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The memory server you can start with one npx command and find fully documented today is the official Model Context Protocol Knowledge Graph Memory Server: npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory. Three community packages also advertise npx-based launch, but their details below come from npm listings that could not be opened in full, so treat them as leads to verify before you install anything.
The official option: Knowledge Graph Memory Server
The Model Context Protocol project publishes a memory server built on a knowledge graph, distributed on npm as @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory. Its README gives npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory as the command that starts it. The -y flag tells npx to fetch the package without an interactive confirmation prompt.
What it stores
- Entities have a name, a type, and a list of observations.
- Relations connect one entity to another.
- Observations are plain strings attached to an entity.
The server exposes tools for creating, searching, reading, and deleting graph data. It also provides a readable MCP resource that returns the complete graph, which is useful when you want to inspect what the model has stored.
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Starting the server and registering it with a client are separate steps. An npx command on its own only launches a process; the client needs to know the command exists. To register it with Claude Desktop:
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- Open your Claude Desktop MCP configuration file.
- Add a
memoryentry under themcpServersobject, as shown below. - Save the file and restart Claude Desktop so it loads the new server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"memory": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]
}
}
}If the mcpServers object already exists, add only the memory entry inside it rather than duplicating the key. The official README also includes a VS Code configuration example; use that when you set up the server in VS Code, since its format differs from the Claude Desktop block.
Changing where memory is saved
By default the server writes to a file named memory.jsonl in the server’s directory. To choose another location, set the MEMORY_FILE_PATH environment variable in the server configuration:
"memory": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"],
"env": {
"MEMORY_FILE_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/my-memory.jsonl"
}
}Use an absolute path so the file location does not depend on the directory the client launches the server from.
Running it on Windows
The official README instructs Windows users to invoke npx through cmd /c. In the same JSON structure, that looks like this:
"memory": {
"command": "cmd",
"args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]
}Production caveat
The MCP reference servers repository describes its servers as educational examples for developers building their own MCP servers, not as production-ready solutions. If you plan to use this server beyond local experimentation, review the security requirements for your own threat model and add the safeguards that model calls for. That statement is the repository’s own qualification; it is not an independent security audit of the npm package.
Community packages that launch with npx
A search of the npm registry surfaces several packages that advertise npx launch. The three below are the ones with a clear npx-based description. Their npm pages were not opened in full, so the points below reflect the listing text only, and current instructions on each package page should govern.
SharedMemory (@sharedmemory/mcp-server)
SharedMemory describes an MCP server for a hosted persistent-memory service rather than a local file. Its listing shows an interactive one-command installer, npx -y @sharedmemory/mcp-server install, and describes the setup as one command with no JSON editing. The listing indicates that an API key is involved, so this option depends on an account with the service. Because it stores memory remotely, it is a different category from the local knowledge-graph file used by the official server.
MemoFS (@memofs/mcp-server)
MemoFS is described as a project-memory server for MCP clients. Its listing shows npx -y @memofs/mcp-server --help as a way to check the tool’s options, and a client configuration example that uses --runtime local with --root pointing to an absolute project path. That root argument scopes memory to a project folder. The listing states that Node.js 22 or later is required. The same listing notes that most MCP clients start the server on demand via npx, so you should not expect a long-running process you launch yourself.
Provos Memory MCP Server (@provos/memory-mcp-server)
The Provos package is described as an npx-launched server that stores its data in a single .db file. The exact invocation was not visible in the listing text available, so this article does not provide a command for it. Check the package documentation for the launch command, the Node.js version, and the database location before you configure it.
Side-by-side comparison
| Package | Launch command in its listing | Where memory lives | Node.js requirement | How this was checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory |
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory |
Local JSONL file, memory.jsonl by default, changeable with MEMORY_FILE_PATH |
Not stated in the README text reviewed | Official README and repository documentation read |
@sharedmemory/mcp-server |
npx -y @sharedmemory/mcp-server install |
Hosted service; API key involved | Not stated in the listing | npm listing text only |
@memofs/mcp-server |
npx -y @memofs/mcp-server --help, with a client example using --runtime local --root |
Project folder set by --root |
Node.js 22 or later | npm listing text only |
@provos/memory-mcp-server |
Not captured; check package documentation | Single .db file |
Not stated in the listing | npm listing text only |
The official package is the only one here with its launch and client setup documented in full. The others are listed to show the range of options that appear in npm search results. This is a search-based shortlist, not a complete inventory of memory servers in the MCP ecosystem.
How to choose between them
- Storage: a local knowledge-graph file (official server), a project-folder store (MemoFS), a single database file (Provos), or a hosted service (SharedMemory).
- Runtime: confirm the Node.js version. MemoFS specifies Node.js 22 or later; the others do not state one in the text reviewed.
- Client setup: the official server needs an
mcpServersentry in your client. SharedMemory’s listing describes a setup step that avoids manual JSON editing, but confirm what that installer changes on your machine. - Data scope: a general graph of entities and relations, memory scoped to one project, or memory managed by an external service that needs an account.
- Trust and deployment: apply the production caveat in the official section to any package, and review each package separately rather than assuming the same posture for all of them.
Checks before you install
- Open the package’s npm page and confirm the current version. The npm listing for the official package showed version 2026.8.31 as its latest release when this article was prepared; newer releases may have changed.
- Confirm the Node.js version the package requires and install that version first.
- Find the exact client configuration block in the package documentation and copy it from there rather than from an older example.
- Identify where the package writes data, and check the documentation for backup and export steps before you store anything you cannot recreate.
- For hosted options, confirm how the API key is stored and rotated.
If a package’s page cannot be reached or its launch command is unclear, do not guess at arguments. Choose the official server, which has a documented command and configuration, and return to the community option once its instructions are confirmed.
The Bottom Line
For a memory server you can start with one npx command and verify against official documentation, begin with npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory. Evaluate the community packages only after reading their current instructions.
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