What is the key difference between Hjarni and Basic Memory?

Hjarni belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution, while Basic Memory belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Hjarni or Basic Memory 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 Hjarni and Basic Memory free or paid?

Hjarni operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Basic Memory operates under a Freemium model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Hjarni lists 38 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Basic Memory lists 15 tools with 2 views and 4,011 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Hjarni and Basic Memory 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

Hjarni vs Basic Memory

In-depth architectural comparison of the Hjarni and Basic Memory 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

Hjarni

Knowledge & Memory · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 52/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Basic Memory

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 59/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Hjarni if you need specialized Knowledge & Memory tools running via a hosted cloud SSE transport. Choose Basic Memory 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 Hjarni when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: me, dashboard-get, search.

Explore Hjarni Details

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

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Hjarni Knowledge & Memory	Basic Memory basicmachines-co Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Markdown-based note-taking with a hosted MCP server. Your notes serve you and your AI.	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.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Hjarni Tools (38)

The connected user's profile, plan, teams, note quota, and onboarding state

dashboard-get

Overview of the account: counts, recent notes, and recent changes across all spaces

Full-text search across notes, containers, and tags

notes-list

List notes with filtering by container, tags, and sorting

notes-get

Read a single note: full body, tags, links, backlinks, files, and inherited AI instructions

notes-create

Create a new note with title, body, summary, tags, and container placement

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).

Hjarni Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hjarni": {
      "url": "https://hjarni.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Basic Memory Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "basicmachines-co-basic-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "basicmachines-co-basic-memory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Hjarni is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. In contrast, Basic Memory belongs to Knowledge & Memory using local stdio subprocess. Select Hjarni when you need capabilities focused on knowledge & memory and Basic Memory when you require tools for knowledge & memory.

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