What is the key difference between Memory Vault and Engram MCP?

Memory Vault belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution, while Engram MCP belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Memory Vault or Engram MCP 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 Memory Vault and Engram MCP free or paid?

Memory Vault operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Engram MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Memory Vault lists 6 tools with 1 views and 63 GitHub stars. Engram MCP lists 11 tools with 2 views and 1 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Memory Vault and Engram MCP 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

Memory Vault vs Engram MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Memory Vault and Engram 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Memory Vault

Knowledge & Memory · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 55/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Engram MCP

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 39/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Memory Vault if you need specialized Knowledge & Memory tools running via a hosted cloud SSE transport. Choose Engram MCP 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 Memory Vault 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: recall, remember, forget.

Explore Memory Vault Details

Choose Engram MCP 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).
You have access to required keys: ENGRAM_DB, ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_URL.
Primary tools included: remember, recall, search.

Explore Engram MCP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Memory Vault Knowledge & Memory	Engram MCP Cartisien Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Local-first AI memory layer with hybrid search. Postgres + pgvector. Self-hosted, MIT.	Persistent semantic memory for AI agents. SQLite-backed, local-first, zero config. Semantic search via Ollama embeddings (nomic-embed-text) with keyword fallback. remember, recall, history, forget, and stats tools. Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and any MCP client.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Memory Vault Tools (6)

recall

Search memories with hybrid search (vector + full-text + RRF)

remember

Store a new memory — auto-classified and embedded

forget

Soft-delete a memory by chunk ID

purge_forgotten

Permanently delete memories forgotten more than N days ago

move_memory

Move a memory to another space, rebuilding its graph entries

memory_status

Database health, chunk counts, embedding model info

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).

Memory Vault Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory-vault": {
      "url": "http://192.168.1.50:8000/api/mcp/sse"
    }
  }
}

Engram MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cartisien-engram-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@cartisien/engram-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ENGRAM_DB": "YOUR_ENGRAM_DB_HERE",
        "ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_URL": "YOUR_ENGRAM_EMBEDDING_URL_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

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

More alternatives to Memory Vault More alternatives to Engram MCP Knowledge & Memory category hub Canonical compare URL