MCP Memory Gateway vs Threadctx MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Memory Gateway and Threadctx MCP 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 MCP Memory Gateway 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).
• Primary tools included: PreToolUse and pre-action checks, Stdio MCP gate_check capability, Local feedback and lesson capture.

Explore MCP Memory Gateway Details

Choose Threadctx MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Freemium).
• You have access to required keys: THREADCTX_API_KEY, THREADCTX_MODE, THREADCTX_NO_AUTO_RULES.
• Primary tools included: memory_write, memory_query.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Memory Gateway IgorGanapolsky Knowledge & Memory	Threadctx MCP threadctx-dev Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Pre-action gates that prevent AI coding agents from repeating known mistakes. Captures explicit feedback, auto-promotes failures into prevention rules, and enforces them via hooks.	Shared team memory for AI coding agents. Decisions, fixes, and gotchas persist per repo and are shared across Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP client — what one teammate's agent learns, everyone's agents remember. Local-first, zero-dependency. npx -y threadctx-mcp
Category & Scope

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": {
    "igorganapolsky-mcp-memory-gateway": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "thumbgate"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "threadctx-dev-threadctx-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "threadctx-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "THREADCTX_API_KEY": "YOUR_THREADCTX_API_KEY_HERE",
        "THREADCTX_MODE": "YOUR_THREADCTX_MODE_HERE",
        "THREADCTX_NO_AUTO_RULES": "YOUR_THREADCTX_NO_AUTO_RULES_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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