Memex vs Screenpipe
A side-by-side look at the Memex and Screenpipe MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Memex for knowledge & memory work over a hosted endpoint; choose Screenpipe for knowledge & memory as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Memex when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Choose Screenpipe when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
SCREENPIPE_LOCAL_API_KEY. - You want tools like
search-content, synced-devices, search-synced-content.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 48/100 · Fair | 72/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Remote HTTP/SSE | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | API key required |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| Required env vars | None listed |
Tools & capabilities
Memex tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Screenpipe tools 30
search-contentSearch screen text, audio transcriptions, input events, memories, and parsed app data. Returns timestamped results with app context. USE WHEN: you need the actual text/content of a moment — quotes, screen text, transcript lines, or compact parsed messages, emails, tasks, documents, and code review — or want to filter by speaker/window. DO NOT USE for: broad questions like 'what was I doing?' (use activity-summary, it pre-summarizes apps + windows + transcripts). Also DO NOT USE for: targeted UI controls (use search-elements). Start with limit=5, increase only if needed. Per-result text is auto-truncated to 1000 chars; pass max_content_length=0 to opt out, or a custom integer to override.synced-devicesList this signed-in user's Screenpipe devices that have uploaded Data Sync records, including each device name and last sync time. USE WHEN: the user asks what devices are available, names another device, or asks a cross-device question and you need the exact device_name filter. This never accepts an account or bucket identifier; the local app forwards the signed-in user's identity.search-synced-contentSearch Data Sync records from this signed-in user's devices. Results include device name, device ID, and timestamp for attribution. USE WHEN: the user asks about another/named device, asks across devices, or local search does not cover the requested machine. For the current machine only, use search-content. Start with a narrow time range and limit=10.list-meetingsList detected meetings (Zoom, Teams, Meet, etc.) with id, duration, app, attendees, and note status. Pass `q` to substring-match title, attendee names/emails, and notes — `q` searches ALL meeting history, so when looking for a meeting with a person or on a topic ('when did I last talk to Noah?'), pass `q` and OMIT start_time. Only constrain the time range when the question itself is time-bound. Results are newest-first; without `q`, old meetings only surface via time range or offset pagination. Follow up with get-meeting (id from results) for the full note and transcript.activity-summary
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Memex
{
"mcpServers": {
"ayushagrawal288-memex": {
"url": "http://localhost:8001/mcp/"
}
}
}
Screenpipe
{
"mcpServers": {
"screenpipe": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"screenpipe-mcp@latest"
],
"env": {
"SCREENPIPE_LOCAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_SCREENPIPE_LOCAL_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Memex is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Screenpipe belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Memex for knowledge & memory work and Screenpipe for knowledge & memory.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Memex is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Screenpipe is listed as freemium — a free tier with paid plans. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add ayushagrawal288-memex and screenpipe as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Memex has a quality signal of 48/100 (Fair) with 3 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. Screenpipe has 72/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 21,907 GitHub stars.
