Cognee vs Shodh Memory
A side-by-side look at the Cognee and Shodh Memory MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Cognee for knowledge & memory work; choose Shodh Memory 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 Cognee when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You have the keys it needs:
LLM_API_KEY. - You want tools like
remember, recall, forget.
Choose Shodh Memory 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 want tools like
remember, recall, recall_by_tags.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 53/100 · Good | 69/100 · Great |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | LLM_API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 32,674 | 314 |
| Directory activity | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 5 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | 38 |
| Full listing | View Cognee | View Shodh Memory |
Tools & capabilities
Cognee tools 4
rememberStore data in memory. Pass `data` for text, or `filename` + `content_base64` to ingest an uploaded file (up to 10 MB). With `session_id`: fast session cache (text only). Without `session_id`: permanent graph memoryrecallSearch memory with auto-routing. Searches session cache first when `session_id` is provided, then falls through to the permanent graphforgetDelete memory by dataset name or id, a single data item by `data_id` (paired with its `dataset_id`, both shown by `recall` with `include_references=True`), or delete all owned memory with `everything=True`cognify_statusCheck the progress of background ingestion started by `remember(background=True)`. Unadvertised by default; discoverable via `search_tools` and callable by name
Shodh Memory tools 38
rememberStore a memory for future recall. Use this to remember important information, decisions, user preferences, project context, or anything you want to recall later.recallSearch memories AND todos using semantic similarity. Returns both relevant memories and matching todos. Use this to find past experiences, decisions, context, or pending work. Modes: 'semantic' (vector similarity), 'associative' (graph traversal), 'temporal' (time-based retrieval), 'hybrid' (combined), 'spatial' (geo-location based), 'mission' (mission context), 'action_outcome' (reward-based learning).recall_by_tagsFind memories by tags. Returns memories matching ANY of the provided tags. Useful for finding memories by category (e.g., 'tool:Edit', 'file:src/main.rs', 'source:hook', 'error', 'session-summary').context_summaryGet a condensed summary of recent learnings, decisions, and context. Use this at the start of a session to quickly understand what you've learned before.list_memoriesList all stored memoriesforgetDelete a specific memory by IDmemory_statsGet statistics about stored memoriesverify_indexVerify vector index integrity - diagnose orphaned memories that are stored but not searchable. Returns health status and count of orphaned memories.repair_indexRepair vector index by re-indexing orphaned memories. Use this when verify_index shows unhealthy status. Returns count of repaired memories.backup_createCreate a backup of all memories. Returns backup metadata including ID, size, and checksum. Backups are stored locally and can be restored later.backup_listList all available backups for this user. Returns backup history with IDs, timestamps, and sizes.backup_verifyVerify backup integrity using SHA-256 checksum. Use to check if a backup is corrupted before restoring.- +26 more on 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.
Cognee
No confirmed install command for Cognee yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Shodh Memory
{
"mcpServers": {
"varun29ankus-shodh-memory": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@shodh/memory-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Cognee is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Shodh Memory belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Cognee for knowledge & memory work and Shodh Memory 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. Cognee has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Cognee is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Shodh Memory 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 topoteretes-cognee and varun29ankus-shodh-memory as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Cognee has a quality signal of 53/100 (Good) with 5 views, 0 installs and 32,674 GitHub stars. Shodh Memory has 69/100 (Great) with 5 views, 0 installs and 314 GitHub stars.