Basic Memory MCP
I got tired of re-explaining my project to Claude every new chat. Same context, same background, every single time. Basic Memory fixes that.
It's an MCP server. Instead of keeping memory locked inside one chat session, it writes everything to plain markdown files on your own disk. Next session, the AI reads those files back. No cloud database, no vendor lock-in, just files you can open in any text editor.
Install
You need uv first. If you don't have it:
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
Then install Basic Memory:
uv tool install basic-memory
Took me about 2 minutes.
Setup for Claude Code
One line:
claude mcp add basic-memory -- uvx basic-memory mcp
Notes get saved to ~/basic-memory by default.
Why I use it
- It's mine. Everything is plain markdown on my own machine. I can grep it, back it up, sync it with git, read it without any app.
- No re-explaining. I write a note once about a project or a decision, and any future conversation can pull it back up.
- Two-way. The AI reads and adds to the same files. It stays in sync both directions.
- Works across clients. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex — same memory, same files, no matter which one I open.
- Free. AGPL-3.0, no subscription, no cloud required unless I want sync.
Downside is it needs Python and uv installed, and notes only default to local storage — if you want it synced across machines you have to set that up yourself. Small price for owning your own data.