NMEMORY vs Penfield MCP

A side-by-side look at the NMEMORY and Penfield MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

NMEMORY logoNMEMORYKnowledge & MemoryHermetic local memory for coding agents: provenance-mandatory capture, honest recall, zero sockets.45FairAuth: not declaredPenfield MCP logoPenfield MCPKnowledge & Memory · Local subprocess (stdio)Penfield: persistent memory with hybrid search (BM25 + vector + graph), 24 relationship types for knowledge graphs, context checkpoints for cognitive handoff, artifact storage, and personality system. Works across Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP client.49FairAuth: oauth 2.0

Verdict: choose NMEMORY for knowledge & memory work; choose Penfield 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?

NMEMORY logoChoose NMEMORY when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
  • You want tools like memory_ingest, memory_retrieve, memory_digest.
Explore NMEMORY

Penfield MCP logoChoose Penfield MCP when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • Its auth model fits you: OAuth 2.0.
Explore Penfield MCP

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecNMEMORY logoNMEMORYPenfield MCP logoPenfield MCP
CategoryKnowledge & MemoryKnowledge & Memory
Quality signal45/100 · Fair49/100 · Fair
Install commandNot confirmed yetConfirmed
Transport—Local subprocess (stdio)
AuthNot declaredOAuth 2.0
PricingNot declaredFree
Required env varsNone listedNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars96
Directory activity 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 4 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
Tools5Not listed

Tools & capabilities

NMEMORY tools 5

  • memory_ingestcapture with a birth certificate: no source + anchor, no storage.
  • memory_retrieverecall as evidence: grounded, missing_evidence, or an honest abstain.
  • memory_digestsession-start projection: what you know, what's ready, what's blocked.
  • memory_relatethe five edges you reach for daily, out of nine declared: supersedes, derived_from, witnesses, blocks, and `falsifies` (a disproven fact stops grounding recall, but the evidence stays). The other four — `proposes`, `part_of`, `grounded_in`, `about` — are in the tool surface below.
  • memory_forgettombstones with audit, never silent deletion.

Penfield 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.

NMEMORY

No confirmed install command for NMEMORY yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.

Penfield MCP

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "penfieldlabs-penfield-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

NMEMORY is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Penfield MCP belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick NMEMORY for knowledge & memory work and Penfield 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. NMEMORY has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.

NMEMORY has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Penfield MCP is listed as free. Auth: oauth 2.0. 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 nmemory and penfieldlabs-penfield-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, NMEMORY has a quality signal of 45/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 9 GitHub stars. Penfield MCP has 49/100 (Fair) with 4 views, 0 installs and 6 GitHub stars.