mcp-openmemory

MCP OpenMemory adds memory capabilities to Claude Desktop by exposing a set of tools that let the assistant save, recall, and summarize memory across conversations. It runs as an MCP server that talks to Claude Desktop, enabling you to store individual messages, generate memory abstracts, and retrieve recent memory history. Key tools available are save_memory for persisting important exchanges, recall_memory_abstract for getting a current memory summary, update_memory_abstract to refine or expand the memory summary, and get_recent_memories to fetch recent conversation details. You can configure a persistent SQLite database via MEMORY_DB_PATH, ensuring memory persists across sessions. To start using it, run the MCP server through Claude Desktop's MCP configuration (or test-start with npx @peakmojo/mcp-openmemory@latest) and ensure the server is discoverable by Claude Desktop under the configured mcpServers entry. When interacting with Claude, invoke the memory tools as you would with other MCP tools, and consider using a project-specific context to namespace memory when needed. Remember to configure and restart Claude Desktop after changes for the tools to appear and be usable.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js installed on your system (verify with node --version)
• Claude Desktop installed and configured to use MCP servers
• Optional: a preferred path for MEMORY_DB_PATH where memory will be persisted

Installation steps:

1. Install and start the MCP OpenMemory server via npm/npx:
   • npx @peakmojo/mcp-openmemory@latest
   • This will run the server directly without a global install (recommended for quick tests).
2. If you want Claude Desktop to start the server automatically via configuration, create the mcpServers entry in the Claude config with the following example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-openmemory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@peakmojo/mcp-openmemory@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MEMORY_DB_PATH": "/path/to/your/memory.sqlite"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Ensure the MEMORY_DB_PATH path exists and is writable by the user running Claude Desktop. If omitted, a default './memory.sqlite' will be used in a temporary location.

4. Verify the server runs by starting it manually:

   • npx @peakmojo/mcp-openmemory@latest
   • Check for log output indicating the server is ready.

5. Open Claude Desktop and confirm the MCP server appears under Tools/Plugins or the Developer configuration, then restart Claude Desktop if required.

Tips and notes:

• MEMORY_DB_PATH controls where memory is persisted. Use an absolute path to avoid issues when Claude Desktop restarts.
• You can namespace memory per project by using different MEMORY_DB_PATH values for separate Claude profiles or projects.
• If the MCP server doesn't appear, verify JSON syntax in the Claude config and ensure the path in MEMORY_DB_PATH exists.
• Common issue: ENOENT errors on Windows may require APPDATA to be set in the environment configuration.
• Logs can help diagnose problems; refer to Claude's log directories for mcp*.log files.
• Tools available: save_memory, recall_memory_abstract, update_memory_abstract, get_recent_memories. Use context fields to partition memory logically if needed.
• This server relies on SQLite; no external DB dependencies are required beyond the filesystem path you provide.