What is the key difference between A Mem MCP and Obsidian MCP?

A Mem MCP belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution, while Obsidian MCP belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution.

How do I install A Mem MCP or Obsidian MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are A Mem MCP and Obsidian MCP free or paid?

A Mem MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required). Obsidian MCP operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (OAuth 2.0).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

A Mem MCP lists 8 tools with 3 views and 35 GitHub stars. Obsidian MCP lists 6 tools with 2 views and 12 GitHub stars.

Can I use both A Mem MCP and Obsidian MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

A Mem MCP vs Obsidian MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the A Mem MCP and Obsidian MCP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

A Mem MCP

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 49/100 (Fair) | Auth: API Key required

Obsidian MCP

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 47/100 (Fair) | Auth: OAuth 2.0

Verdict Summary: Choose A Mem MCP if you need specialized Knowledge & Memory tools running via a local process. Choose Obsidian MCP if your workspace requires Knowledge & Memory integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose A Mem MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: LLM_BACKEND, LLM_MODEL, OPENAI_API_KEY, OPENROUTER_API_KEY, EMBEDDING_MODEL, CHROMA_DB_PATH, EVO_THRESHOLD.
Primary tools included: add_memory_note, search_memories, search_memories_agentic.

Explore A Mem MCP Details

Choose Obsidian MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: OAuth 2.0 (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: DATABASE_URL, OAUTH_CLIENT_ID, OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET, OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI, EMBEDDING_PROVIDER, OPENAI_API_KEY.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	A Mem MCP Knowledge & Memory	Obsidian MCP maxkuminov Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Self-evolving memory system for AI agents	Self-hosted MCP server for Obsidian with semantic + full-text search over PostgreSQL/pgvector, wikilink graph traversal, atomic note CRUD, OAuth 2.0, and a self-describing vault guide.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

A Mem MCP Tools (8)

add_memory_note

Store new knowledge (async, returns immediately)

search_memories

Semantic search across all memories

search_memories_agentic

Search + follow graph connections

search_memories_by_time

Search within a time range

read_memory_note

Get full details (supports bulk reads)

update_memory_note

Modify existing memory

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

A Mem MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "a-mem-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "a-mem"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LLM_BACKEND": "YOUR_LLM_BACKEND_HERE",
        "LLM_MODEL": "YOUR_LLM_MODEL_HERE",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE",
        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY_HERE",
        "EMBEDDING_MODEL": "YOUR_EMBEDDING_MODEL_HERE",
        "CHROMA_DB_PATH": "YOUR_CHROMA_DB_PATH_HERE",
        "EVO_THRESHOLD": "YOUR_EVO_THRESHOLD_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Obsidian MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maxkuminov-obsidian-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "maxkuminov-obsidian-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATABASE_URL": "YOUR_DATABASE_URL_HERE",
        "OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
        "OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI": "YOUR_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI_HERE",
        "EMBEDDING_PROVIDER": "YOUR_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER_HERE",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

A Mem MCP is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Obsidian MCP belongs to Knowledge & Memory using local stdio subprocess. Select A Mem MCP when you need capabilities focused on knowledge & memory and Obsidian MCP when you require tools for knowledge & memory.

More alternatives to A Mem MCP More alternatives to Obsidian MCP Knowledge & Memory category hub