Memory (Knowledge Graph) vs GitHub MCP Server

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

	Memory (Knowledge Graph) Official MCP server providing persistent, file-backed knowledge-graph memory across sessions. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript	GitHub MCP Server GitHub's official server for repos, issues, PRs, and Actions — local Docker or hosted remote. Verified stdio (local) API key Go
Category	AI, Data & Knowledge	DevOps & Cloud
Language	TypeScript	Go
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	74k	31k
Last commit	5 months ago	5 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory`	`docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Memory (Knowledge Graph) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Pick GitHub MCP Server if you prefer its approach (github's official server for repos, issues, prs, and actions — local docker or hosted remote).

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add GitHub MCP Server

Install / run

docker run -i --rm -e GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github-mcp-server": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN",
        "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "<your-github-pat>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires Docker to be installed and running.

FAQ

Memory (Knowledge Graph) or GitHub MCP Server — which is better?

Pick Memory (Knowledge Graph) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want zero-setup with no API key. Pick GitHub MCP Server if you prefer its approach (github's official server for repos, issues, prs, and actions — local docker or hosted remote).

Can I use both Memory (Knowledge Graph) and GitHub 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 Memory (Knowledge Graph) and GitHub MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Memory (Knowledge Graph) →View GitHub MCP Server →More comparisons →