Memory (Knowledge Graph) 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.

	Memory (Knowledge Graph) Official MCP server providing persistent, file-backed knowledge-graph memory across sessions. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript	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	TypeScript	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	74k	12k
Last commit	6 months ago	7 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory`	`git clone https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git && cd pal-mcp-server && ./run-server.sh`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Memory (Knowledge Graph) 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 need the broadest set of tools.

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 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

Memory (Knowledge Graph) or Zen MCP Server (now PAL) — which is better?

Pick Memory (Knowledge Graph) 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 need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both Memory (Knowledge Graph) 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 Memory (Knowledge Graph) 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 Memory (Knowledge Graph) →View Zen MCP Server (now PAL) →More comparisons →