What is the key difference between Engram Rs and Shodh Memory?

Engram Rs belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution, while Shodh Memory belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Engram Rs or Shodh 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 Engram Rs and Shodh Memory free or paid?

Engram Rs operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required). Shodh Memory operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Engram Rs lists 16 tools with 2 views and 27 GitHub stars. Shodh Memory lists 38 tools with 4 views and 284 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Engram Rs and Shodh 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

Engram Rs vs Shodh Memory

In-depth architectural comparison of the Engram Rs and Shodh 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

Engram Rs

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 57/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Shodh Memory

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 69/100 (Great) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Engram Rs if you need specialized Knowledge & Memory tools running via a local process. Choose Shodh 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 Engram Rs when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER, ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_API_KEY.
Primary tools included: engram_store, engram_recall, engram_recent.

Explore Engram Rs Details

Choose Shodh 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 (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: remember, recall, recall_by_tags.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Engram Rs kael-bit Knowledge & Memory	Shodh Memory varun29ankuS Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Hierarchical memory engine for AI agents with automatic decay, promotion, semantic dedup, and self-organizing topic tree. Single Rust binary, zero external dependencies.	Cognitive memory for AI agents with Hebbian learning, 3-tier architecture, and knowledge graphs. Single 15MB binary, runs offline on edge devices.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Engram Rs Tools (16)

engram_store

Store a memory. All memories start in Buffer and promote to Working/Core through access frequency and LLM quality gating. Procedural memories and lessons (tag=lesson) auto-promote to Working after 2h. Use supersedes to replace outdated memories by their ids.

engram_recall

Hybrid semantic + keyword search with budget-aware retrieval. Fast by default (~30ms cached, ~1s first query). Optional expand adds LLM query expansion (+1-2s) — only use for short/vague queries.

engram_recent

List recent memories by creation time. Good for session context recovery.

engram_resume

Full memory bootstrap for session recovery. Returns core (permanent knowledge), working (ongoing context/decisions), buffer (transient), recent activity, and session notes. Use workspace tags to filter by current work context. Compact mode (default) minimizes token usage.

engram_extract

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).

Engram Rs Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kael-bit-engram-rs": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "engram-rs-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER": "YOUR_ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER_HERE",
        "ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_API_KEY": "YOUR_ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Shodh Memory Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "varun29ankus-shodh-memory": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@shodh/memory-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Engram Rs is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Shodh Memory belongs to Knowledge & Memory using local stdio subprocess. Select Engram Rs when you need capabilities focused on knowledge & memory and Shodh Memory when you require tools for knowledge & memory.

More alternatives to Engram Rs More alternatives to Shodh Memory Knowledge & Memory category hub