text-embedding-3-large"
api_key_env = "OPENAI_API_KEY"
dimensions = 3072Or for A4F/OpenRouter compatible APIs:
[embedder]
provider = "openai"
model = "provider-3/text-embedding-3-large"
base_url = "https://api.a]4f.co/v1"
api_key_env = "A4F_API_KEY"Performance Characteristics
Operation | Typical Latency | Notes |
| < 100ms | Creates empty SQLite database |
| 100-500ms | Depends on file size |
| 500ms-2s | Includes API call for embedding |
| < 50ms | Tantivy full-text search |
| 100-500ms | Combines lexical + vector |
| 1-5s | Includes LLM API call |
Timeouts are configured per operation type:
Default: 120 seconds
Heavy operations (batch put): 300 seconds
RAG operations: 180 seconds
Development
npm run dev # Run with tsx (hot reload)
npm run build # Compile TypeScript
npm start # Run compiled version
npm run clean # Remove dist/Troubleshooting
Server won't start
Check Node.js version:
node --version(requires 18+)Verify build:
npm run buildCheck memvid binary:
memvid --version
"MEMVID_PATH not found"
Set the environment variable to the full path:
export MEMVID_PATH=/path/to/memvid
# or on Windows
set MEMVID_PATH=C:\path\to\memvid.exeVector search returns no results
Check embeddings were generated:
memvid_statsshowsvector_count > 0Verify embedder config:
memvid_configRe-ingest with embeddings:
memvid_put { ..., "embed": true }
Path validation errors
The server validates all paths against:
Path traversal patterns (
..)System directory blocklist
MCP roots (if client supports roots capability)
Ensure your paths are within allowed directories.
License
MIT
Resources
Looking for Admin?
Admins can modify the Dockerfile, update the server description, and track usage metrics. If you are the server author, to authenticate as an admin.