Memory Bank
A Model Context Protocol server that provides structured workflow tools for managing software development projects through different complexity levels, offering specialized modes for project planning, design, implementation, and documentation.
What is Memory Bank?
Memory Bank is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to model context protocol server that provides structured workflow tools for managing software development projects through different complexity levels, offering specialized modes for project planning, d...
A Model Context Protocol server that provides structured workflow tools for managing software development projects through different complexity levels, offering specialized modes for project planning, design, implementation, and documentation.
This server falls under the Knowledge & Memory and Coding Agents categories on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- A Model Context Protocol server that provides structured wor
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y @allpepper/memory-bank-mcpManual Installation
npx -y @allpepper/memory-bank-mcpConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Memory Bank
Memory Bank MCP Server provides persistent project memory for AI coding assistants by storing structured context files — architecture decisions, progress notes, and documentation — in a directory on disk that survives across sessions. It exposes five MCP tools (read, write, update, list projects, list files) so that Claude, Cline, Cursor, or Windsurf can maintain awareness of long-running projects without repeating context in every conversation. The server is built around a project-isolation model with path traversal prevention, making it safe to use across multiple codebases simultaneously.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ and npm installed
- An MCP-compatible client: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cline, Cursor, or Windsurf
- A local directory where memory bank files will be stored (set via MEMORY_BANK_ROOT environment variable)
Create a directory for your memory banks
Choose or create a directory where Memory Bank will store all project context files. This path will be set as the MEMORY_BANK_ROOT environment variable.
mkdir -p ~/memory-banksRun the server with npx (no global install needed)
Test that the package runs correctly using npx before adding it to your MCP client config.
npx -y @allpepper/memory-bank-mcp@latestAdd the server to Claude Desktop config
Edit your Claude Desktop configuration file to add the Memory Bank MCP server, setting MEMORY_BANK_ROOT to the directory you created.
{
"mcpServers": {
"allPepper-memory-bank": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@allpepper/memory-bank-mcp@latest"],
"env": {
"MEMORY_BANK_ROOT": "/Users/yourname/memory-banks"
}
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
Restart Claude Desktop (or your chosen client) for the new server configuration to take effect. The server will create project subdirectories under MEMORY_BANK_ROOT automatically.
Verify by listing projects
Ask the AI to list available memory bank projects. On first use, no projects will exist — ask it to initialize a new project memory bank for your current codebase.
Memory Bank Examples
Client configuration (Claude Desktop)
Complete Claude Desktop config with the Memory Bank server and MEMORY_BANK_ROOT set:
{
"mcpServers": {
"allPepper-memory-bank": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@allpepper/memory-bank-mcp@latest"],
"env": {
"MEMORY_BANK_ROOT": "/Users/yourname/memory-banks"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Use the Memory Bank to maintain project context across sessions:
- "Initialize a memory bank for my project called 'ecommerce-api' and save the current architecture overview"
- "List all projects in the memory bank"
- "Read the memory bank files for the 'ecommerce-api' project"
- "Update the progress notes in my memory bank: authentication module is complete, now starting payment integration"
- "What does the memory bank say about our database schema decisions for this project?"Troubleshooting Memory Bank
MEMORY_BANK_ROOT is not set and the server fails to start
The MEMORY_BANK_ROOT environment variable is required. Set it in your MCP client's env block to an absolute path of a directory you have write access to (e.g., /Users/yourname/memory-banks).
Path traversal error when reading or writing files
The server enforces project isolation — file paths must stay within the project's subdirectory under MEMORY_BANK_ROOT. Avoid using ../ in file paths. Use the list_project_files tool to see valid file names.
Changes written in one session are not visible in the next session
Confirm that MEMORY_BANK_ROOT points to a persistent directory, not a temp folder. Also check that the memory_bank_write or memory_bank_update tool returned a success response — check the AI's tool use log for errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Memory Bank
What is Memory Bank?
Memory Bank is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that model context protocol server that provides structured workflow tools for managing software development projects through different complexity levels, offering specialized modes for project planning, design, implementation, and documentation. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Memory Bank?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y @allpepper/memory-bank-mcp. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with Memory Bank?
Memory Bank works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Memory Bank free to use?
Yes, Memory Bank is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
Memory Bank Alternatives — Similar Knowledge & Memory Servers
Looking for alternatives to Memory Bank? Here are other popular knowledge & memory servers you can use with Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
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Everos
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