Filesystem (Reference) vs Memory (Knowledge Graph)

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

	Filesystem (Reference) Official MCP reference server for secure local filesystem read/write within allowed directories. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript	Memory (Knowledge Graph) Official MCP server providing persistent, file-backed knowledge-graph memory across sessions. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript
Category	Files & Storage	AI, Data & Knowledge
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	74k	74k
Last commit	5 months ago	5 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir`	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick Memory (Knowledge Graph) if you prefer its approach (official mcp server providing persistent, file-backed knowledge-graph memory across sessions).

Add Filesystem (Reference)

Install / run

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem-reference": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/absolute/path/to/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Add Memory (Knowledge Graph)

Install / run

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory-knowledge-graph": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MEMORY_FILE_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/memory.jsonl"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Filesystem (Reference) or Memory (Knowledge Graph) — which is better?

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you need the broadest set of tools. Pick Memory (Knowledge Graph) if you prefer its approach (official mcp server providing persistent, file-backed knowledge-graph memory across sessions).

Can I use both Filesystem (Reference) and Memory (Knowledge Graph)?

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 Filesystem (Reference) and Memory (Knowledge Graph) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Filesystem (Reference) →View Memory (Knowledge Graph) →More comparisons →