CodeCortex Context Engine vs Locus

In-depth architectural comparison of the CodeCortex Context Engine 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?

C

Choose CodeCortex Context Engine 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).

Explore CodeCortex Context Engine 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).

Explore Locus Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	C CodeCortex Context Engine Knowledge & Memory	Locus Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Context intelligence for AI coding agents: navigation, impact, memory, guarded edits.	Hierarchical markdown memory palace for AI agents — structured palace navigation via MCP tools.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory	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": {
    "codecortex-context-engine": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "codecortex-context-engine"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "locus-2": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "locus-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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