Cortex vs Memstate MCP
A side-by-side look at the Cortex and Memstate MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Cortex for knowledge & memory work over a hosted endpoint; choose Memstate MCP 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 Cortex when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
CORTEX_ACCESS_TOKEN, CORTEX_MCP_URL.
Choose Memstate MCP 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:
MEMSTATE_API_KEY.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 40/100 · Fair | 49/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Remote HTTP/SSE | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | BYOK (pay the provider) |
| Required env vars | CORTEX_ACCESS_TOKENCORTEX_MCP_URL |
Tools & capabilities
Cortex tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Memstate MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
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.
Cortex
{
"mcpServers": {
"cortex-5": {
"url": "https://skynetlab-cortex-saas-mcp.cortex-320.workers.dev/mcp"
}
}
}
Memstate MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"memstate-ai-memstate-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@memstate/mcp"
],
"env": {
"MEMSTATE_API_KEY": "YOUR_MEMSTATE_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Cortex is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Memstate MCP belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Cortex for knowledge & memory work and Memstate MCP 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.
Cortex has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Memstate MCP is bring-your-own-key: usage is billed by the API provider you supply a key for. 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 cortex-5 and memstate-ai-memstate-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Cortex has a quality signal of 40/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. Memstate MCP has 49/100 (Fair) with 2 views, 0 installs and 8 GitHub stars.