memory-mcp
The simplest, most reliable way to give Claude Code a persistent memory. One line in your config and your agent starts remembering the people, companies, and projects you talk about across sessions. It's made by Anthropic, so it will always work with Claude. Zero dependencies, no database, no infra.
- Getting started in literally one minute
- Solo founders or very small teams (1–5 people)
- Anyone nervous about vendor lock-in — it's the official reference
- Teams that want something stable before experimenting with frontier tools
What you'll do
memory-mcp is the official reference implementation from Anthropic. It's the simplest possible way to give Claude a memory. Zero dependencies, no database, no terminal skills required beyond copy-pasting a JSON block. Budget 2 minutes.
Before you start
- Claude Desktop OR Claude Code installed
- Node.js available on your machine (Claude Desktop ships with it; on Claude Code you may already have it)
Step-by-step install
- 011. Open your MCP config file
In Claude Desktop: Settings → Developer → Edit Config. In Claude Code: open .claude/mcp.json at the root of your project (create the file if it doesn't exist). Either way, you're looking at (or creating) a JSON file with an 'mcpServers' key.
- 022. Add the memory server entry
Paste this inside the mcpServers block. If the file is empty, wrap it in the full structure shown below.
{ "mcpServers": { "memory": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"] } } }Tip: The -y flag tells npx to skip the 'are you sure?' prompt the first time it downloads the package. If you already have other MCP servers configured, just add the 'memory' entry alongside them. - 033. Restart Claude
Fully quit Claude (Cmd+Q on Mac, Alt+F4 on Windows — don't just close the window). Reopen it. The first time you use a memory tool in a conversation, Claude will download the memory server automatically.
- 044. Teach it something
Start a conversation and say something like: 'Remember that I'm the CEO of a company called Linea, we're a DTC skincare brand based in Brooklyn, and my co-founder is Amara.' Claude will confirm it stored the information.
- 055. Test recall in a new chat
Open a brand-new chat (not a continuation). Ask: 'What do you know about my company?' Claude should recall the details you taught it, even though this is a fresh conversation.
Your first 10 minutes
- 01Teach it your company basics: name, industry, headcount, co-founders' names, top customers.
- 02Teach it your current priorities: what are you focused on this quarter?
- 03Teach it your direct reports: names, roles, what each is working on.
- 04Ask it 'what do you know about me?' and 'what do you know about my company?' — audit the graph and correct anything wrong.
- 05Layer on CLO so you can see what your team is actually retaining — memory-mcp stores, CLO measures decay.
Troubleshooting
Claude says it doesn't have access to a memory tool.
Check that (a) you saved the config file, (b) the JSON is valid (no trailing commas), and (c) you fully quit and reopened Claude. Try asking 'list the MCP servers you have access to' — the memory server should appear.
The first time I try to use memory, Claude hangs.
This is npx downloading the package. It can take 10–20 seconds the first time. Subsequent calls are instant.
I want my memory to persist across machines.
memory-mcp stores data locally. If you need cross-device sync, upgrade to mem0 (server-hosted) or run memory-mcp on a VPS and connect remotely.
memory-mcp holds the knowledge. Cognition CLO models retention per employee per concept using a Weibull forgetting curve — so you see decay before it becomes a missed SOP or a failed audit.