Screenpipe vs MCP Local Rag
A side-by-side look at the Screenpipe and MCP Local Rag MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Screenpipe for knowledge & memory work as a local process; choose MCP Local Rag 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?
Choose Screenpipe when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
SCREENPIPE_LOCAL_API_KEY. - You want tools like
search-content, synced-devices, search-synced-content.
Choose MCP Local Rag when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You have the keys it needs:
BASE_DIR, BASE_DIRS, IGNORE_PATHS, DB_PATH, CACHE_DIR, HF_ENDPOINT. - You want tools like
sync_start, sync_status, ingest_file.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 72/100 · Great | 69/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| Required env vars | SCREENPIPE_LOCAL_API_KEY | BASE_DIRBASE_DIRSIGNORE_PATHSDB_PATHCACHE_DIRHF_ENDPOINT |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 22,002 | 416 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 9 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 30 | 9 |
| Full listing | View Screenpipe | View MCP Local Rag |
Tools & capabilities
Screenpipe tools 30
search-contentSearch screen text, audio transcriptions, input events, memories, and parsed app data. Returns timestamped results with app context. USE WHEN: you need the actual text/content of a moment — quotes, screen text, transcript lines, or compact parsed messages, emails, tasks, documents, and code review — or want to filter by speaker/window. DO NOT USE for: broad questions like 'what was I doing?' (use activity-summary, it pre-summarizes apps + windows + transcripts). Also DO NOT USE for: targeted UI controls (use search-elements). Start with limit=5, increase only if needed. Per-result text is auto-truncated to 1000 chars; pass max_content_length=0 to opt out, or a custom integer to override.synced-devicesList this signed-in user's Screenpipe devices that have uploaded Data Sync records, including each device name and last sync time. USE WHEN: the user asks what devices are available, names another device, or asks a cross-device question and you need the exact device_name filter. This never accepts an account or bucket identifier; the local app forwards the signed-in user's identity.search-synced-contentSearch Data Sync records from this signed-in user's devices. Results include device name, device ID, and timestamp for attribution. USE WHEN: the user asks about another/named device, asks across devices, or local search does not cover the requested machine. For the current machine only, use search-content. Start with a narrow time range and limit=10.list-meetingsList detected meetings (Zoom, Teams, Meet, etc.) with id, duration, app, attendees, and note status. Pass `q` to substring-match title, attendee names/emails, and notes — `q` searches ALL meeting history, so when looking for a meeting with a person or on a topic ('when did I last talk to Noah?'), pass `q` and OMIT start_time. Only constrain the time range when the question itself is time-bound. Results are newest-first; without `q`, old meetings only surface via time range or offset pagination. Follow up with get-meeting (id from results) for the full note and transcript.activity-summaryRich activity overview: authoritative active minutes, app/window time, edited document paths, key text, and audio transcriptions, with optional parsed task context when available. USE WHEN: any broad question about what the user did — 'what was I doing?', 'how long on X?', 'which apps?', 'recap my morning'. This is almost always the right first call for time-range questions — usually sufficient without follow-up searches. Use parsed/path evidence to identify tasks, but only active-minute fields for duration; frame and row counts are never time. DO NOT USE for: finding a specific keyword (use keyword-search) or a specific UI control (use search-elements).search-elementsSearch UI elements (buttons, links, text fields) from the accessibility tree, filterable by role. USE WHEN: you want a specific UI control or page-structure question — 'find every Submit button I saw', 'list the links in that page'. DO NOT USE for: general text/content (use search-content) or fast keyword lookup (use keyword-search).frame-contextGet full accessibility text, parsed tree nodes, and URLs for a specific frame ID. Use after search-content to get detailed context for a specific moment.export-videoExport an MP4 of screen recordings for a time range, with synced microphone audio. Frames are placed at their real timestamps, so the clip's duration matches the wall-clock span you requested (not a sped-up timelapse). Returns the file path. Can take a few minutes for long ranges.update-memoryCreate, update, or delete a persistent memory (facts, preferences, decisions the user wants to remember). To retrieve memories, use search-content with content_type='memory'. To create: provide content + tags. To update: provide id + fields to change. To delete: provide id + delete=true.get-feedbackSearch local user ratings and written comments attached to AI-produced notifications, chats, memories, blocks, artifacts, and other targets. Use before generating related work so you preserve what earned up ratings and correct what earned down ratings.send-notificationSend a notification to the screenpipe desktop UI. Use high priority only for time-sensitive failures or decisions needing human attention; routine findings and completed tasks should be normal or low.health-checkCheck if screenpipe is running and healthy. Returns recording status, frame/audio stats, timestamps.- +18 more on the listing page
MCP Local Rag tools 9
sync_startReconcile the index with all configured roots or one pathsync_statusPoll a running sync jobingest_fileIngest or replace one fileingest_dataIngest text, Markdown, or HTML already held by the clientquery_documentsSearch with semantic matching and keyword boostread_chunk_neighborsRead surrounding chunks from a search resultlist_filesShow supported files and their ingestion statedelete_fileDelete an indexed file or an `ingest_data` itemstatusShow index and search status
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.
Screenpipe
{
"mcpServers": {
"screenpipe": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"screenpipe-mcp@latest"
],
"env": {
"SCREENPIPE_LOCAL_API_KEY": "YOUR_SCREENPIPE_LOCAL_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
MCP Local Rag
{
"mcpServers": {
"shinpr-mcp-local-rag": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-local-rag"
],
"env": {
"BASE_DIR": "YOUR_BASE_DIR_HERE",
"BASE_DIRS": "YOUR_BASE_DIRS_HERE",
"IGNORE_PATHS": "YOUR_IGNORE_PATHS_HERE",
"DB_PATH": "YOUR_DB_PATH_HERE",
"CACHE_DIR": "YOUR_CACHE_DIR_HERE",
"HF_ENDPOINT": "YOUR_HF_ENDPOINT_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Screenpipe is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Local Rag belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Screenpipe for knowledge & memory work and MCP Local Rag 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.
Screenpipe is listed as freemium — a free tier with paid plans. Auth: api key required. MCP Local Rag is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. 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 screenpipe and shinpr-mcp-local-rag as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Screenpipe has a quality signal of 72/100 (Great) with 3 views, 0 installs and 22,002 GitHub stars. MCP Local Rag has 69/100 (Great) with 9 views, 0 installs and 416 GitHub stars.