codebase-memory-mcp vs IDE Index MCP Server

A side-by-side comparison of two Developer Tools servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	codebase-memory-mcp Code intelligence engine that indexes repos into a persistent knowledge graph for AI coding agents. Unverified stdio (local) No auth C	IDE Index MCP Server JetBrains IDE plugin exposing an MCP server so AI agents can use the IDE's indexing and refactoring. Unverified HTTP (remote) No auth Kotlin
Category	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Language	C	Kotlin
Transport	stdio (local)	HTTP (remote)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	16k	254
Last commit	1 month ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.sh \| bash`	`claude mcp add --transport http --scope user intellij-index http://127.0.0.1:29170/index-mcp/streamable-http`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick codebase-memory-mcp if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Pick IDE Index MCP Server if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add codebase-memory-mcp

Install / run

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp/main/install.sh | bash

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codebase-memory-mcp": {
      "command": "/path/to/codebase-memory-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Add IDE Index MCP Server

Install / run

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user intellij-index http://127.0.0.1:29170/index-mcp/streamable-http

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ide-index-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://127.0.0.1:29170/index-mcp/streamable-http"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

FAQ

codebase-memory-mcp or IDE Index MCP Server — which is better?

Pick codebase-memory-mcp if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine. Pick IDE Index MCP Server if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both codebase-memory-mcp and IDE Index MCP Server?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do codebase-memory-mcp and IDE Index MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View codebase-memory-mcp →View IDE Index MCP Server →More comparisons →