Basic Memory vs Locus

In-depth architectural comparison of the Basic Memory and Locus 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Basic Memory when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Freemium).
• Primary tools included: write_note, read_note, edit_note.

Explore Basic Memory Details

Choose Locus when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• You have access to required keys: LOCUS_PALACE, FASTMCP_HOST.
• Primary tools included: Hierarchical Markdown memory palace, Five MCP tools for file navigation and editing, SQLite FTS5 ranked full-text search.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Basic Memory basicmachines-co Knowledge & Memory	Locus Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Persistent, local-first AI memory: a semantic knowledge graph of plain Markdown files that humans and LLMs both read and write. Works with any MCP client, with optional cloud sync and team workspaces.	Hierarchical markdown memory palace for AI agents — structured palace navigation via MCP tools.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "basicmachines-co-basic-memory": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--prerelease=allow",
        "basic-memory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "locus-2": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "locus-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LOCUS_PALACE": "YOUR_LOCUS_PALACE_HERE",
        "FASTMCP_HOST": "YOUR_FASTMCP_HOST_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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