Graphiti MCP vs Zen MCP Server (now PAL)

A side-by-side comparison of two AI, Data & Knowledge servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Graphiti MCP Temporal knowledge-graph memory for agents: add episodes and search facts over FalkorDB or Neo4j, from Zep. Unverified HTTP (remote) API key Python	Zen MCP Server (now PAL) The renamed zen-mcp-server: routes Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to Gemini, GPT, Grok and local models in one context. Unverified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	AI, Data & Knowledge	AI, Data & Knowledge
Language	Python	Python
Transport	HTTP (remote)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	28k	12k
Last commit	6 hours ago	6 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`git clone https://github.com/getzep/graphiti.git && cd graphiti/mcp_server && docker compose up`	`git clone https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git && cd pal-mcp-server && ./run-server.sh`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Graphiti MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick Zen MCP Server (now PAL) if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add Graphiti MCP

Install / run

git clone https://github.com/getzep/graphiti.git && cd graphiti/mcp_server && docker compose up

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "graphiti-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:8000/mcp/"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

Add Zen MCP Server (now PAL)

Install / run

git clone https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git && cd pal-mcp-server && ./run-server.sh

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zen-mcp-server-now-pal": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git",
        "pal-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "<your-gemini-key>",
        "DEFAULT_MODEL": "auto",
        "DISABLED_TOOLS": "analyze,refactor,testgen,secaudit,docgen,tracer"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Graphiti MCP or Zen MCP Server (now PAL) — which is better?

Pick Graphiti MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick Zen MCP Server (now PAL) if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both Graphiti MCP and Zen MCP Server (now PAL)?

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 Graphiti MCP and Zen MCP Server (now PAL) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Graphiti MCP →View Zen MCP Server (now PAL) →More comparisons →