MCP Memory Service

An MCP server providing semantic memory and persistent storage capabilities for Claude Desktop using ChromaDB and sentence transformers. This service enables long-term memory storage with semantic search capabilities, making it ideal for maintaining context across conversations and instances.

Features

Semantic search using sentence transformers
Natural language time-based recall (e.g., "last week", "yesterday morning")
Tag-based memory retrieval system
Persistent storage using ChromaDB
Automatic database backups
Memory optimization tools
Exact match retrieval
Debug mode for similarity analysis
Database health monitoring
Duplicate detection and cleanup
Customizable embedding model
Cross-platform compatibility (Apple Silicon, Intel, Windows, Linux)
Hardware-aware optimizations for different environments
Graceful fallbacks for limited hardware resources

Quick Start

For the fastest way to get started:

# Install UV if not already installed
pip install uv

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/doobidoo/mcp-memory-service.git
cd mcp-memory-service
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
uv pip install -r requirements.txt
uv pip install -e .

# Run the service
uv run memory

Docker and Smithery Integration

Docker Usage

The service can be run in a Docker container for better isolation and deployment:

# Build the Docker image
docker build -t mcp-memory-service .

# Run the container
# Note: On macOS, paths must be within Docker's allowed file sharing locations
# Default allowed locations include:
# - /Users
# - /Volumes
# - /private
# - /tmp
# - /var/folders

# Example with proper macOS paths:
docker run -it \
  -v $HOME/mcp-memory/chroma_db:/app/chroma_db \
  -v $HOME/mcp-memory/backups:/app/backups \
  mcp-memory-service

# For production use, you might want to run it in detached mode:
docker run -d \
  -v $HOME/mcp-memory/chroma_db:/app/chroma_db \
  -v $HOME/mcp-memory/backups:/app/backups \
  --name mcp-memory \
  mcp-memory-service

To configure Docker's file sharing on macOS:

Open Docker Desktop
Go to Settings (Preferences)
Navigate to Resources -> File Sharing
Add any additional paths you need to share
Click "Apply & Restart"

Smithery Integration

The service is configured for Smithery integration through smithery.yaml. This configuration enables stdio-based communication with MCP clients like Claude Desktop.

To use with Smithery:

Ensure your claude_desktop_config.json points to the correct paths:

{
  "memory": {
    "command": "docker",
    "args": [
      "run",
      "-i",
      "--rm",
      "-v", "$HOME/mcp-memory/chroma_db:/app/chroma_db",
      "-v", "$HOME/mcp-memory/backups:/app/backups",
      "mcp-memory-service"
    ],
    "env": {
      "MCP_MEMORY_CHROMA_PATH": "/app/chroma_db",
      "MCP_MEMORY_BACKUPS_PATH": "/app/backups"
    }
  }
}

The smithery.yaml configuration handles stdio communication and environment setup automatically.

Testing with Claude Desktop

To verify your Docker-based memory service is working correctly with Claude Desktop:

Build the Docker image with docker build -t mcp-memory-service .
Create the necessary directories for persistent storage:
mkdir -p $HOME/mcp-memory/chroma_db $HOME/mcp-memory/backups
Update your Claude Desktop configuration file:
- On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
- On Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Restart Claude Desktop
When Claude starts up, you should see the memory service initialize with a message:
MCP Memory Service initialization completed
Test the memory feature:
- Ask Claude to remember something: "Please remember that my favorite color is blue"
- Later in the conversation or in a new conversation, ask: "What is my favorite color?"
- Claude should retrieve the information from the memory service

If you experience any issues:

Check the Claude Desktop console for error messages
Verify Docker has the necessary permissions to access the mounted directories
Ensure the Docker container is running with the correct parameters
Try running the container manually to see any error output

For detailed installation instructions, platform-specific guides, and troubleshooting, see our documentation:

Installation Guide - Comprehensive installation instructions for all platforms
Troubleshooting Guide - Solutions for common issues
Technical Documentation - Detailed technical procedures and specifications
Scripts Documentation - Overview of available scripts and their usage

Configuration

Standard Configuration (Recommended)

Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json file to use UV (recommended for best performance):

{
  "memory": {
    "command": "uv",
    "args": [
      "--directory",
      "your_mcp_memory_service_directory",  // e.g., "C:\\REPOSITORIES\\mcp-memory-service"
      "run",
      "memory"
    ],
    "env": {
      "MCP_MEMORY_CHROMA_PATH": "your_chroma_db_path",  // e.g., "C:\\Users\\John.Doe\\AppData\\Local\\mcp-memory\\chroma_db"
      "MCP_MEMORY_BACKUPS_PATH": "your_backups_path"  // e.g., "C:\\Users\\John.Doe\\AppData\\Local\\mcp-memory\\backups"
    }
  }
}

Windows-Specific Configuration (Recommended)

For Windows users, we recommend using the wrapper script to ensure PyTorch is properly installed. See our Windows Setup Guide for detailed instructions.

{
  "memory": {
    "command": "python",
    "args": [
      "C:\\path\\to\\mcp-memory-service\\memory_wrapper.py"
    ],
    "env": {
      "MCP_MEMORY_CHROMA_PATH": "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\AppData\\Local\\mcp-memory\\chroma_db",
      "MCP_MEMORY_BACKUPS_PATH": "C:\\Users\\YourUsername\\AppData\\Local\\mcp-memory\\backups"
    }
  }
}

The wrapper script will:

Check if PyTorch is installed and properly configured
Install PyTorch with the correct index URL if needed
Run the memory server with the appropriate configuration

Hardware Compatibility

Platform	Architecture	Accelerator	Status
macOS	Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)	MPS	✅ Fully supported
macOS	Apple Silicon under Rosetta 2	CPU	✅ Supported with fallbacks
macOS	Intel	CPU	✅ Fully supported
Windows	x86_64	CUDA	✅ Fully supported
Windows	x86_64	DirectML	✅ Supported
Windows	x86_64	CPU	✅ Supported with fallbacks
Linux	x86_64	CUDA	✅ Fully supported
Linux	x86_64	ROCm	✅ Supported
Linux	x86_64	CPU	✅ Supported with fallbacks
Linux	ARM64	CPU	✅ Supported with fallbacks

Memory Operations

The memory service provides the following operations through the MCP server:

Core Memory Operations

store_memory - Store new information with optional tags
retrieve_memory - Perform semantic search for relevant memories
recall_memory - Retrieve memories using natural language time expressions
search_by_tag - Find memories using specific tags
exact_match_retrieve - Find memories with exact content match
debug_retrieve - Retrieve memories with similarity scores

For detailed information about tag storage and management, see our Tag Storage Documentation.

Database Management

create_backup - Create database backup
get_stats - Get memory statistics
optimize_db - Optimize database performance
check_database_health - Get database health metrics
check_embedding_model - Verify model status

Memory Management

delete_memory - Delete specific memory by hash
delete_by_tag - Delete all memories with specific tag
cleanup_duplicates - Remove duplicate entries

Configuration Options

Configure through environment variables:

CHROMA_DB_PATH: Path to ChromaDB storage
BACKUP_PATH: Path for backups
AUTO_BACKUP_INTERVAL: Backup interval in hours (default: 24)
MAX_MEMORIES_BEFORE_OPTIMIZE: Threshold for auto-optimization (default: 10000)
SIMILARITY_THRESHOLD: Default similarity threshold (default: 0.7)
MAX_RESULTS_PER_QUERY: Maximum results per query (default: 10)
BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS: Number of days to keep backups (default: 7)
LOG_LEVEL: Logging level (default: INFO)

# Hardware-specific environment variables
PYTORCH_ENABLE_MPS_FALLBACK: Enable MPS fallback for Apple Silicon (default: 1)
MCP_MEMORY_USE_ONNX: Use ONNX Runtime for CPU-only deployments (default: 0)
MCP_MEMORY_USE_DIRECTML: Use DirectML for Windows acceleration (default: 0)
MCP_MEMORY_MODEL_NAME: Override the default embedding model
MCP_MEMORY_BATCH_SIZE: Override the default batch size

Getting Help

If you encounter any issues:

Check our Troubleshooting Guide
Review the Installation Guide
For Windows-specific issues, see our Windows Setup Guide
Contact the developer via Telegram: t.me/doobeedoo

Project Structure

mcp-memory-service/
├── src/mcp_memory_service/      # Core package code
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── config.py                # Configuration utilities
│   ├── models/                  # Data models
│   ├── storage/                 # Storage implementations
│   ├── utils/                   # Utility functions
│   └── server.py                # Main MCP server
├── scripts/                     # Helper scripts
│   ├── convert_to_uv.py         # Script to migrate to UV
│   └── install_uv.py            # UV installation helper
├── .uv/                         # UV configuration
├── memory_wrapper.py            # Windows wrapper script
├── memory_wrapper_uv.py         # UV-based wrapper script
├── uv_wrapper.py                # UV wrapper script
├── install.py                   # Enhanced installation script
└── tests/                       # Test suite

Development Guidelines

Python 3.10+ with type hints
Use dataclasses for models
Triple-quoted docstrings for modules and functions
Async/await pattern for all I/O operations
Follow PEP 8 style guidelines
Include tests for new features

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

ChromaDB team for the vector database
Sentence Transformers project for embedding models
MCP project for the protocol specification

Contact

t.me/doobidoo

MCP Memory Service

Integrations

MCP Memory Service

Features

Quick Start

Docker and Smithery Integration

Docker Usage

Smithery Integration

Testing with Claude Desktop

Configuration

Standard Configuration (Recommended)

Windows-Specific Configuration (Recommended)

Hardware Compatibility

Memory Operations

Core Memory Operations

Database Management

Memory Management

Configuration Options

Getting Help

Project Structure

Development Guidelines

License

Acknowledgments

Contact

Related Resources